Nothing can bring them down: Yolanda survivors dance to Pharrell’s ‘Happy’

The Filipino spirit is unsinkable. If you need more proof, check out this video of different groups of Taclobanon dancing amid the debris and land-locked ships in the city that bore the brunt of Typhoon Yolanda's wrath last November.



Directed, shot, and edited by Quentin Musset, the video was made in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program. It shows relief workers and Taclobanon, hospital staff and housewives, young and old, men and women, gay and straight—even one foreigner eating a burger while lying in a hospital bed—getting down to Pharrell's “Happy” and grinning ear-to-ear while they're at it.

Titled “Pharrell Williams - Happy - Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan,” the video has about 13,000 pageviews and is sure to gain more traction in the coming days.

And while some commenters thought the sight of typhoon victims dancing in the wreckage of their city seemed insensitive to the plight of other victims and the city in general, there were many more who responded positively. One of the commenters posted, “One thing that the typhoon was not able to destroy was the Taclobanon spirit that is connected to song and dance :)”

Indeed, for those involved in the video, it seemed like a good distraction and serves as a reminder to one and all to count one's blessings. — Vida Cruz/BM, GMA News