Loss of livelihood bigger threat than typhoon

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – For 36-year-old scavenger Richard de los Reyes, missing a chance to earn a day’s meal for his family was a bigger threat than any typhoon.

On Tuesday morning, as typhoon “Pablo” began battering Mindanao, De los Reyes went as usual to the city’s hillside dump, sifting through the garbage for plastic and other materials for sale to recyclers.

The rainfall was light but non-stop. At around 11:30 a.m., the rain loosened a large chunk of the hillside. Boulders and mud thundered down the slopes, burying Reyes as other scavengers managed to scamper to safety.

The local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council dispatched a backhoe to the site, but the work took several hours. De los Reyes was recovered but was pronounced dead on arrival in a hospital.

“For us, to earn daily is very important,” De los Reyes’ grieving younger brother Melvin said.

Melvin and his relatives noted that many scavengers ignored the typhoon warning because the rainfall was light.

The Vitali district in the city was the hardest hit by the typhoon. City agriculturist Diosdado Palacad said flooding in Vitali destroyed an estimated P1.9 million worth of fishponds and agriculture areas.