The worst of times, the best of times

Only a Pinoy will see goodness even in the worst tragedy that befalls him. These tales are first-person accounts of how Ondoy survivors cope and overcome. That indomitable spirit, that feisty, spunky sense of humor and innate resourcefulness should be the cultural traits associated with the Filipino. No one else will find so much delight in finding her underwear, and no one else will think of when she can send the pictures abroad. Recovering from trauma is in the genome of the Filipino. Nobody does it better.

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Report lang ako sa bagyo. The apartment was totally submerged in water. Bubong na lang yung makita. I stayed with a neighbor for two days. Today, Mama came to pick me up.  She parked as near as she could, which was still about two kilometers away. She sent a couple of people to check on us and pick me up. We walked to where she was parked in waist-deep dirty water. The water was very slow-moving, so it was very muddy. Oil from the cars was underwater, too. May mga dead animals din na naka lutang-lutang. Disaster talaga. Si Ash (my dog) naman was swimming most of the way to the car. Hiningal talaga siya. Haha … yung nostrils niya nag-flare flare. Wala akong na-save na kahit anong gamit except what I had on me and my cell phone and wallet. I also didn’t think that the whole house would be underwater. I thought baha-baha lang. 

Before leaving this morning, I checked on the house and the whole inside was covered in mud.  I’m just thankful that I’m alive. If my neighbor didn’t let me in their house, di ko alam kung san ako dadamputin. And I told them that I was super-grateful talaga. They were the fifth house I knocked on and sila lang yung nagpa-pasok sa akin ... di man lang kami magkakilala. Well, I know they live there and they know where I live … that’s all. They shared whatever food they had and let Ash in the house also. They also lent me clothes to change in to kasi I was wet. When Ash (my ever so clueless dog) and I crossed to their house, the water was already chest-deep. Buti na lang di na ko nag hintay pa kundi pati ako lalangoy na din.

Yesterday, yung ulam namin panis na na karne but can’t do anything kasi that was all we had. I told Mom to bring fresh meat para presko naman ulam nila today. They have about a sack of rice pa and na akyat naman nila halos lahat ng gamit nila sa second floor.

We’re going tomorrow to start cleaning up. The mud is sticky and oily. (Sigh) Di ko na iniisip yung mga gamit namin. A lot of the books we have survived storms na din sa Naga pero hindi oily, sticky mud. I don’t know what we can salvage from the house.

The first day, Saturday, it was depressing to see the water level keep rising and seeing the house disappear as the water rose. Pero tama yung sabi ni Manang Rosie (the kind neighbor): “Ne, hayaan mo na yan. Basta importante buhay ka, nakatayo ka pa. Makakaipon ka naman ulit para pangbili ng gamit. Gamit lang naman yan.” So there, every day yan na lang iniisip ko, kung ano lang yung importante talaga sa buhay.

Saturday night, it was hard to sleep kasi in the middle of the night we could hear faint voices shouting, asking for help in the dark. We felt so helpless and awful na wala kaming magawa to help. We didn’t know where they were. Then yesterday some helicopters came and dropped food sa mga rooftop kasi malalim pa yung tubig.

The three of us will probably stay in Valenzuela for a few days until the house is clean again. We will be disposing of the beds kasi nakababad talaga sa dirty water lahat for 48 hours.

Another storm is headed this way and will hit Manila in three days ata so sana ma-collect lahat ng garbage before then or else the drains to the river will get clogged.

Manang Rosie has lived in that house for 14 years and sabi niya first time to nangyari. Di naman daw bahain yung lugar. Kung malakas ulan, maiipon ng konti yung tubig sa sidewalk or in between humps pero that’s all. Mom and I are thinking of moving na. The lease will end sa January. I’ll try to talk to my landowner if okay lang na umalis kami before the lease ends. Importante pala talaga na may second floor yung bahay kasi di mo masabi.

It’s funny lang kasi we’ve been talking about unloading things that we’ve accumulated over the years and it was hard to decide what to let go of. Well, now that decision has been made for us. I’m ready to move anywhere kasi all we have left is what we were wearing that day. Sabi ko ki Paco swerte pa siya kasi may ilang piraso pa siya ng damit na na-save kasi dala niya sa Naga. Hehe.

I’m sure the clothes can be saved. I don’t know lang about the stain from the muddy water. Sabi ko, i-dye na lang lahat to black to hide the brown stain. Goth na kami niyan. Haha ... black eyeliner na lang and black nail polish okay na. Hehehe.

Anyway, that’s the update from De Castro, Pasig. Sa news parang dagat na talaga yung lugar namin. Pictures will come when settled na kami.

Nania General

Project manager,

Siemens Call Center, Pasig

Metropolis Village, Pasig

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I can’t believe it’s Tuesday already. We have organized almost half of the things that we had to evacuate. We have things in my mom’s sala, my brother’s room, the neighbor’s porch, my other brother’s apartment and my landlady’s garage. 

Was so very happy to find undies! And dear God, I never, ever thought bras could be this important in my life! I could almost feel my boobs reach the floor until at last I found that wondrous box where I kept them. I was laughing at this group of girls who passed the street having gotten some old clothes from a neighbor. One of them had gotten bras and was talking to another girl while holding one up, walking on the street — in broad daylight — with this glorious bacon bra. Wahaha. I totally related to them. I could’ve hugged them.

Anyway, the house is taking shape. Still replacing walls. Had to take out the tiles as water seeped under and it wouldn’t dry — after-effect of being submerged chest-deep in sewer water. Started seeing pictures of some of the affected areas and areas still submerged. Feel very lucky that water subsided the next day. It will get better. Everybody has come together to help. I cannot sort as much as I want so I can give. Most of the stuff I separated has been given away to people who knock on my mom’s gate asking for tsinelas and yes — panties still. 

I felt my age, hahaha. I cannot lift and push and move as much. I got dizzy. Or is it because it’s been like this for four days?

My heart goes out to those whose houses are still submerged, who lost loved ones, lost their livelihood, material possessions. My son North’s birthday is coming up this October. As some of his books floated away, I thought we could have a small celebration and we’d get him some, but there are more people in need. If we have extra after the fixes, it should go to those who need it more. Then I can write about what happened and mail it to him. (I mail my thoughts and experiences to Noah when I am away or when I am feeling good or bad. It will be good for him to know we gave some back as we survived through people’s kindness when he was born and now again. Mail him, too, if you have time. We don’t know how long snail mail will still be here.)

God is good. It will get better. It is already better. I found my bras. And yes, extra panties to give. What a great day. :-)

P.S. I would like to thank my neighbor, whose Internet we mooch from.

Zel Laurel

Senior art director, Campaigns and Grey

Roxas District, QC

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Sometimes I wonder if the Filipino’s legendary resilience and adaptability is both a gift and a curse. Some sociologists have written about this. The combination of faith and abundant buoyancy limit our capacity for outrage or even righteous indignation. We are veterans of trauma, accepting it as part of our fate, and bouncing back as soon as possible, like water off a duck’s back. As in all eternal questions of this nature, striking a happy balance is the answer, and the challenge.

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