i read an editorial suggesting an investigation into the government's failure to adequately prepare and respond to major disasters, particularly the latest -- Typhoon Ondoy.
i agree with this suggestion. of course, it's tempered with an awareness that investigations do little good in this country. i feel like government is showing more and more how irrelevant it is, especially when civilians have to pick up the slack even after they have been greatly cheated and robbed.
i think investigations have to be made by a body of taxpaying citizens. civilians. not allies and cohorts of those being investigated, or those who gain political mileage by looking affronted in front of cameras. investigations into why a thing has failed have to be led by the people who are most affected by its failure and not those who failed.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday
On Tuesday, I met D who had been staying with friends in Marikina when the floods came. She asked for help in towing her car which had been submerged in flood waters.
We drove through Marikina. The roads were packed and we passed a line of people waiting for relief goods. The mud from the rivers on the street had begun to dry and filled the air with dust.
In the car, D told me two carabaos and a pig had floated into their neighborhood from the river. The neighbors ate them. Another man was also swept along the river, clinging on to a water tank. They saw the man again later, carrying the tank on his back.
She showed me the Marikina river where the waters had risen about 20 feet, completely submerging a statue of "Marikit", the muse of the city who usually floats upon the waters. A janitor fish flopped on the bridge.
We were waiting for later hours to tow the car. I asked D how close Provident Village was. She said it was just a couple of blocks down. We decided to walk there. It truly was like a disaster movie. Most cars were leaving the area and a few army trucks were entering. Muddied and barefoot people walked the streets clutching plastic bags of food and clothes. The police stopped two boys who were carrying a refrigerator and tried to determine if they were really the owners.
On the road leading to Provident, we decided not to proceed any farther and turned back to her house.
When we returned, we learned that neighbors had just found the bodies of two market helpers who had locked themselves in the building by pulling the gates down, thinking they would be safe from the rising waters.
We drove through Marikina. The roads were packed and we passed a line of people waiting for relief goods. The mud from the rivers on the street had begun to dry and filled the air with dust.
In the car, D told me two carabaos and a pig had floated into their neighborhood from the river. The neighbors ate them. Another man was also swept along the river, clinging on to a water tank. They saw the man again later, carrying the tank on his back.
She showed me the Marikina river where the waters had risen about 20 feet, completely submerging a statue of "Marikit", the muse of the city who usually floats upon the waters. A janitor fish flopped on the bridge.
We were waiting for later hours to tow the car. I asked D how close Provident Village was. She said it was just a couple of blocks down. We decided to walk there. It truly was like a disaster movie. Most cars were leaving the area and a few army trucks were entering. Muddied and barefoot people walked the streets clutching plastic bags of food and clothes. The police stopped two boys who were carrying a refrigerator and tried to determine if they were really the owners.
On the road leading to Provident, we decided not to proceed any farther and turned back to her house.
When we returned, we learned that neighbors had just found the bodies of two market helpers who had locked themselves in the building by pulling the gates down, thinking they would be safe from the rising waters.
the guy at 711
While waiting for the van with relief goods to arrive, I sat outsite a closed 7-11. A young man, maybe in his early 20s, came around the corner. He was barefoot, muddy and had a lost look in his eyes.
"Sir, do you need anything? Food? Water?" I asked.
He just shook his head and walked back around the corner. After a few minutes, he returned.
"Sir, are you sure? Is there anything you need?" I asked again.
The man shook his head again. But then looked up and smiled.
"A Slurpee," he said.
"Sir, do you need anything? Food? Water?" I asked.
He just shook his head and walked back around the corner. After a few minutes, he returned.
"Sir, are you sure? Is there anything you need?" I asked again.
The man shook his head again. But then looked up and smiled.
"A Slurpee," he said.
day after the flood 3
Volunteered at Red Cross Shaw Boulevard Sunday. An old dormmate, Kaye invited me. Arrived late evening and was immediately put to work packing canned goods and rice in plastic bags. There were a lot of young people there. My guess is they were students from a nearby university. They were very well dressed and fresh-faced.
After about an hour, they told us that a Red Cross canter would be delivering and distributing goods to a village in Marikina "where the action" was. Kaye and I decided to go. Volunteers filed into five cars and waited for about an hour before we actually left. We were part of Team D. Apparently Sir D directed a quite highly acclaimed independent film about a gay boy growing up in the Philippines. He speaks slowly in a bit of a confused manner.
