Twin to tragedies

DOES IT run in the family?

Disasters. Calamities. Tragedies. However one calls them that cause widespread death and devastation, unimaginable pain, untold sorrow, unmitigated grief. Invariably inflicted upon the Filipino nation with an Aquino administration.

At the time of the now-sainted Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino:

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Central and Northern Luzon wreaking full havoc in Baguio City and Cabanatuan City on July 16, 1990, killing 1,621 people.
Less than a year later, in June 1991, Mount Pinatubo astride the tri-boundaries of Zambales, Pampanga and Tarlac erupted – killing some 800 people – in what was internationally recorded as the “second largest volcanic cataclysm of the 20^th century” topped only by the 1912 eruption in some God-forsaken spot in the Alaskan Peninsula.

In the wake of the eruptions came the lahar rampages that buried whole communities and added to the death toll.

And then, there were the super typhoons: 

Sisang (international name: Nina) in November 1987, hitting the Bicol region with  240 kph winds and causing 979 deaths.

Ruping (Mike) in November 1990, its 220 kph winds causing a swath of destruction in Central Philippines, killing 748.

Uring (Thelma) unleashing flash floods in Ormoc, Leyte in November 1991, killing more than 5,100.
And the maritime disasters: MV Doña Paz colliding with the MT Vector off Marinduque on December 20, 1987 resulting to 4,341 deaths in what has been recorded as “the worst peacetime sea disaster in the 20^th century.”-- 

MV Doña Marilyn – sister ship of MV Doña Paz – sinking at the height of Typhoon Unsang on October 24, 1988 resulting to 77 fatalities.  

Man-made disasters – in massacres – abounded too:

Mendiola, right at the very gates of Malacanang, in January 1987 with 13 demonstrating farmers dead.

Lupao, Nueva Ecija in February 1987 with 17 killed.

Digos, Davao del Sur in November 1989 with 39 killed, including women and children.

Not to mention Paranaque, June 1991, with three members of the Vizconde family as victims.

Now, onto the son – President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III:

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol and Cebu just last October, grounding to dust heritage churches, toppling down buildings, creating sinkholes that swallowed houses, killing over a 100 persons. 

Last week, Supertyphoon Yolanda just about obliterated from the map Tacloban City and the rest of Leyte and flattened a host of other areas in the Visayas with some 10,000 people feared dead.

Not even a year ago – December 3, 2012 – Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) smashed into Central and Northern Mindanao killing some 1,900.
And the year previous to that – December 16, 2011 – Typhoon Sendong (Washi) struck the northern part of Mindanao killing at least 1,080 people. 

And the maritime disaster:

MV St. Thomas Aquinas collided with the cargo ship MV Sulpicio Express Siete off Cebu on August 16. 2013, leaving 114 people dead. 

Massacre? How about the “Hostage Crisis Massacre” of eight Hong Kong tourists at the Luneta on August 20, 2010?

Or the ambush-mutilation of seven Marine troopers in Sulu in July 2011?
Yeah, we remember BS Aquino III raging:  “Mark my words: To those of you who perpetrated this atrocity, know that you are now No. 1 on my radar. It might take some time, but make no mistake about it: you will be brought to justice to answer for your crimes.” And that was the least time we heard of it.

Luckless coincidences, some hold these tragic parallels between the presidencies of the mother and her son.

Castigo! So cry others, visiting some past sins of the clan upon their foremost members. The wages of some family’s sin impacting upon the whole nation? What sense of retribution is that?

No debate on this though: The much worse tragedy inflicted upon the Filipino people by the Cojuangco-Aquino clan is some superstorm named Kris.

That is one never-ending disaster, calamity, tragedy.

Dear God, what grievous sin have we Filipinos committed to merit this punishment?