Common belief says, disasters are “acts of God.” Science says, it is a daily natural geologic processes, a consequence of the earth’s movement. Whatever face it is, the natural, actual reactions of most people in fear - asked God’s forgiveness. People tend to remember their creator in terrible times.We are awaken with the reality that all we have strived in life could be taken from us in a wink of an eye. Crisis brings opportunity for us to do things for the better and should not weaken our resolves.

Spiritually, the earthquake compelled people to repent and call God, perhaps because of the covetousness of life we might have forgotten what should be right and given first priority. Structurally, the earthquake give us the opportunity to improve ourselves, to build again better homes and structures more flexible and sustainable against the devastations of nature. We should move on from fear and be strengthened by the fact that at least in our lifetime we are safe from another major tremor according to the experts. It is safe to live in our beloved Bohol.

It is the best time to develop and improve from where we are weak and lacking, both individually and the government management. We should tackle the core causes of our faults and failures. Government funds should be spent for what it is intended, the vital needs of the people, and certainly not to satiate leaders which are chosen by the people. Albay Gov. Salceda said, “The more disasters, the higher the rights of the vulnerable, the higher the duties of the State.” Figures of damages reveal a gross violation or failure to comply with the provisions of the National Building Code. As we build again, fundamental is total adherence to the upgraded and revised Philippine Building Code modelled after the world building and construction regulations.

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Tidbits:

School officialsof Air Force Academy cadets in U.S. are no longer required to say "so help me God" at the end of the Honor Oath. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, an advocacy group in U.S., complained that they violated the constitutional concept of religious freedom.

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G.R. No. 116354 December 4, 1997HEIRS OF THE LATE R/O REYNALDO ANIBAN vs.NLRC, PHILIPPINE TRANSMARINE CARRIERS, INC., NORWEGIAN SHIP MANAGEMENT, INC. A/S, and PIONEER INSURANCE (Contributed by Atty. Fidel Borja)

On the award of attorney’s fees which NLRC deleted on the ground that there was no unlawful withholding of wages, suffice it to say that Art. 111 of the Labor Code does not limit the award of attorney’s fees to cases of unlawful withholding of wagesonly. What it explicitly prohibits is the award of attorney’s fees which exceed 10% of the amount of wages recovered. Thus, under the circumstances, attorney’s fees are recoverable for the services rendered by petitioner’s counsel to compel Aniban’s.