femalenetwork.com

Overworked but often undervalued, teachers are the most important people in children’s lives, second only to their parents. Under the instruction of a great educator, an impressionable young spirit develops into an impressive human being, both intellectually and morally. We owe the current state of our minds and our hearts to the teachers of our childhood—and of our adulthood, as well. Today, we salute our teachers for the knowledge they’ve shared with us, and for inspiring us to strive to become better people. We don’t have an apple, but here are some timeless thoughts to brighten up the day of all teachers worldwide. Happy Teacher’s Day!

Even as typhoon Ondoy pounded Metro Manila, netizens in various municipalities were posting shocking photos, videos, and reports of people trapped in the floods, rivers bursting their banks, and houses going under. Mild fear quickly turned to disbelief as the water levels in normally flood-free areas steadily rose and submerged cars and buses. In UERM, Camille Magno captured a surreal scene of drivers scrambling on top of cars being tossed about by the flood. Facebook user Kathy Zablan compiled photos of different areas affected by the flood. Most of the images are of familiar places that are almost unrecognizable for being submerged in flood water.

Mere hours after disaster struck last Saturday, the National Red Cross Chapter in Muntinlupa, located at the Alabang Town Center, sprang into action. James Soan, 22, one of the six regular staffers at the center, gathered the rest of his team to plan a survey session of eight stricken barangays from Tunasan to Sucat. Upon seeing the damage wreaked on house and human by tropical storm Ondoy, James knew that something had to be done immediately. “Put yourself in the shoes of the people who are there [in the affected areas],” he reasons. “You will have a heartfelt desire to help.”

Indeed, the events that unfolded on September 26, when flash floods brought about by a record-breaking downpour swept Metro Manila, have brought about a nationwide surge of empathy and support. Private individuals and public institutions alike have flung their doors wide open to shelter those displaced by the floods. Television networks and retail businesses are gathering donations in bulk and delivering them to devastated areas or their respective evacuation centers. Churches and civic organizations are also taking up the cause by organizing fund drives, feedings, and daily sessions for packing relief goods.