In our car, someone asked to begin a prayer. The girl assigned to lead the prayer whined a bit and then began to ask for everybody's safety. She then prayed that "sana the people we help will be touched by what we give them." I did a bit of a double take.
We arrived at the village at about 12 midnight. The roads were wet and dark and filled with abandoned cars. There were other volunteers there who I had seen preparing to leave when I arrived at Shaw. I think all in all there were about 50 of us.
We waited again and some of the volunteers passed the time gossiping. I got angry at one group who were singing and dancing outside the darkened village. It was irritating to see that some people still did not seem to grasp the magnitude of the floods. For some, it seemed like it was a field trip. They did not seem to appreciate that there were people trapped in their homes where outside they were singing, "Tonight's going to be a good night..."
After about another hour, Sir D gave us our instructions. When rescuers brought people out of the village, we would meet them and guide them to the van where the relief goods were held. We would then escort them to a documentation team to record their names and contact numbers. Then, we were to bring them to a waiting military truck that was supposed to take them to an evacuation center. The military truck never materialized.
A few people began to straggle out on their own. Sir D's instructions did not seem feasible in the situation. Instead, while they were being documented, another volunteer would run to get them food and water. Some people who left the village were picked up by relatives while others returned inside the village after getting enough food for their families. One elderly lady was carried out by a Coast Guard man and put into a waiting ambulance. It took some time for the ambulance to leave though because they were blocked by news vans interviewing senator and Red Cross chairman Dick Gordon. I wondered if that's what they meant when they said that's "where the action was."
Another Coast Guard team entered the village with a boat and we waited again. After a while, some volunteers said they were going in. I picked up a box of bread and carried it in knee high floods to a commercial building about one block from the guardhouse. There were about 10 of us who went in. On the second floor of the building, there were about 20 people camped out in offices. Most were sleeping.
A village official who was with us demanded that they wake up because "the volunteers took the trouble to get here." I found that a bit upsetting.
One lady told me that they were not really residents of the village but had sought refuge in the building from nearby. She had two young boys with her, one who was mentally disabled but seemed to be enjoying himself. Another woman asked me if we had medicines for coughs and betadine for cuts. All we had was food but I told her there was an ambulance outside and we would come back.
I went back out of the village and approached a lady in a Red Cross shirt to tell her that people inside were requesting medicines. She told me to coordinate with the ambulance. Another team was going in and I asked a volunteer with a first aid kit to drop off the medicines at the second floor.
At about 3 a.m. most of the volunteers had already left. There were about 16 of us left. More people were coming to the van, not necessarily from inside the village but from nearby areas. It was difficult to come up with an effective system to distribute the goods and make sure there was enough to go around.
Sir D told us that when the goods ran out, we should never tell people that there was no more food. Instead we were to tell them that another van was on its way. Some people waited, including a pregnant lady with a sick girl. Others left. We waited about four hours for the next van to come back. It was about 8 a.m. Monday.
The goods in the van had not been packed yet so six of us sat inside unpacking and repacking the cans and noodles before immediately handing them out again. A man with a baby tapped on the window asking if there was a place where someone could give his child a checkup. The ambulance though had not come back. All we could do was give him some extra bottles of water.
There was a limited supply of water so we tried to make sure that families with babies were prioritized. It's next to impossible though to ensure that this was the case.
When the food ran out again, we were told to tell people that another batch of supplies would be arriving at the village's clubhouse and to proceed there.
After about another hour, a team prepared to go back in to rescue someone. We joined the van entering the village and they dropped us off at the clubhouse where we packed some more goods and distributed them. Inside was a little bit more orderly although the supplies were even more limited. We finished distributing the goods in less than an hour.
After about an hour, they told us that a Red Cross canter would be delivering and distributing goods to a village in Marikina "where the action" was. Kaye and I decided to go. Volunteers filed into five cars and waited for about an hour before we actually left. We were part of Team D. Apparently Sir D directed a quite highly acclaimed independent film about a gay boy growing up in the Philippines. He speaks slowly in a bit of a confused manner.
