Bayanihan in the Time of Social Media

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The rest of the National Capital Region (NCR) and other neighboring provinces have suspended classes and works in government offices and most companies and private businesses are shut down today, August 7, due to heavy rains and floods in and around the metro.

This is the time when Filipinos, regardless of their spots on the social ladder, may be in need of other people’s help. And in the Internet age, bayanihan levels up with social media.

Because we’re in the office as I’m making this post, we don’t have television or radio to get news from. As we are online people, we rely to Facebook and Twitter for real time updates of what is happening in the world outside.

These are some screencaps from my personal Twitter account. Celebrities and media personalities use their influence in getting information across, calling for rescue for those who are stranded, assisting government offices in reaching out to the public. This is one of the good things about social media — bayanihan, the techie way.

One sad thing during difficult times like this is the attack of attention seekers — trolls who exert time to annoy people. As of writing, a certain “Marian Tan” is still trending on Twitter.

When I checked, people on Twitter are bashing this “Marian Tan” who tweeted rude things about the Philippines and what is happening to Filipinos. Unfortunately, the real Marian Tan (or Shobe Marian Tan), whose real Twitter account is @iamprettyshobs, has a poser and is using the now-protected account @shobemarian in bad faith.

Tweeting rudely about a place that’s currently suffering from a disaster is one thing, cyber-bullying is another thing. This is ugly. May mga tao talagang nabubuhay sa kaligayahan kapag may taong nasasaktan.

Anyways, let’s pray that this terrible monsoon rain will subside. Salamat sa lahat ng mga rescuers, news teams, government officials, soldiers, policemen, coastguard, doctors, nurses, at mga ordinaryong taong hindi nagdadalwang-isip na tumulong sa kapwa.

#PrayForThePhilippines