ILOILO CITY Vice Mayor Jed Mabilog in a message sent to and published by The News Today (TNT) conveyed that the devastation brought by Typhoon Frank was a message from and of God.

I considered –briefly- telling that to thousands of Ilonggo families whose lives are forever changed by the mudslides, landslides, floodwaters up to 15-feet deep and unimaginable destruction. Then quickly, I realized I am not really sure that it will bring comfort or closure. Nor was it a sound suggestion at all.

Or say do the same to devout Catholics and the others with the strongest in Christian faith, will the Vice Mayor’s message actually put some sense into the extent of devastation and destruction? Will it actually make sense at all?

Nothing against the Vice Mayor’s sentiments, to each his own, of which mine is purely a product of my floodfull-week of news coverage by the way.

In retrospect, in contemplation and looking back upon Typhoon Frank and God as, well, not convenient excuse but gist of analysis, assessment and opinion as to why it happened in Iloilo and Panay Island, I cannot but help to liken the situation to the movie, “The Man Who Sued God.”

A 2001 Australian movie starred by actor Billy Connoly who played as Steve Myers, the story revolved around Myers’ fate - post calamity.

An ex-lawyer, Myers sued God after his boat was struck by lightning and his insurance company refused to pay claiming the incidents as act of God. Fortuitous events, we call it in layman’s words, accidental or unexpected and similarly, nature’s wrath.

In other words, albeit seemingly out of context, charge it to experience.

Myers, the lawyer that he was, sued God through God’s proclaimed representatives on Earth, the Christian churches and Jewish synagogues. God’s earthly-agents and envoys should be held as liable parties, Myers said and argued.

Then the movie revolved around the dilemma faced by Church leaders and synagogues placed in a position of either paying the damages as sought or distance themselves as God’s representatives. Doing the latter though will be tantamount to saying God does not exist and/or admission that they are not really God’s messengers on earth.

A colleague, The News Today and Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent Nestor Burgos Jr. wrote about the possible causes of the unprecedented typhoon effect. Aptly headlined “Ecological Sins,” Borgy (that’s Nestor just the same) wrote extensively about the environmental factors that were the plausible reasons.

Blame and sue God for that? No. Blame and sue God’s minions who caused massive quarrying, illegal logging, more quarrying and deforestation. And each of the Ilonggos directly or indirectly affected should also accept some degree of blame. Directly for those who allowed the ecological sins to happen thus the hot spot in hell. Indirectly thus the cooler spot in hell for those who knew but chose not to do anything on the destruction that is going on in our mountains.

In the words of Edmund Burke, “For evil to triumph, it is enough that good men do nothing.” Mr. Burke must have meant women as well.

If it is any consolation though, the typhoon made us realized how futile our emergency preparedness is. It borders on the line of desperation and pathetic state which had to be paid by hundreds of deaths. There is never a timely death no matter how evil or corrupt one person is but death due to flashfloods and mudslides is the most untimely of untimely deaths really.

Typhoon Frank and God in one context? No, not really. See, given my frailties in life, I am in the category of “not a practicing Catholic.” But my faith is intact and I pray daily, thankful for each new day and sorry for all of my sins (which of course I commit again anyways) – blame all on me and never to God.

In retrospect. Typhoon Frank.

One Response to “In retrospect: Typhoon Frank and God”

• 1
  blue
  July 4th, 2008 21:14

  The note of the vice mayor that this tragedy is a message from God made me laugh!!IT IS NOT THE WILL OF GOD THAT HIS PEOPLE WILL SUFFER but this kind of calamity is a consequence of two reasons:..FIRST=that the world is imperfect so there are imperfections that are bound to happen like storm,drought and the like,SECOND=because of the greed of man so we are now experiencing the consequences of our evil deeds!!=destruction of nature,pollution,insensetivity and not following the social teachings of the church so this is now the RESULT!! SO WAKE UP GOVERMENT OFFICIALS YOU HAVE THE POLICE POWER TO IMPLEMENT LAWS FOR THE COMMON GOOD!!THIS IS YOUR DUTY!!WAKE UP VICE MAYOR!! DO NOT SUPPORT THE COAL FIRED POWER PLANT IF YOU ARE SENSETIVE ENOUGH TO THE ENVIRONMENT!!STOP GLOBAL WARMING!!LET US BE RESPONSIBLE TO OUR GOD GIVEN DUTY BY NOURISHING AND PROTECTING ALL OF HIS CREATION!!

Leave a Reply