Day 2

Day 2 was no better. Despite my wishing the water would be down, I woke up to the same situation. Except that this time, we can see how high the water really is.

I woke up around 7am, I think, I immediately ran out to check the water and was disappointed to see the reality that the water wasn’t going down anytime soon. I was hungry and tired and sick of wearing someone else’s clothes (really, I couldn’t complain as it was the best I could have at the moment).

We were too shy to ask for any food, although we could hear our stomachs grumbling already, because we knew we were running out of food. I didn’t dare complain nor did I even answer when Ate Jane asked us if we were hungry. I didn’t want to be a bother as I was already lucky I was still alive.

He was going to swim to the other house for food

Luckily, we did have breakfast, hotdogs and fish and I was able to eat two rounds to fill my stomach and ready myself for anything that may happen within the day. The morning was looking brighter than it was yesterday and finally, the sun was shining, not bright but it wasn’t raining. At around 10am, we heard buzzing and realized that it was a chopper.

My head pounded and all I seemed to hear was “OMG, I’m going to be saved!” In my dreams. The chopper just surrounded us, took shots of our poor condition and then left. That didn’t stop us. We were running out of food so we went up to the 3rd floor of the apartment building which was an open spaced, tiled floors with railings. We ran up there, us girls and the elders as well. We started screaming, shouting, “HELP” and “FOOD” and anything else we could think of. The people next door who had built a tent at their roof top were swinging a red cloth around to signal help.

It was the first time I’ve ever experienced this, as I used to watch this kind of situation in the news all the time. I never thought I’d be suffering the same situation. I still couldn’t complain. How could I? SOME people only had roofs to live on and I may not be with my family, but I had shelter and food.

The choppers went down at Ever Gotesco

Basically that’s what we did the whole day, wait for helicopters, shout and scream when they come, let our hopes rise when they stop momentarily only to go again and burst our bubbles. It was disappointing how they would come and take pictures and videos and won’t even drop us some food.

We were waiting for those rubber boats we see in the TVs before, but none came. Around lunch, the people across the street started using their airbed as a boat. They didn’t have any water, so they went to the pharmacy next door to *get* some mineral water that had been stored.

*Really, would it still be stealing despite the situation?

Airbed as Boat

By the afternoon, we were counting on the water to go down from the stair steps, and soon enough, we could see the street’s sign board again – which had disappeared during the night.

We did have lunch at around 2pm, we had this vegetable kind of soup with monggo (beans) that I actually really like. Ate Jane was a really good cook which was torture because every bite made me hungrier. I was going to go back for another round – hoping – but unfortunately, the food wasn’t enough anymore to cover more than 10 hungry stomachs.

In fact, I felt I didn’t have the right to yearn for more. We didn’t have the worst situation.

I felt sorry for the men who had been working at the condo unit near the street. They had shelter, alright and were too high above. But they didn’t have any food or change of clothes at all.

Choppers would go down to some houses

Around 2pm, a helicopter had gone down near our street (somewhere there anyway). One of the men had come to the house across from us with 5 plastic bags of relief goods. We were so ecstatic that help had finally come and even waited for the men to come and row one of the bags to us.

Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to want to share.

Around that time, I was also shocked to learn about an old man who was currently now on his deathbed. Only an oxygen tank had him breathing and he only had 3 hours or so left to live. No one could get out of the street, current was too strong. No one could call, all phones were dead. Not even the Mission Hospital which was only a walk away (well, technically, a swim and a life away) could do anything about it.

By 4pm, we watched the guys from across the street row toward us. We thought they’d come to their senses.

With my friend's uncle

Despite our wishes for food and rescue, it was my friend’s uncle who had come from Makati to rescue my friend and her family. We found out that there had been no boats due to the raging current that occurred on the pathway going to our street.

Along with my friend’s uncle was the only relief goods the other families had decided to share: a plastic bag of boiled eggs and skyflakes plus a Red Cross bag of Bingo (biscuits).

Could we complain? It didn’t matter. I just wanted to get out of there.

My friend's uncle swimming

My friend's uncle with the bag of relief goods

Bingo wasn’t much. But I needed something to bite. I knew we were going to be longer than we bargained for. There may be rescue for my friend, but I still wasn’t sure about me. Besides, without a boat, I didn’t think we’d get rescued yet. My friend’s uncle gave us the food and then he waited for the men to return from their *fishing* of drinking water.

He returned with them and then promised to return to us with a boat and rescuers. By then, we were tired of shouting and screaming at the choppers. We already had our hopes bruised enough.

We waited around 2-3 hours, and almost lost hope. It was getting darker. The *lake* had gone down to 10ft, but not enough for any vehicle to pass through. And suddenly…

Rescuers throwing cereals to each house

Here comes our rescuers, throwing cereal (?) to every house with people in them. My friend’s uncle was with them and everyone was excited to finally get home and get dry.

I wasn’t sure why, but I remember I wasn’t as excited as they were. It turns out I have really good instincts.

Rescuers had come for the baby only

They weren’t going to take us. They were only here to get the baby, the dying man and the pregnant woman at the end of the street. As much as I wanted to go home, see my family, talk to my parents, cry and cry and take a real bath and get a change of clothes, I couldn’t. I still can’t make an appeal. Who was I against a dying man, a baby and a pregnant woman right?

Although I wanted to cry then at the disappointment of not being rescued, I composed myself, hid my fear and fatigue and laughed it off.

I swear. I could be an actress and I’d win a grammy for being so convincing.

More rescuers

These people braved the waters with only life-buoys but they had to come to help with the rescue team. My friends and I could only look on and laugh at the fate we had encountered and yet, we found how this event brought us wiser and closer to each other.

My friends and I spent the night just talking and getting to know each other. We laughed with the people we were left with and enjoyed *dinner* of pancit canton and eggs. We had run out of food so the pancit canton was our last food. We really needed the water to subside.

It was around 2am in the morning when we awoke to the sounds of screaming.

“Mga kapitbahay! Magnanakaw! Ilawan nyo, ilawan nyo!”

“Neighbors! Thieves! Flash them! Flash them!”

The water had gone down by this time, I could see half of the cars now and I was sure the water’s level was only about 5-6ft.

How could someone even think of stealing after such tragedy? After all, even the rich went through the same experience. Even the rich had to undergo the same tragedy, fight for their lives! It was appalling. I couldn’t imagine how someone would actually still think of stealing. What a disgust and disgrace.

I fell asleep again after that and by 7am, we awoke to a brand new morning of clean up and muddy waters. The water level was low now, knee high, and I was anxious to get home. After a short breakfast (bought by my friend’s father) and getting my slippers which had gotten stuck in my friend’s house, my other friend, the other one who was also stranded without family, and I trudged home. The water on the way seemed to be getting higher as before we reached the main street, it was about thigh high. At the main street, water had gone completely, so we walked from De Castro to Floodway and then rode a tricycle home.

*HOME SWEET HOME*

Some pictures aren’t mine, owners are from Digital Photographers Philippines. Owners can come claim for credit. Thanks!