A Post from the Storm Lands

Got these pictures from [identity-protected] when she visited Albay just after Christmas, Bicol being recently hit by a couple of supertyphoons a month or two ago.

When I visited Naga City on New Year's Day, the effects were still visible here and there, including a couple of steel electric towers bent in two. (Geez, didn't know those things could bend like that.) The thing is, Naga City wasn't hit as badly as the province of Albay so they were a bit lucky in that part. Still, it'll take a longer time for the people of Albay to recover from the past year.

(Apologies first for the quality of the shots. These were taken by [identity-protected]'s Nokia cellphone.)

Anyway, here's one shot of the famed Cagsawa ruins, an old church buried to its roof but leaving the steeple tower exposed. Supposedly the soil has gotten a bit higher and burying the church even more, Bicol folk say. (Yes, that's the obscured Mayon volcano in the background.)

And a lot of houses in Albay province were buried under landslides due to the rains. However, [identity-protected] managed to convey a little of the hope as people continue to dig through the wreckage of their lives.

Here's hoping that the new year will be like that: a little of hope always shining through.