Milenyo Ironies

Typhoons and other disasters are always an opportunity to find Pinoy curiosities. And the greater the disaster, the greater the absurdities.

For instance, we live at Ortigas Center, one of the two major business districts of the country. But it took 2.5 days before electricity came back in our home. We had to cancel work for two days because our office, which is also in Ortigas, also had no electricity. What's more ironic is we live along Meralco Ave., a city block away from the headquarters of Meralco.

Despite years of typhoons, we are still unprepared for these things. I envy Marikina because although they live in a flood-prone area, they manage well during these times.

What was more frightening than watching the howling wind tear off the roof from our neighbors' homes was realizing how slow the local government is reacting to this devastation. It's now Saturday, three days after Milenyo hit and streets are still littered with torn branches, broken glass and tarp ripped off from billboards. Greenhills still does not have power as I right this, and many places all over the city do not have power and dial tones.