Journal Entry June 19, 2050

I took some personal time off for today because I wanted to see the old city again before the monsoon season starts and the storms make it impossible to visit for a long time. So I placed my boat on the truck and drove all the way from home to the seaside early in the morning. I reached the place and parked my car in a safe spot near the sea. I saw an old lady selling a few fruits and stopped to buy a banana from her, which is my favorite. She said that her husband was able to find a way to grow these naturally which must have been hard work indeed. I haven’t had a banana in ages so that was a great way to start my little trek. The news report predicted the weather as cloudy with a chance of light rain today. It was a bit tricky paddling my boat around but I took my chances because I just really wanted to see the place before it became impossible for the rest of the year and it was still morning.

It was also a good thing there were rain clouds or I would’ve roasted under the sun. I enjoyed the stillness of the water while looking ahead to see whether I made it until I saw tall buildings which meant I’m where Lahug used to be. All of them are on the brink of collapse, with their foundations getting eroded by the water. I used to remember going there to hang out with my friends when I was still a teenager. I even got my first job there after graduation. It used to be a really busy spot in the old city before the disaster happened. When the storm came and the sea rose up and swallowed the city.

It happened many years ago but I still remember it like it was yesterday. When I reached where the old business park used to be, I did tear up a bit. I stopped my boat and sat there reminiscing while looking around the ruins of the old Cebu City. When I was younger, this place used to be really busy, with lots of cars filling up traffic, and people walking around living their lives. Today, it is dead silent. As predicted, the light rain occurred, and I couldn't tell if it was the rain or if it was the nostalgia that made water stream down my face. After an hour of exploring and seeing whatever buildings were left sticking out of the sea, I sailed by boat back to shore. Driving back inland was quite tiring thanks to all that paddling, but thankfully I still had enough energy to travel and the weather was merciful enough to let me reach back in one piece.

Ever since I moved to this tiny island in the middle of the Philippines, I've always thought that the city would always be here forever. No matter how many storms and floods would fill the streets, they would always dry up under the scorching sun and things would go back to the way they were. Sadly, that wasn't the case with how people have been going about the issue. It's funny how people think some problems will solve themselves and not get involved but are quick to complain when that problem they chose to ignore begins to affect them. As I write this, sometimes I imagine somebody in the past could read this somehow, and then something could be done. Then maybe, just maybe, the old Cebu City would still exist today.