Siargao tourists, hotel owner narrate Odette experience

Stranded tourists and a hotel owner in Siargao in Surigao del Norte shared on Monday their first-hand experiences throughout the onslaught of Typhoon Odette on the island.

In an Unang Balita report by Jamie Santos, life partners Martha Jante-Eusebio and Dyn Eusebio became emotional when they narrated what happened throughout their stay in the province that was directly hit by Typhoon Odette.

“‘Yung mga coconut trees na ang ganda ganda kasi Siargao ‘yon, down. Poste, down. Mga bahay, bagsak. May makikita kang tulala,” said Dyn.

(The beautiful coconut trees in Siargao fell down, as well as the electric posts and houses. We could see people gazed off.)

The couple said they were only able to go home with the help of Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, who offered to take them along with other stranded tourists on a flight back to Manila.

“Masaya kaming nakauwi pero we’re sad at the same time kasi alam namin ‘yung situation sa Siargao. Then ang dami naming mga kasama sa hotel, mga friends na naiwan doon na kung kaya lang naming dalhin sila pabalik dito lahat sa Manila ginawa na namin,” Dyn added.

(We were happy we got home but we were also sad because we knew the situation in Siargao. We have many friends and fellows in the hotel who were left there and if only we could, we would bring them back here in Manila.)

Surigao del Norte Representative Francisco Jose Matugas II said on Saturday that almost 99% of the 180,000 population of Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte, including tourists, were affected by Typhoon Odette.

The Siargao Airport terminal was also "totally damaged."

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) however said they will be conducting transport missions in Surigao del Norte, particularly in Surigao Island, to accommodate stranded tourists and residents who want to go home.

In a Facebook post on Monday, PCG reported that 21 international tourists who were staying in Siargao Island were “in good condition.”

These foreign tourists came from Switzerland, Australia, United States of America, France, Belgium, Denmark, Singapore, Great Britain, and Vietnam.

The Eusebios also said that the resort they were staying at was proactive even before the storm hit. They covered the windows and glasses and gave the visitors water, food, mats, flashlights, and evacuation plan.

In a separate interview with CNN Philippines, Marja Abad O’donnell, a Siargao resort owner and co-founder of Siargao Environmental Awareness Movement, said what happened in the island was “really a wreck.”

“Our resort was still standing up although we need major renovations. If you see the rest of the community, you see the whole stretch of tourism road, you really can’t fathom what people are experiencing,” she said.

O’donnell shared they had also prepared weeks in advance even before the local government unit (LGU) warned them that the storm had intensified.

However, when Typhoon Odette started hitting them at 11 a.m., she said she feared for her life, her neighbors’, and her friends’. Three hours later, she knew that their lives turned upside down.

“We already knew that it was going to be hard but we never expected that it was going to be that bad,” she said.

She added that communication was still difficult on the island as there was no signal and no electricity.

“In our town, we know there was no casualties pero wala pang nakakaalam anong nangyari sa iba pang mga munisipyo kasi hindi ma-contact (no one knows what happened in other municipalities as they couldn’t be contacted),” a tearful O’donnell said.

According to an advisory of PLDT Inc., 96% of its wireless sites in Mindanao are up as of 9 a.m. on Sunday. However, sites in Surigao del Norte, including Siargao, Misamis Oriental, and Dinagat Islands are still down.—AOL, GMA News