Tacloban mission: PBA to the rescue

MANILA, Philippines - The PBA went on a mission of hope to Tacloban last Friday and after viewing the devastation that turned the city into a vast wasteland, commissioner Chito Salud vowed to extend the league’s resources even more to alleviate the plight of the homeless victims of typhoon Yolanda.

Salud took an early morning flight out of Manila with PBA chairman Ramon Segismundo, Globalport governor Erick Arejola, Toby Sports’ Toby Claudio, Blackwater Sports team owner Dioceldo Sy, PBA media bureau chief Willy Marcial, Excite Events CEO Gelo Serrano and stars Mark Caguioa, Jimmy Alapag, Asi Taulava, Danny Seigle and L. A. Tenorio to deliver relief goods and survey the damage wrought by the storm. Others in the traveling party were PBA accounting manager Odessa Encarnacion, business development manager Rhose Montreal and inter-department secretary Michelle Flores.   

“We were moved by the experience,” said Marcial. “It all began when TV5 aired an interview with a 12-year-old boy from Western Samar. The boy spoke about his dream of someday meeting his PBA idols. We saw how the PBA could lift up the spirit and morale of those affected by the typhoon. So we decided to fly over and bring six portable basketball sets, six dozen basketballs, food and other relief goods. We had already sent over basketballs to cities like Ormoc but we wanted to go to Tacloban ourselves.”

Marcial said the airport was in disrepair. The roof of the terminal was damaged and rain leaked from the ceiling. Businessman Kenneth Uy, who has promoted several PBA games in the city, took the visitors to his restaurant Cindy’s, now just a shell of what it once was. About 30 kids waited to meet their PBA heroes. Elvin Adesma, the 12-year-old boy in the TV5 interview, was brought to Tacloban so he could be introduced to his idol Caguioa. But when Caguioa walked up to the boy, Adesma didn’t recognize him at first without his headband.

Marcial said the PBA stars were touched by the encounter with the kids. “Asi, L. A. and Danny screwed the ring to the portable backboard while Jimmy strung up the net and Mark gave out basketballs,” he said. “They talked to the people, inspired them, posed for photographs. They all did their part.”

What brought the visitors nearly to tears was when they went to the Astrodome where the PBA has played games. Some 2,000 refugees were in the stadium whose floor has been transformed into a sea of mud and muck. Mayor Alfred Romualdez and wife Cristina welcomed the visitors who spoke words of hope to the huge crowd. Segismundo, Tenorio and Salud brought wild cheers from the people as they delivered their inspiring message. “We will rise again,” they chorused in Pilipino. Salud vowed to come back as often as possible to bring more aid.

“Mayor Romualdez told the players that what they did was priceless, that they brought hope to the homeless,” said Marcial. “Commissioner Salud promised his all-out support. The players went up the stands of the stadium where the people stayed with what was left of their belongings. Mark had a pain in his knee but didn’t care. He joined the people in the stands. He told me the way he was received, he will never forget, it made his day. Asi was embraced by an old lady who was crying and he lifted her up. For the time we were there, the people forgot about their misery. It was like the players reminded them that there’s still a life to live, that there’s hope.”

The PBA group also went to Palo where the devastation was as harsh. “We saw an entire barangay flattened, like over a hectare wide,” continued Marcial. “Mountains that were once green with trees are now brown. Trees stuck out of hills like toothpicks. Coconut trees were bent in half. School buildings had no roof. Everywhere, food is the problem. There’s dirt all over but people are now organizing clean-up brigades. We were given lunch but nobody wanted to eat. We gave our food to people in the streets. On a positive note, we saw signs of rehabilitation. The PBA is committed to be part of the restoration.”

The visitors took an afternoon flight back to Manila. Caguioa thanked Segismundo and Salud for taking him along on the trip. “Mark usually excuses himself from mall tours but this time, he himself volunteered to do more for the typhoon victims,” said Marcial. “He wants to visit the other affected areas and we’re planning to go to Eastern Samar, Iloilo and Bogo, Cebu. We didn’t eat at all during our visit but nobody complained.”

The catastrophe that claimed the lives of thousands and left thousands more stripped of all worldly possessions will go down in history as one of the worst tragedies ever to strike mankind. But in the wake of destruction, those with more in life are rising to bring hope to those with less or none at all. It is in this spirit that the PBA has taken the challenge to do its share in rebuilding what was torn down by Yolanda.