Bona fide text
FRANKly speaking
Past 7 o'clock in the evening of June 20, 2008, I was watching news on TV. The news anchor flashed the weather forecast of PAGASA that Western Visayas including Iloilo, Aklan, Antique, and Capiz would experience storm signal number 1. The weather forecast bothered my attention but I prayed that it will not pass the area of responsibility of Region VI.
Actually after watching a fantaserye on channel 7, I decided to see my friends since it was Friday night, time for bonding after a long week of work. I left my boarding house at around 10:30 in the evening and went straight to the office of my friends. We went out of IPE past 11 o'clock and went to Smallville to eat our midnight snack, have a couple of drinks and to update what was happening for the entire week of not seeing each other. We cracked jokes and it seemed there was no storm signal number 1 as reported on TV early that night. We went home at exactly 3 o'clock in the morning while heavy downfall of rain smashed our taxi. We didn't even think it was already a sign of torm signal number 3.
I woke up late in my usual waking time if there's work, however, I noticed that my fan wasn't working anymore. No electricity, so I went out of my bed and went directly to the comfort room to do my morning rituals. I went to the rooftop and as I looked down, the path walk was already full of chocolate brown water. Until heavy rains and gusty winds called my attention to go down and I went back to my room. I was alarmed already of what was happening. Honestly, it was an unusual feeling that I had during that time. So I decided to turn on the radio of my long-time-kept walkman. And indeed, it was strange... it was really strange.
June 21, 2008, Saturday, was the worst day of all people living in Western Visayas. We were hit by storm signal number 3, FRANK.
While others were still sleeping and eating with their family early morning of that day, flood was already in the entrance of their houses. According to some individuals who were interviewed by the anchorman of the radio program, in five minutes the water was near the ankle, by 10 minutes it rose to knee level and in less then 30 minutes it was already reached the hip level. Rain continued to fall, wind became very very strong and water continued to rise up and it filled the rivers, the dams and the canals and eventually the streets, roads and houses. The water current was very strong as it moved and carried away houses, cars, properties and even lives.
In 10 hours, the whole Western Visayas was in catastrophe. It was really a horrible day. Millions worth of infrastructures and agricultural lands were devastated by the typhoon. Buildings, houses, bridges even hospitals were destroyed. The Regional Disaster Coordinating Council mentioned that approximately 1 billion worth of agricultural and around 500 million worth of infrastructures were damaged.
As of this writing, the death toll was already 222 and around 280 individuals are still missing. And I guess, the number will increase as time passes by. Not to include the 700 plus passengers of MV Princess of the Stars owned by the Sulpicio Lines which sank at the Sibuyan Sea while Frank hit the region. There was a report also that an oil tanker managed by the Pacific Ocean Mining sank and spilled its tons of oil in the seas of Carles, Iloilo. MV Ocean Papa sank also in Antique carrying tons of processed foods and hotdogs.
The aftermath was worst. Tears were present everywhere. Their house was filled with mud or their house was carried away by the water current. Thousands of people were homeless and were stacked in the evacuation centers, in schools and churches. Some stayed at the roof of their houses because that was the only safe place to secure their lives and stayed their for a day without food and all in wet. Thousands of mouth to feed and thousands of body to cover dry clothes just to keep their body warm. The local government did their job to rescue our fellows who are in great need, however, due to lack of rescue equipment and even huge trucks cannot pass because of strong water current; it was too difficult for them to rescue everybody in a snap of an eye.
Last Monday, the local government declared Iloilo under the state of calamity. With this, the 5% calamity fund of the 2008 budget amounting to 45 million will be used to help those who are in need and to rehabilitate the damaged infrastructures. The national government did their job as well, PGMA sent VP Noli de Castro to assess the situation and to provide help to the region. He went to Iloilo together with Sen. Dick Gordon, Sen. Mar Roxas, DSWD Sec. Cabral and DOH Sec. Duque carrying with them were sacks of rice, medicines, inflatable rubber boats, water purifier and water sanitation equipment.
I can still remember the lines of Vice Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog the acting mayor during the time of crisis in an interview over the radio that says, "Blessed man ta gihapon kay weekend natabo kag adlaw natabo. May mensahe guid ang Mahal nga Maka-ako."
Indeed, Vice Mayor Mabilog is true. Anu na lang ayhan kung indi weekend natabo kag gaubra ang mga ginikanan, wala sa balay? Kung gab-e bi ato natabo? Kag indi mu na guid makita ang tanan kay wala kuryente kag dulom-dulom guid? Let's ponder on these things. We're still blessed.
But frankly speaking, we were hit by a typhoon that made the lives of people in Region VI in great turmoil.
(For comments, message me at Franzylu@hotmail.com)