September 26, 2009. The celebration of the Silver Anniversary of our degree program, B.A. Organizational Communication. The day of the conference entitled "Shifting Paradigms, New Mindsets, Strategic Approaches to Managing the Communication Function in Organizations" and in line with the Silver Anniversary of Orcom, the night of the Alumni Homecoming. The day I was scheduled to return home; to my hometown in Bulacan. And the day Philippines' islands sank due to typhoon Ondoy. So much happened on that fateful Saturday. And everything is still emblazoned on my mind, like a burn that is so perceivable even by the naked eye.
From english.cctv.com
It was Saturday then. No one knew about the coming tragedy, not even the experts who were supposed to warn the people not to go out and kill themselves. I do not intend to pass the buck to anyone. What has happened has already happened and blaming someone will not reverse the situation.
From reuters.com
A typhoon, named Ondoy, hit our country at around ten o'clock in the morning. It had started raining but no one made it a big deal for rainy seasons are normal in the Philippines. The rain could have been usual if it weren't for the waters released by the Angat Dam. People around Angat were awfully mad for the surprise they received from the Dam. No notice beforehand, no warnings, and no hints. As a result, Philippines almost sinked to oblivion. Nonetheless, our country had survived all the disasters with a hundred people dead (as of September 28) and a lot of my fellow Filipinos wounded and homeless.
From www2.canada.com
Since it was the same day of our Silver Anniversary, we were required to attend the conference in our school which was supposed to be held for the whole day. But the conference was cut midway due to the inclement weather. The Alumni Homecoming for the evening was also postponed. The conference ended at around 1PM. We even missed lunch because we had to finish the conference before we were allowed to go. After the conference, my friends and I had plans of going out together to eat and have some bonding experience. The streets were already flooded when we went out. All the food outlets in our school had already closed. We had no choice but to walk through the flooded streets or else we would die of hunger. We reached Robinson's and stayed there for quite a couple of hours. We ate and talked about any topic of interest. We were hoping that later in the evening, the flood would subside and we could all go home safely. Unfortunately, night came and the streets remained as river-like as it was in the afternoon. Dilemmas came in for most of us did not know what to do or where to stay. One of us got lucky that someone offered him a ride to a place where he can stay for the night. We who were left with no choice but to venture the floods to reach a safer place to sleep in. Along the way, we passed by our school which was then offering temporart shelter for those who got stranded. My friends decided to stay there for the night.
Actually, I was fortunate enough to have a dormitory nearby. I was a bit hesitant whether I would stay in our school with my friends or reach for my dormitory. I knew that it would be a great deal walking through the flooded streets, considering the overly toxic stuffs that mixed with the flood waters. I decided to go on and find my own sanctuary in our dormitory. I embarked on another venture through the floods. I was cursing along the way, knowing what specific stuffs floated in the flood. I saw what I never imagined I would ever see; I saw myself staring at the vast emptiness of Taft Avenue. It looked really different without all those vehicles; without the pedestrians. As I walk through the flood, I came across a few people; all hoping to arrive at their destination as soon as possible. I saw jeepneys parked on the sidewalk, barely evading the waters. It was obvious they were stranded. The people inside were already sleeping. I had no idea whether they have eaten or not; whether they are hungry or they have stocks of foods with them.
Despite the unfamiliar situation, I continued my struggle through the flood. One of my slippers snapped when I almost tripped onto a stupid rock. Err.. I got so depressed seeing myself struggling through that dirty water so I could not stand walking with one bare foot. I came across a security guard from the Cathedral of Praise. Being down, exhausted, and stressed, I approached the guard and asked him to fix my slippers. Lucky me, he was able to fix it. He told me to take care and slow down so my slippers won't snap again. I took his advice, thanked him, and continued walking. At last, I reached Mcdo U.N Ave branch and went in to fetch some food. The line was so long and their service had gone slower than ever. After getting myself some food, I continued to my dorm and was shocked at the sight I before me then. Our dorm had no electricity! It had been brownout the whole day! Blast! My phones had run out of battery and I had no lighting device whatsoever! It was so dark. I searched for a candle in the convenience store beside our dorm but my effort was vain. They had run out of candles to sell and their phones had no dial tones. There was no way to contact me. I despised that situation; having to eat in a completely dark lobby of our dorm. I did not want to eat inside our room because it was so freaky when it's dark. After eating, I realized the that without light, I cannot take a bath!! OMG. I had to ask our security guard to lend me their candle so that I could go to my room. Good thing our guards were very helpful. :)
Sooooooooooo, I went up to my room in third floor and cleaned myself up. I dried some of my things that got wet and went to bed afterwards. By then all I ever wanted was to fall in a deep slumber. The next day, my parents came to pick me up and we finally went to our home province in Bulacan. :)
Our hometown, San Ildefonso, is a high place so we never experienced floods like in other places. I thought everything was fine in our home but I found out that it wasn't. Aside from the brownout, almost all of the trees in our backyard fell down.
Ondoy was one strong typhoon... Even our fellow Filipinos are suffering until now; no food, no shelter, no electricity. I just hope God would never leave them. Too bad I couldn't go there and help. I am stuck here in Bulacan because my parents would not allow me to go to Manila. :(
