I remember I went home 2 days before (Thursday) from a hazard mapping exercise in Zambales. I was looking forward to playing airsoft with my friends that coming Saturday. I planned to stay overnight at the office to be early at the game site. But my brother needed a ride home that Friday afternoon (weather was already starting to go bad), so I picked him up and just planned to leave early Saturday. It was a lucky break as by Saturday morning rains have not stopped so I spent the day at home, watching the news unfold on TV and the internet. The office parking lot was also flooded and a lot of cars got submerged, good thing I got home the day before.
I was already living about a month in Africa when this happened. Pero yung kapatid ko, who was my housemate for the longest time (before I left Pinas) called me in the middle of the night, panicking saying binabaha na sya sa bahay namin. We already had two episodes of baha in that house sa Proj 6 when Ondoy happened kaya I can imagine his fright. Di sya mapuntahan ng mga kapatid ko and my parents who were then living in Cainta kasi binaha din sila.
We lost a lot of documents and photos there, pero awa ng Diyos wala naman nasaktan. My brother was fine. He asked for help sa kapitbahay upstairs until the water subsided.
hindi ako apektado pero ang natatandaan ko, marami sa mga katrabaho ko noon ang naapektuhan at lumubog ang mga bahay. dinalan pa namin sila ng relief packs kasi hindi sila makalabas at makabili ng pagkain.
First time ever kami binaha, at hanggang dibdib ko! Mabilis ang pangyayari. Nagluluto pa ko ng idodonate na food sa mga nabaha na na nasa chapel near us. naisip ko pa magpatuloy sa bahay (bilang confident nga ako na hindi kami binabaha. And then ayan na, biglang pumasok ang tubig sa bakuran! In 20mins, nasa bewang ko na. i was only able to grab my office bag and laptop. Nanay ko nadala documents and radyo. Thankfully, mababait neighbors at sinundo kami sa bahay. nakituloy kami sa kapitbahay na may 2nd floor.
But when we left, floating na mga gamit namin. Good thing, naisara ko lahat ng bintana para di anurin palabas. Sadly, naiwan mga dogs.
nagsubside ang tubig the following morning. we found our dogs on top of my oven, wet but OK naman. total disaster ang bahay, nakatumba ref at platera(along with the plato na mana pa from my lola) ,basag mga tv, cabinets nakataob… wala kaming tuyong gamit. it took over a month bago narestore ang kuryente sa area. I stayed w a friend but i go every daytime sa bahay para maglinis. Siguro 2 months bago naging habitable ulit.
Lesson learned sa akin, not to invest on material things. Pati watches ko nun nasira, some jewelries lost. Wala na din kaming old photos, pati mga natatagong souvenirs of our childhood. wiped out. OK na din, parang reset
I think ang nabasa lang sa amin yung wifi router ko. Nasa may bintana kasi siya, na-aanggihan. I only noticed something was wrong bandang 1PM kasi di tumitigil ulan and I noticed yung roofdeck namin medyo nahihirapan ma-drain sa dami ng tubig.
Nasa UP ako for a class. Halfway through it tinigil na ng prof namin kasi she received a call tumataas na tubig sa bahay nila. Was supposed to watch DUP’s Amphitryon eh na cancel so tambay sa CASAA with blockmates. 3-5 hours ata kami andun kasi walang makauwi! Nung medyo humupa na tubig grabe pa rin, naging pool ang UP eh. Buti na lang walkable ang bahay from UP pero ayun, had to wait til humupa para di mega lusong sa baha. Walang klase buong week pagkatapos pero everyday nasa CRL to help out sa relief ops ng USC.
I was at home doing chores and noticed na di tumitigil ang ulan. Rare bahain ang lugar namin, but napansin ng mom ko na baha na dun sa baba ng street namin (kanto ang house namin, and its the highest point ng kalye). I told her na kapag umabot yung baha sa next door neighbor namin, mag-aakyat na kami ng gamit–I asked my sister to already bundle up our documents and valuables. Luckily, the rains stopped and ang inabot lang is the house three doors down.
However, my aunt and her family living in Marikina was not as lucky. Inabot pati yung second floor ng bahay nila–good thing may bayanihan sa lugar nila, so their next door neighbors got them before lumubog yung second floor nila. They stayed dun sa neighbor nilang may third floor ang bahay, and ang nabitbit lang nila are their everyday bags and my cousin’s gadgets. My parents, aunts and some of our neighbors went to Marikina to help clean up. They found their dog na nalunod since di na natanggal sa leash, yung cars nila na lumubog (yung cousin ko na ginagawang bahay yung car nya, found her shoes sa trunk really wet and damaged) and puro putik yung bahay. They also have photos and other mementoes totally damaged. Makes you realize that everything can just be taken away from you, just like that.
Galing ako sw FR ng isang org ko sa may Antipolo. Bilang uso ang puyatan para magpakasaya kapag may org event, gising ako hanggang sumikat ang araw, at napaaga ang balik ko ng QC kasi gusto ko sa bahay na lang matulog. Medyo bumabaha na sa may Marcos Highway noong dumaan kami roon, pero nakauwi naman ako. Diretso tulog ako pagkauwi. Pagkagising ko nakita ko na lang sa balita na ang dami na baha kung saan-saan. Yung ibang orgmates ko na-stuck sa Antipolo, at yung iba sa bahay ng ibang orgmates namin kasi hindi na sila makauwi.
Isang buong linggo walang pasok sa UP. Pero nasa CRL ako araw-araw din para sa relief operations (Sagip Isko).
Hindi rin ako apektado kasi wala ako sa Pilipinas. Postgrad student ako noon sa “middle earth” at sa TV ko na lang nakita ang kalsadang naging ilog. Very concerned ang mga prof during that sem at dalawa ata sa kanila ang nagtanong sa akin kung ok ba ang family members back home. Sabi ko I reckon they are ok since I have not been informed of any bad news, saka sabi ko nakatira kami sa mataas na part ng MM so I am not that worried.