In our car, someone asked to begin a prayer. The girl assigned to lead the prayer whined a bit and then began to ask for everybody's safety. She then prayed that "sana the people we help will be touched by what we give them." I did a bit of a double take.
We arrived at the village at about 12 midnight. The roads were wet and dark and filled with abandoned cars. There were other volunteers there who I had seen preparing to leave when I arrived at Shaw. I think all in all there were about 50 of us.
We waited again and some of the volunteers passed the time gossiping. I got angry at one group who were singing and dancing outside the darkened village. It was irritating to see that some people still did not seem to grasp the magnitude of the floods. For some, it seemed like it was a field trip. They did not seem to appreciate that there were people trapped in their homes where outside they were singing, "Tonight's going to be a good night..."
After about another hour, Sir D gave us our instructions. When rescuers brought people out of the village, we would meet them and guide them to the van where the relief goods were held. We would then escort them to a documentation team to record their names and contact numbers. Then, we were to bring them to a waiting military truck that was supposed to take them to an evacuation center. The military truck never materialized.
A few people began to straggle out on their own. Sir D's instructions did not seem feasible in the situation. Instead, while they were being documented, another volunteer would run to get them food and water. Some people who left the village were picked up by relatives while others returned inside the village after getting enough food for their families. One elderly lady was carried out by a Coast Guard man and put into a waiting ambulance. It took some time for the ambulance to leave though because they were blocked by news vans interviewing senator and Red Cross chairman Dick Gordon. I wondered if that's what they meant when they said that's "where the action was."
Another Coast Guard team entered the village with a boat and we waited again. After a while, some volunteers said they were going in. I picked up a box of bread and carried it in knee high floods to a commercial building about one block from the guardhouse. There were about 10 of us who went in. On the second floor of the building, there were about 20 people camped out in offices. Most were sleeping.
A village official who was with us demanded that they wake up because "the volunteers took the trouble to get here." I found that a bit upsetting.
One lady told me that they were not really residents of the village but had sought refuge in the building from nearby. She had two young boys with her, one who was mentally disabled but seemed to be enjoying himself. Another woman asked me if we had medicines for coughs and betadine for cuts. All we had was food but I told her there was an ambulance outside and we would come back.
I went back out of the village and approached a lady in a Red Cross shirt to tell her that people inside were requesting medicines. She told me to coordinate with the ambulance. Another team was going in and I asked a volunteer with a first aid kit to drop off the medicines at the second floor.
At about 3 a.m. most of the volunteers had already left. There were about 16 of us left. More people were coming to the van, not necessarily from inside the village but from nearby areas. It was difficult to come up with an effective system to distribute the goods and make sure there was enough to go around.
Sir D told us that when the goods ran out, we should never tell people that there was no more food. Instead we were to tell them that another van was on its way. Some people waited, including a pregnant lady with a sick girl. Others left. We waited about four hours for the next van to come back. It was about 8 a.m. Monday.
The goods in the van had not been packed yet so six of us sat inside unpacking and repacking the cans and noodles before immediately handing them out again. A man with a baby tapped on the window asking if there was a place where someone could give his child a checkup. The ambulance though had not come back. All we could do was give him some extra bottles of water.
There was a limited supply of water so we tried to make sure that families with babies were prioritized. It's next to impossible though to ensure that this was the case.
When the food ran out again, we were told to tell people that another batch of supplies would be arriving at the village's clubhouse and to proceed there.
After about another hour, a team prepared to go back in to rescue someone. We joined the van entering the village and they dropped us off at the clubhouse where we packed some more goods and distributed them. Inside was a little bit more orderly although the supplies were even more limited. We finished distributing the goods in less than an hour.
the day after the worst flood in Philippine history 2
It's sad when a little rainfall can cause so much fear now. The sun is finally out but yesterday, it seemed as if the rain would fall forever. Reports say that we received a month's worth of rain in six hours. It wasn't even a strong rain which is even more concerning. What if the rain had continue to fall? What if the rains had been stronger?
Videos showed the Ayala underpass completely filled with water, a woman climbing out of her car as cars banged into each other in a school parking lot, children and elderly women trying to get down from slippery roofs and a van flipping tail over front before sinking in a foundation pit.
