Red Room Where the Writers Are

dogsurfer.jpg

Normal 0 0 2 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

    How do you picture a true blue hero? One who dons a colorful costume like Superman or Batman and Robin or better yet like Spiderman? Does he have to be tall, handsome and has a well-toned body? There are lots of unsung heroes amidst our surroundings especially in those times of emergencies and natural disasters. I’m not talking about the rescuers of Red Cross or the coast guards but those ordinary people who have risked their lives for their friends and neighbors – those you least expect to lend a hand in times of great danger.

     When floods broke out in Manila and nearby places, poor people who got caught in chest deep waters or higher had nowhere to go and would do anything to save themselves and their loved ones. But what about those women and children especially babies who were weak and helpless? As I watched on a TV documentary, there were two men who unconditionally risked their own lives to save these poor people. One literally gave up his own life after saving his neighbors, he was found dead in a ruined house maybe got drowned and was carried away by the ravaging waters. Another one saved the family of his mortal enemy, his former friend, forgetting their long time rift and went through dangerous feats just to rescue lives. He is now in the hospital recuperating for he was left stranded on a rooftop, all wet and starving for 3 days…his legs are also in the brink of going through an operation for his open wound got infected and is now spreading into his blood system.

      There are still other heroes out there who are left unrecognized and unnamed though years may past them by. They don’t need any merits or awards of appreciation but it’s just their innate qualities of being helpful to their fellowmen. In times of strife, people should unite and forget about their personal conflicts and be with on another to conquer any difficulty. Filipinos are truly dependable people especially during a crisis and we have proven this many times all over the world that despite our different statuses in society we do have unity if the situation calls for it.