For local doctor, businessman and community activist Mark Asperilla, the old adage “Evil comes in threes” is an acute description for the events that have transpired in the last 10 days.

It started Nov. 5 with a somber trip to his native Philippines, Asperilla said, to visit his younger brother who is dying of colon cancer. Just a few days later, the island archipelago was slammed by the largest typhoon ever to hit the country, leaving in its wake thousands of casualties and millions of dollars in damage.