Czarina Umali🇵🇭🇺🇸

“Fire is pretty…until it burns.”
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This was my original caption. But right now, I feel compelled to speak on the floods happening back home in the Philippines.

This gown was handmade by my dear friend, Ghelo Garcia, from Pampanga. For those who may not know, much of Pampanga sits at a low elevation, making it especially vulnerable to flooding. Yearly, homes are destroyed and communities are left to rebuild only to face the same crisis again.

Flooding is not new to the Philippines. But when the same communities continue to suffer every season, we have to ask how much longer can we still call this a “natural disaster” instead of outright NEGLECT?

To the government leaders, both local and national: our people need more than AYUDA and stuffed toys. Hindi po yan ang tunay na magpapa hupa sa mga hinanaing at pagka dismaya ng ating mga mamamayan. They need stronger flood control infrastructure, disaster preparedness, and long term solutions in place that protect our people before the next storm arrives.

I wear this gown, my friend’s labor of love, with pride because it represents the artistry and talent of not only Pampanga but the Filipino people as a whole. However, I also wear it with a heavy heart because I have seen what has been lost and wiped away by this calamity; and how this flood will affect not just his, but also other people’s livelihood.

Fire is pretty…until it burns.
And water may be life…until it rises high enough to take it away.
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Laban, mahal kong Pilipinas🇵🇭🫂❤️