'Ondoy' victims in Tanay rely on each other to rebuild their lives

TANAY, Rizal - Fisherfolk couple Irenea and Salvador Ramos spent most of their married years saving up for a home for their family of four. In 2007, the couple, with the help of their children, was able to build a decent house made of wood and concrete beside a river in Brgy. Tandang Kutyo, Batak in Tanay town, Rizal province. But it took less than a day for storm “Ondoy" to turn their lifetime dream into shambles. “Umalis kami ng Sabado ng umaga para magtinda sa Cainta. Pagbalik namin, wala na kaming bahay. Inanod na lahat. Puro putik na lang," recounted 49-year-old Irenea as she walked barefoot. She wore a muddy sleeveless shirt and drenched pants. (We left the house Saturday morning to sell goods in Cainta. When we returned, we no longer had a house. Everything was washed away. There was only mud all over.) “Ito na lang mga suot namin ang naligtas. Nawala na lahat. Pati mga anak namin kamuntik pang malunod (We could only save these clothes we are wearing. We lost everything. Our children nearly drowned)," said Irenea’s husband. Salvador was busy laying down bamboo poles to serve as a foundation for a makeshift shelter where the couple will stay as a new typhoon threatens the country. Irenea and Salvador used to live in a sturdy wood-and-concrete house. Now, in the wake of the Ondoy disaster, this improvised shelter will have to be home for a while, using bamboo poles and galvanized-iron sheets salvaged from piles of debris where once an entire village stood. Despite all these, the couple still had smiles on their faces. “Kahit na inanod na ng baha ‘yung bangka at lambat namin, alam ko na malalagpasan namin ito," Salvador said with an air of certainty. (Even though the flood carried off our boat and nets, I know we’ll get through this.) “Kahit mangutang pa kami para magkaroon ng puhunan at makapagtinda ulit, gagawin namin. Hindi naman pwedeng puro sa iba ka lang hihingi ng tulong para makabangon," Irenea said. (We will do anything, even borrow money so we can resume our business. We can’t just always ask help from others to pull ourselves up.) Irenea and Salvador are only two of the thousand other residents of a shanty village in Tanay that got washed away by the floods caused by Ondoy. These residents may not have roofs above their heads, but they have hearts that believe they can weather any storm. Relying on each other Former supervisor for a manufacturing company Felipe Tabiong, 59, lent a piece of his private land to the Ramos couple where they can build a temporary home. For Felipe, the residents in his village can only rely on each other to be able to survive this tragedy. “Kami-kami na lang naman ang magtutulungan para makapagsimula ulit (We can only rely on each other to be able to start anew)," he said. Although relatively well-off compared to other village residents, Felipe and his family were not spared from Ondoy’s wrath. What used to be his family’s two-storey home is now buried in knee-deep mud. “Ngayon lang talaga bumaha ng ganito dito sa amin. Maswerte pa nga ako kasi may second floor kami," he said. (This is the first time that such a flood happened here. I’m actually lucky because we have a second floor.) Felipe admitted he feels hopeless at times because he is currently unemployed, but the strength that he sees in his fellow villagers gives him the drive to carry on. “Hindi ko na talaga alam kung ano ang gagawin ko minsan. Pero ako pa ba ang susuko ngayon? (At times, I’m really at a loss on what to do. But why should I give up now?)" he said. Hoping for relocation Alex Tan, 47, who has lived with his family right beside the river for nine years, lost his only source of income – a sari-sari (variety) store – due to the floods. But like other people who live in the devastated village, he is very optimistic. “Hindi naman puwedeng huminto tayo sa ganito. Bahagi lang ito ng buhay (We can’t just give up. It’s part of life)," he said, while trying to recover useful items from the place where his house and store once stood. Although very positive, Alex thinks memories of the tragedy will stay with him forever. “Ang dami talagang naanod dito. Ang daming namatay dahil sa baha (So many here were carried away by the water. This flood really claimed a lot of lives)," he said. He also blames the cutting down of trees in the nearby mountains. “Nagpuputol kasi ng mga puno diyan sa may Sampaloc. Ang daming inanod na troso (People cut down trees there in Sampaloc. So many logs were swept away by the water)," he said. Unlike Felipe who thinks the village could be rebuilt through efforts of its residents, Alex thinks he and his fellow villagers deserve to be relocated somewhere safer. “Sana lang mabigyan kami ng pamahalaang bayan ng malilipatan. Umaasa kaming ire-relocate kami (I hope the municipal government gives a place where we could relocate)," he said. But if the government does not heed his plea, Alex has another plan in mind: “Mangungutang na lang ako sa bumbay. (I’ll just borrow money from Indian money lenders.)" - GMANews.TV