Bayanihan or Not?

We, Filipinos, have always been known for the ‘bayanihan’ – a trait handed down by our ancestral bloodline; a trait showing how we uphold our Filipino brotherhood; a trait confirming how we unite as one.

After the turmoil brought by the typhoons, we’ve witnessed “bayanihan’ among our brothers in Luzon. This havoc truly tested how we are as Filipinos – how united we are as a race. Many extended their help through donations, others exerted service in volunteering under foundations and charities; some offered hands for support. It’s overwhelming to see how Filipinos, in their own ways, try to see what they might give or offer for help.

When a friend of mine got stranded between the flooding waters of Manila, I got worried but I thought there are a lot of good Samaritans there. I asked her if there were people who helped her and I was shocked at something she said. I was dismayed.

“Yeah, somebody helped – but for PhP20.00 (twenty pesos).”

In the raging flood waters of the streets, she was in distress, everybody was. Everyone needed all the help they could get but there were people who were making money out of the situation everyone was in. How awful. The very thought that these individuals were extending help in exchange for something loses the spirit of bayanihan.

What a shame.