HAGONOY, Bulacan – Life goes on for Joel Atienza, one of the survivors in the deadly Light Rail Transit (LRT) bombing on Rizal Day in 2000.
He was then a 28-year-old waiter in Makati City, filled with dreams of starting a family.
But the blast shattered his plans. He lost a friend, his two legs, and suffered third degree burns all over his body.
Looking back, Joel said his experience was part of destiny.
“My friend and I were on our way home, but we took the wrong ride. We were supposed to take the MRT, but we took the LRT,” he said.
Joel recounted that he and his friend, whom he did not name, began the trip at the Sen. Gil Puyat (formerly Buendia Ave.) station and were supposed to get off at the Doroteo Jose station near Recto Ave.
“We missed the Doroteo Jose station because we were busy talking,” he said.
They decided to get off at the Fifth Ave. station where they hoped to catch a bus bound for Bulacan. They didn’t make it to Fifth Ave.
A powerful explosion ripped through the LRT coach upon reaching the Blumentritt station.
“My friend gave out a loud cry and nothing more. He was cut in half,” he recalled.
When the smoke cleared, Joel realized mutilated bodies were scattered all around.
Joel was confined for about four months at the Chinese General Hospital for his wounds, but his trauma from the tragedy lingered. His scars were painful reminders of how his life had changed forever.
He now stays with his family in a rented apartment in Barangay Sto. Niño here where he ekes out a living selling electronic load for mobile phone users.
Though wheelchair bound and still single, Joel considers himself lucky to have survived the ordeal.
He had his moment of bitterness and had even questioned God for letting him suffer such a tragedy.
But his family, friends and eventually his faith in God inspired him to move on.
“It’s not easy, but God has different plans for everybody. We just have to face it,” Joel said.
“They (the bombers) have already been caught as far as I know. But whatever happens to them will not change our fate,” he said.