BabyRayBlog features Jay Penaranda, AKA “Pepoy”, as he recounts his terror attack scare story that transpired five days after Super Typhoon Haiyan.

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Typhoon Yolanda propelled the Leyte island’s existence to global scale. The havoc was plastered to all major news outlet. It was a far cry to the bucolic charm it exudes.

Everyone was displaced and food was scarce. Looting was rampant. We do not have access to electricity and it was hard to liaise to other towns as roads are either blocked or completely broken.

Alas, it was not the only core memory that I will have. Five days after, a security dilemma is to cloud us. After it subsided, here are the realizations that I hold dear to my heart.

1. Murphy Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

I thought it could never get worse. Typhoon Yolanda has changed the Leyte landscape. When Yolly left, it took away the lives and hopes of people. 

A brighter tomorrow is what we are re-building on, slowly. People are laying out their banig to dry palay and the women are busy sweeping the roads filled with debris.

Or so I thought. Nangangaripas! (translation: Panick) It is what filled the atmosphere five (5) days after Yolanda.

Lesson Learned: Have a back plan. Even go as far to Plan Z, if possible.

2. Keep your calm.

Life will throw lemons your way. It is your character that will shine through when faced with adversaries.

I know that at that moment it is not the best version of myself. I am fidgety, nonsensical,  and borderline crazy! However, I am proud to say that I learned how to compose myself and be aware that my actions, emotions rather, contribute to morale.

I do believe that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and make a lemonade out of lemons. And, I thank you!

Lesson Learned: Channel your inner Ms. Universe! Emotions are contagious.

3. Communication is the Key!

Communication is a basic, pertinent skill in the Information Age. However, some are lost in translation when emotions get the better of us. Clear your mind to process information to its basic core.

I was easily swayed before with how the speaker spoke and the way they use their body to convey the message. Now, I appreciate substance in words and the genuineness it bare.

Lesson Learned: Manage your emotion. Do not assume.

4. Family F1rst.

I know this may sound cliche and so Filipino, but they are the pillars that we can depend on in times of need. This is very much prevalent especially with how everyone was minding their own business of hiding during the terror scare.

What stood to me most is that they go in groups – by family. We may have our differences, but siblings’ relationships are unique. They are connected to our past, our comrade in the present, and our companion in the future.

Lesson Learned: Together we stand, divided we fall.

5. Hindsight is 2020!

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Find out why the manual “water pump” is significant to his story.  Stay tuned to the next story series.

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Come 2020 and pandemic slapped us across the face! Uncertainty enveloped the world as we know it. Civilization crumbled to make sense of how to stay afloat now that most of us are in quarantine. 

Frankly, this is not the glow up I was expecting! However, the same with Yolanda, LABAAAAN!

Lesson Learned: Move on, move on din pag may time! (trans: Moving on is a must!) Our struggle in the past is our stepping stone to face the world of uncertainty because if we are united; then, together we heal as ONE.