Week In Review: There Is Hope

The past week has seen a lot of events that saddened and disheartened us. Thank goodness, there are moments of hope that remind us that no matter how bad things can become, it will get better.

Last Tuesday, more than 300 melon-head dolphins got stranded in Manila Bay starting at early morning. A very rare occurrence in this country, people flocked to see them swimming aimlessly in the bay. Thankfully, the coast guard, local fishermen and volunteers cooperated together to save them by guiding them and prodding them out to the open sea. While there were still the hard-headed onlookers that made the effort more difficult as the dolphins kept going back to the shore endangering themselves again and again, I was amazed by the concerted effort of a lot of people to save them. By late afternoon, most of the dolphins were on their way to China Sea except for the 3 dead and 1 injured (it is now under the care of Ocean Adventure).

Another bright hope is the rescue of a koala now named Sam in the bushfire by an Australian firefighter. The bushfire that killed almost 200 people with a whole lot more missing as of this time, also killed innumerable animals. The poor koala was found wandering in the bushfire with scorched paws and was given water by Firefighter David Tree.



And last but not the least, the approval by US congress of the stimulus bill does not only spells hope for the economic recovery of America but it also gives hope for the almost forgotten wartime promise by the US government. The bill includes a provision for the recognition of the Filipino veterans’ military service to the US during World War II. For the surviving 18,000-2,0000 veterans that originally numbered about 250,000 Filipinos that served alongside US soldiers to defend the Philippines from the 1941 Japanese invasion and subsequent occupation, their hopes are now being answered after several decades of waiting and suffering.