A friend in Marikina called in a panic, saying the waters had already entered the house. Last night, the radio was filled with calls for help from family members whose loved ones still had not returned home or were stuck on rooftops. Tita Livya was kind enough to let me stay with her even as she was trying to get in touch with a friend from Provident Village, one of the worst-hit areas. She told me two friends had also went to work that day, leaving their five-year old son at home with their yaya.
The rains are nobody's fault but one can't but feel angry at the incompetence of certain government officials. MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando and Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro were too busy campaigning for their presidential bids to do their jobs. I really hope people remember this when the elections roll around.
We also have to take responsibility for the garbage we have thrown in the streets and which clogged the drainage system. We have to think that every piece of garbage we throw in the streets could kill a person, or add more inches o a flood.
The rains were just signal number 1. What if they had been two or higher? We've had much stronger rains with higher winds but I think yesterday showed that our drainage systems can't take anymore. Media reports say that 71 people have died with more than 20 missing. I think the figures are underreported.
Videos showed the Ayala underpass completely filled with water, a woman climbing out of her car as cars banged into each other in a school parking lot, children and elderly women trying to get down from slippery roofs and a van flipping tail over front before sinking in a foundation pit.
A friend in Marikina called in a panic, saying the waters had already entered the house. Last night, the radio was filled with calls for help from family members whose loved ones still had not returned home or were stuck on rooftops. Tita Livya was kind enough to let me stay with her even as she was trying to get in touch with a friend from Provident Village, one of the worst-hit areas. She told me two friends had also went to work that day, leaving their five-year old son at home with their yaya.
The rains are nobody's fault but one can't but feel angry at the incompetence of certain government officials. MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando and Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro were too busy campaigning for their presidential bids to do their jobs. I really hope people remember this when the elections roll around.
We also have to take responsibility for the garbage we have thrown in the streets and which clogged the drainage system. We have to think that every piece of garbage we throw in the streets could kill a person, or add more inches o a flood.
The rains were just signal number 1. What if they had been two or higher? We've had much stronger rains with higher winds but I think yesterday showed that our drainage systems can't take anymore. Media reports say that 71 people have died with more than 20 missing. I think the figures are underreported.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
The Day After The Flood
The day after the worst flood in Philippine history. This post will be a narration of my experience of the flood. If I'm writing this, then it means I've been fortunate because our house was not affected and we still have electricity. Many people were not so lucky and still need help.
I reported for my 5 a.m. shift Saturday. The rains had already been falling but did not seem to be any cause for concern then. My shift ended at 12:30 p.m. and mom called to say that the car had not been able to leave the village due to floods. Since I had a 10:30 p.m. shift later that evening, I prepared to just wait it out and crash on one of the sofas in reception for the meantime.
At about 1p.m., Ate Mai, our office's pregnant cleaner, told us that people across the Marikina river were already moving up to their roofs, trying to save their possessions. From our office on the 9th floor, we could see people standing in the rain on their roofs, the Marikina river, filling with debris and moving fast between us.
We went out to grab some lunch and load our phones. Many of the restaurants and stores were closed or closing. When we got back to the office, the elevator had been shut down to ease the burden on the building's generator. It was eerie climbing the dark stairways with the sound of rain beating outside. People moved slowly, with only their cell phones as flashlights.
There were only eight of us left in the office. From the fire escape I watched as the river got stronger and angrier. I watched a dog on the debris of a destroyed house get swept away. I heard there were reports of dozens of people on floating debris who rammed into a bridge. I hope they're ok.
After a while, security told us that they were shutting down the generator as water was beginning to creep inside. The office stands on the banks of the Marikina river. We left the building and settled in at one of the 24-hour restaurants overlooking the driveway of the mall next to the office. After a couple of hours, the driveway began to fill with light brown mud and water from the banks of the overflowing river.
A Korean lady was also looking for a way out. She was clearly panicked but still had the decency to cover me with her umbrella. Thank you Korean lady. Her little son seemed to be enjoying himself though which exasperated the lady. We then decided to go to our boss's condo in Eastwood. We decided to take the long route to avoid the flood, which had reached thigh high in our area, even though the condo was just across the street. We stayed there a few hours and then I moved to a family friend's condo next door where I spent the evening.
