hursday, September 28, 2006 started out as most days do in the teaming metropolis we know as Metro Manila. People went about their early morning routine with only a slight foreboding for the storm that was that expected to hit at around two that afternoon.

By mid-morning scattered showers along with strong gusts of wind were giving Manileños a taste of what was to come. With classes suspended and most large businesses closed in anticipation of the powerful typhoon, most stayed indoors. However, those who couldn't afford that luxury were out on the streets as always: hourly workers, small businessmen, sidewalk vendors, and drivers of all sorts.

By noontime, it was clear that this was no ordinary storm and even the most jaded who hours earlier cavalierly thought they could ride it out were running for shelter wherever they could find it.

Between one and two o'clock in the afternoon, the full fury of Milenio hit. Corrugated sheets tore off from rooftops twirling dangerously in the air. Trees toppled over taking lampposts and powerlines down with them. Cement walls cracked and tumbled, glass doors and windows shattered into tiny fragments.

Many of the ubiquitous giant billboards that clutter the cityscape that weren't rolledup for safety were either torn to shreds, or toppled over at the height of Milenio's onslaught. There is now a growing public outcry to rid the city of these behemoths by banning them altogether.

Surprisingly, by late afternoon, repair crews were out in force. MERALCO emergency personnel were busy securing downed powerlines, while MMDA street sweepers were cleaning up the debris left in Milenio's wake. It was an impressive sight to behold. Filipinos operating with the swiftness and efficiency that one thought possible only in other countries. Two days after the storm, things were almost back to normal. Though vast stretches of the metropolis were still without electricity, and damaged structures were still in the process of being repaired or dismantled, the resiliency of the Filipino was evident everywhere. We are a people who can take in stride anything thrown at us. And we do it all with a smile and a confident gait.