QUEZON City, Philippines (January 25) – Honestly, I think that the Philippines will survive the waves of extraterrestrial invasion portrayed in the latest apocalyptic film, “The 5th Wave”.
First, the aliens took out all the electronics. And how is that different from the every day life here in the metro, where the MRT is unreliable, internet service is slow and our cellphone load vanishes without explanation. Honestly, knocking out the electronics is actually a good thing because it will allow us to go back to the basics, really talk to our friends and loved ones. At the very least, after the initial withdrawal pangs, we can finally cure ourselves of our social media addiction and selfie obsession.
Second, the aliens induced a massive, planet-wide earthquake, causing towering tsunamis. I’m not belittling the impact of the wrath of Mother Nature. After all, Metro Manila is right smack in the middle of a faultline. Also the Philippines is an archipelago, surrounded by ocean. But still, the indefatigable Filipino spirit, tempered by the hardships of every day living will undoubtedly survive. As a people, the Filipinos are known for putting a positive spin on almost every situation. We are also known for our sense of humor, we can laugh about anything. What’s a little earthquake compared to that.
Third, the aliens modified the lethal bird flu virus and used it to create a worldwide pandemic. But as most of us are aware, the Philippines managed to escape the brunt of the real-world avian flu due to the fact that we are an island-nation.
Fourth, the aliens infiltrate humanity, taking over human hosts and in the guise of military authority, round up as much of the survivors as possible and massacre them. Filipinos usually have a problem listening to authority figures, due to the ingrained low-level mistrust with our government, so I think many of us will find it suspicious when the government starts acting efficiently in helping the survivors.
By the way, I’m not spoiling the film, these are all in the movie trailer.
To find out what the 5th wave is, watch the movie, nya ha ha ha!
To sum up, through a mixture of positive and negative quirks as well as luck in geography, I think that the Philippines will do just fine surviving the series of alien invasions depicted in the 5th Wave.
(written by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Vince Alvin Villarin)