Day 13: Back in Manila

We woke up a bit late because our flight was at 10:10 am and there was nothing much to do but to pack up. Being a Sunday, there was buffet breakfast at the hotel. We packed up and went to the airport.

Day 12: Crocodiles and Fireflies

The day started with a tour to a weaving factory. They use ordinary grass, boil it and dye them and weave them to produce beautiful materials that are later used to make bags, table runners and table mats and other things.

One of the things I see here is the intelligence of man. Imagine, something as useless as grass can be made into beautiful works of art and materials that could be useful. This reminds me of how God works. Many people think there is no hope for themselves, that they are useless. But this proves them wrong. God has made everything beautiful. There is no such thing as wasted material. Everything has a redeeming factor. God can use anything and change anything to make them beautiful.

Days 9 and 10: Slow Day and off to Palawan

After the flood, things settled down. I was able to go to mass. It turns out the destruction from the rain was greater than expected. Even after the rains have stopped, a lot of towns are still underwater. One thing that has come out of this disaster is the generosity of people. You hear of people who go out of their way to help others. You hear of cops and military - where these are stereotyped as corrupt - staking their lives to help others. Lord, bless this land. Bless the people and the leaders.