earthquake

i have special memories of bohol and cebu.  last year, 16 members of our family went there:  my mom, my sister, my aunts, my cousins, my nieces and i.  our family has regular get-togethers and we've done out-of-towns but this was the first time such a big group (all ladies, btw) traveled together by plane.  (it all started with a seat sale...)  to merely say that it was fun would not do justice to the experience.

then yesterday, earthquakes rocked the provinces.  the magnitude 7.2 quake in bohol is on record as the fifth strongest earthquake to ever hit the country.  scenes of grief and devastation filled the news.  heartbreaking.

amid all these, two clips stood in my mind.

first was that of cebu mayor michael rama being interviewed by korina sanchez.  the mayor was calm, smiling even, and he said, "...  kaya naman namin 'yan [we can handle this]...  together we can make things happen..."

and then this guy from bohol, tony pino.  the camera showed him picking up a salvageable from his fallen house.  he was telling the news crew, "back to zero," and yet he still managed to show a faint smile.

yes, you can break their structures but not their spirit.