The Philippines is a beautiful archipelago which is annually visited by several typhoons during the cold season. Today, however, more bad winds and water seem to embrace the storm-prone areas making even the awaited summer to be filled with annoying rain. People often blame this to the persisting global warming that they disputably made.
Cagsawa Ruins in Camalig, Albay in the Bicol region is standing still under these endless storms. The ruins are actually the half tip of the church bell and some chunks of big rocks which were believed to be remains of the church walls. Buried underground is the once grand Cagsawa Church along with the countless Albayanos who sought refuge here away from the then raging perfect cone Vulcan Mayon. They were literally splashed with fiery hot lava and I think they are all fertilizers underneath the earth now. Maybe that's why plants around here are very healthy.
Everyday, there are some local and foreign tourists taking photos of the ruins. They even make fun shots just by estimating distances and being creative. No one remembers the outrageous cries of pain and the silence of sudden death caused by the lava that drowned everyone under. I can't really decide which killed the people: is it the super heated flowing rocks that cooked them alive or the same overflowing bulge of lava which obscure their source of oxygen and filled their lungs? Or maybe they died of fear? If I imagine myself in this situation I guess I will kill myself to save me from feeling both the pain and the fear. Oh what a stupid thought.
Well, here are some of the fun pictures taken by my sister Lhaiza and my cousin Hanna May. These are cute and funny!
The sky looks so gloomy and the clouds only wait for a few more evaporation. There is no storm, just a slight threat of rain for there are sight-seeing enthusiasts around who are making the most of the shadows created by the clouds. Nobody wants to be scorched here especially if you are so used to the sweat forced by the hot weather. If you are from the snowy west, you will surely love the heat in the Philippines where snow is a dream.
Yes, Cagsawa Ruins is just a tourist attraction today. It was, well, one of the many centers of Catholic faith in the 1500s until the 1800s. You will derive from this description inscribed in stone that the Spanish regime in the Philippines has been one of the most successful and influential reign. There are much more to be said about the Spaniards those times, some are bad and most are good. The Filipino race got so many things from Spain, more than the culture is the genetic, vein and blood heritage which is obvious to many of the locals today - my family included.
Business-minded individuals created income generation projects such as souvenir stalls and one of the most alluring is the swimming pool and events area. Sure, memorable stages of life are celebrated here. In fact, I celebrated my eighteenth birthday here which was a little tragic because of the heavy rain. Anyways, it was a good one, an opinion from the shy debutante who wasn't so pleased so to speak. It's another story.
Well, storms may never end. Generation after generation, we Filipinos are molded by these same weather disturbances. You can see it in the breaking news. People dying in floods and landslides during a typhoon. Crops and houses destroyed each single year and yet farmers still plant and the lying dead rice and crops are used for another purpose. Typhoons destroy everything in one passing. People, plants and animals rise over and over again. They even tell jokes. I love my people. I love my country. I love storms. Pardon me, the lightning and the thunder are agents for my family to spend long sleepless nights telling funny memories and sharing ideas as well as horrible experiences. Storms have become both joy and misery. Storms that pass through the ruins in Cagsawa, however, are storms that cannot daunt the sleeping spirits which became the place' source of strength.
Cagsawa Ruins may not be as famous as the ruins in Greece or Rome but these ruins are part and parcel of every industrious and faithful Filipino. It is a symbol of courage and a fortress of hope. It is indeed, not only a tourist sight but a place of thoughts that linger in our hearts. Storm or typhoon, the ruins still stand there, silently yet proud though humble.
"Indeed, the strength to endure storms lasts longer than the power to inflict pain. The pain only make callouses which even make the struggle easy to carry. Rise every time you fall and become even stronger."
