TACLOBAN CITY–Seven months after supertyphoon “Yolanda” slammed the region, at least 100 young people in Tacloban City joined in a dance music video that was launched on June 8, urging government leaders to look on their condition. Dubbed as “Rise up to the top”, the music video, uploaded in the popular video-sharing site You Tube, aims to bring the message to the world that children and the youth in the devastated communities need attention and support. “This is our way of expressing ourselves that despite the tragedy, we haven’t lost hope and that we can still rise above the situation. Dancing is also a form of therapy for us,” said Ervie Nicolas, senior leader of Tacloban’s popular dance group Zero Gravity and co-producer of the music video. “The reason we are coming up with this video is to tell the world that the young victims of the typhoon still need help. We feel that they are not a priority in the recovery efforts of the government,” he said. Archie Omega, Tacloban’s top photographer and videographer at Pixel 8, said the music video is also a form of an advocacy campaign from the youth in the city. Supertyphoon Yolanda devastated Eastern Visayas on Nov. 8, 2013, killing more than 6,000 people and displacing 4 million others based on report of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council. (RONALD O.REYES)
