This afternoon, I stood in front of John Oliver Secondary School, at a memorial overflowing with flowers, candles, and messages of love.

I came to pay my respects to those impacted by the tragic accident during the Lapu-Lapu Day block party.

The rain could not wash away the sorrow. Every flower and every flickering candle bore silent witness to the deep grief we are sharing — together.

This tragedy is not just a Filipino community tragedy.

It is a tragedy for all of us — for everyone in our community.

We are not separate.

We are one.

We hurt together. We stand together. We heal together.

In moments like this, we are reminded how fragile life is — and how vital it is to hold one another with tenderness and compassion.

Community is not just something we speak about — it is something we live out, especially through sorrow and resilience.

Today, I saw that living community: in the flowers left by strangers, in the prayers whispered by visitors, in the shared silence that honored lives touched by tragedy.

To all who are hurting:

We grieve with you.

We stand with you.

You are not alone.

May love bind us closer.

May hope sustain us.

May we continue to choose light even in the darkest of days.