I reported for my 5 a.m. shift Saturday. The rains had already been falling but did not seem to be any cause for concern then. My shift ended at 12:30 p.m. and mom called to say that the car had not been able to leave the village due to floods. Since I had a 10:30 p.m. shift later that evening, I prepared to just wait it out and crash on one of the sofas in reception for the meantime.
At about 1p.m., Ate Mai, our office's pregnant cleaner, told us that people across the Marikina river were already moving up to their roofs, trying to save their possessions. From our office on the 9th floor, we could see people standing in the rain on their roofs, the Marikina river, filling with debris and moving fast between us.
We went out to grab some lunch and load our phones. Many of the restaurants and stores were closed or closing. When we got back to the office, the elevator had been shut down to ease the burden on the building's generator. It was eerie climbing the dark stairways with the sound of rain beating outside. People moved slowly, with only their cell phones as flashlights.
There were only eight of us left in the office. From the fire escape I watched as the river got stronger and angrier. I watched a dog on the debris of a destroyed house get swept away. I heard there were reports of dozens of people on floating debris who rammed into a bridge. I hope they're ok.
After a while, security told us that they were shutting down the generator as water was beginning to creep inside. The office stands on the banks of the Marikina river. We left the building and settled in at one of the 24-hour restaurants overlooking the driveway of the mall next to the office. After a couple of hours, the driveway began to fill with light brown mud and water from the banks of the overflowing river.
A Korean lady was also looking for a way out. She was clearly panicked but still had the decency to cover me with her umbrella. Thank you Korean lady. Her little son seemed to be enjoying himself though which exasperated the lady. We then decided to go to our boss's condo in Eastwood. We decided to take the long route to avoid the flood, which had reached thigh high in our area, even though the condo was just across the street. We stayed there a few hours and then I moved to a family friend's condo next door where I spent the evening.
Labels:
2009,
flood,
philippines
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
3am Wednesday
It's about 3am Wednesday.
Apparently some dude just broke into the house. I was sleeping in my mom's room as mom and Miguel are both in Palawan. The bed is under a large window with a rather flimsy curtain. I heard a noise at the back and a voice. I let out a perfunctory "Oh?" and then checked the clock. It was 10:33. I heard two voices. I assumed it was the driver with a friend since he said he was coming in at 10pm. Then I heard some shuffling. Didn't worry about it.
Unable to sleep, I decided to play some Typing Maniac. After a while, Manang Letty and Jun appeared at the glass door at the patio. Jun said that a man had been peeking into the window. He only described him as rather tall. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Jun demanded.
"I'm just looking at ate," the man replied.
Jun kicked him and the man ran off, picking up his bag which he left by the kitchen door.
I called the guardhouse about an hour ago to report it. I didn't like their attitude. They seemed to be doubtful and just took our names so they could blotter the incident. They also seemed to be suspicious of Jun since he's new and they're friendlier with the old driver. I didn't appreciate that.
We're thinking it might have been someone we know since they seem familiar with the house. I can't think of who it might be.
It was a little disturbing. I keep turning my head at every noise behind me. We put Chelsea out at the front of the house. I hope she can forget her sweet self if a stranger tries to come in again.
Apparently some dude just broke into the house. I was sleeping in my mom's room as mom and Miguel are both in Palawan. The bed is under a large window with a rather flimsy curtain. I heard a noise at the back and a voice. I let out a perfunctory "Oh?" and then checked the clock. It was 10:33. I heard two voices. I assumed it was the driver with a friend since he said he was coming in at 10pm. Then I heard some shuffling. Didn't worry about it.
Unable to sleep, I decided to play some Typing Maniac. After a while, Manang Letty and Jun appeared at the glass door at the patio. Jun said that a man had been peeking into the window. He only described him as rather tall. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Jun demanded.
"I'm just looking at ate," the man replied.
Jun kicked him and the man ran off, picking up his bag which he left by the kitchen door.
I called the guardhouse about an hour ago to report it. I didn't like their attitude. They seemed to be doubtful and just took our names so they could blotter the incident. They also seemed to be suspicious of Jun since he's new and they're friendlier with the old driver. I didn't appreciate that.
We're thinking it might have been someone we know since they seem familiar with the house. I can't think of who it might be.
It was a little disturbing. I keep turning my head at every noise behind me. We put Chelsea out at the front of the house. I hope she can forget her sweet self if a stranger tries to come in again.
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