Christmas is in the air. The night feels longer, the wind sharper, and cheerful melodies echo endlessly inside shopping malls–blending with the vibrant hum of fluorescent lights covering every surface. 

But beyond the appeal of these glittering, money-draped spirit of Christmas–if you listen closely, you’ll hear a different sound–the kind that travels through centuries yet left unnoticed, unheard—a cry, screamed by those that are oppressed.

It’s the cry of Filipinos who have lost their homes to floods, and the cruel stagnancy of corruption that follows. It is the cry of Mely Saberon from Cebu, one of the many residents interviewed by GMA News, as she faces the wreckage of her home, her belongings, and her family's food. Hunger feeds on them as they feed off of nothing.

”Walang-wala,” a simple word, yet when uttered by Mely, it remains as a haunting symbol of thousands of victims in Cebu — continuing to fight for what once was whole but is now lost to devastation left behind by Typhoon Tino.

The night may feel long to us, but to them it is endless. The wind bites. Their skin is bare against it, their bones chilled to the marrow. While the floodwaters destroy their homes and belongings, a different kind of water flows beneath their eyes, the kind ignored by the heartless and overlooked by the corrupt: tears. Though it might be the Christmas season, it is far from it. 

As Typhoon Tino’s winds finally recede, it abdicates its reign, making way for the looming threat Super Typhoon Uwan brings. As November takes its first step inside our lives, it has been nothing but easy, within its first strides — it greets us with earthquakes, typhoons, and disasters. 

These storms are not to blame; they are nature’s fury, but the pain they leave behind is made heavier by human failures. The ghost of abandoned flood control projects still haunts our very nation, a quiet yet loitering reminder of promises left to rot—drifting with the garbage that floats and chokes our streets and sewers. Nevertheless, these floods and winds cannot drown our resolve. The storms may strike, but they only remind us why staying silent is not an option: to look out for one another, to speak up, and to refuse to turn away from those in need.

And yet, even as families sift through the ruins, clutching the few belongings they managed to save and starting all over, hope prevails. You see it in volunteers wading through the rain with relief packs, neighbors sharing what little food or blankets they have, children helping carry soaked belongings, and strangers offering a helping hand or simply words of comfort. Each small act pushes back the cold and chaos, a living proof that people refuse to give up. This Christmas, to listen—not just to the jingle of sleigh bells or the melodies in the malls, but to the voices of those who have lost everything and yet endure, care, and give love even in the hardest times.

So, I ask you, are you truly listening?

Source: https://youtu.be/9E95WMl_fw4?si=90uK9RSQ91KgpVmU