Crossing Calumpit's streets? Take the boat for P20 to P200

CALUMPIT, Bulacan, Philippines – Call it ingenuity or entrepreneurial skills.

Flood victims in this municipality have made a living ferrying residents and their belongings, including motorcycles, from flooded streets to dry land using makeshift or fishing boats for P20 to P200 per person.

“Wala naman akong magagawa na diyan, kailangan kong magbayad kasi hindi ko maitatawid itong motorsiklo ko,” Manny Magtoto, a collector of Norkis Yamaha motorcycles here said as he prepares to load his scooter to a makeshift boat.

Magtoto said he paid P100 for his motorcycle to cross the flooded portion of the main road.

Floodwaters in Barangay Corazon here are still waist-deep, and residents who have to leave their flooded homes, are ferried either through the “libreng sakay” program of the local government unit, or by paying a minimum of P20 each to ride in wooden makeshift boats.

An unidentified woman complained to Manila-based reporters who covered President Aquino’s visit here on Wednesday that military trucks refused to transport the coffin of her relative who died of cancer.

“Hindi man lang kami tinulungan ng military truck! Nagbayad pa tuloy kami para makatawid dito!” she shouted.

Raffy Gregorio, 35, said he earned almost P1,000 in less than five hours from ferrying passengers using the boat of his brother who is a fisherman.