As early as Saturday afternoon, the sign that typhoon Frank was going to make a difference was already manifested. My wife and I went to the grocery for our weekly supply at about 3:00 p.m. last Saturday. The sky was already dark. We were able to finish marketing at about 5:45 p.m. When I went out to the parking area, it was already drizzling. I did not bring the umbrella when we went inside the grocery so I had to run to my car trying to evade the droplets of the rain.

I was able to get inside my car but with a few droplets of rain hitting my thinning hair! When I turned the radio on, the DZMM had a live report on the flooding of Iloilo City and the majority of the Iloilo province brought about by typhoon Frank. After making my turn to the main entrance of the grocery store, I immediately opened my car and with the help of the staff of the grocery store we were able to load all the plastic bags of groceries before the rain could start a heavy downpour.

The reports of the flooding in Iloilo continued on the radio with the reporter emphasizing that it was the first time that the City was flooded almost 95%. I then told myself it will be a strong typhoon.

Early Sunday morning at about 1:30 a.m., we were awaken with a strong wind making a strange sound accompanied by a strong rain! Such kind of wind and rain reminded me of typhoon Melenyo last year which toppled down several giant billboards when it hit Metro Manila.

A few minutes later, the electric power went out! That was it! From that moment till almost 18 hours, we did not have electric power! When it was already lunch time of Sunday, I was hoping that before 2:45 p.m. the electric power will be back because I will have to record on my VHS the 4th episode of “YOUR SONG”. I wanted to have all the episodes of its “I’ll Take Care of You” June presentation recorded and later have a DVD copy of it.

However, 2:45 p.m. came. Still no power! I failed to watch it. I failed to record it. With the brown out, I decided to listen on the devastation brought about by typhoon Frank. It was then that I heard that a Sulpicio Lines vessel “Princess of the Stars” capsized in the seas of Romblon. My heart bleeds when it was reported that several nurses from Agusan del Norte were on board. They were here in Manila for the nurse exams for US employment. Until now however, their stories have not yet been picked up by major networks or even by the major dailies as human interest stories.

Just like the boy who stopped crying because he does not have a pair of shoes when he saw a man without two legs, I stopped complaining for the brown out. I imagined how many dreams of escaping from poverty will no longer be realized. Oh well, anyway, next week, please do not forget to watch the last episode of “I’ll Take Care of You” of “Your Song” except when there will be another Frank typhoon, knock on wood!

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