Where I'm From, Everyone is a Hero

On September 26, 2009, many people’s lives turned around in just a few hours.
Like a scene in a movie where the protagonist suddenly finds himself in a situation where he can only shield his face and hope for the best.

Unfortunately, for thousands of people in Central Luzon, this is not a movie, or a dream. It became a fight for survival. Suddenly, people were clinging to the thin string to stay alive.

Signal # 1: Ondoy (Ketsana)-
I have lived all 23 years of my life in the Philippines. It has humid weather, with unpredictable rains. PAG-ASA announced that a signal one storm would be coming to Central Luzon. If I was there, I would have dismissed that announcement and would have gone to the mall and gone out with friends. Signal number one is not strong and most schools would still have classes. We have gone through a lot of signal 1 storms, and it didn’t do any harm.

Unfortunately, this was not the average signal one storm that we were all used to. And sadly, many people disregarded the warning and went on with their lives, unprepared for what was to happen in the next few hours.
Ondoy (Ketsana) was considered a category 1 storm because of the wind, not because of the possible rainfall. Thousands of Filipinos really thought that the storm would pass without causing any damage.

Ondoy came. Rain poured. After a few hours, it was still raining hard. This was not a normal category one storm: around noon, Central Luzon was flooded. Again, typical scenario when it rains. A couple of hours later, the hard rain continued, and places that are not normally flooded had knee-high waters. By this time, rivers were overflowing, flooding every street, and waters rising with the consistent hard rain.
Then people started to feel the fear that if the rain didn’t stop, their houses would be submerged totally. And just when people are thinking about relocating, the flood suddenly rose without warning, leaving people in shock as they scrambled to higher ground. To most people, the only option they had was to climb up to their roof. As they sat there, they could have been thinking about the material things housed beneath their roof, and then witness them floating around them. They asked for help, but no one around is in a safe place. The best they could do is to transfer to a house with a higher roof.
People started to feel scared as they saw the waters reaching the roofs, the strong current preventing them to move to a safer place. Sadly, many people weren’t lucky enough to have a house sturdy enough to withstand the strong flood currents. Many people lost their lives as their homes floated away in the rushing water and some people watched helplessly as they tried to cling to safety in hopes of saving their own lives.
Assessing the damage:
Tens of thousands lost their homes, hundreds lost their lives, and people are still missing. Streets were flooded everywhere people look. Floods were waist deep, neck high, or water reached the ceiling of the first floor of most houses. People stuck on their roofs, asking for help, feeling cold and hungry. No trucks could rescue them, the flood was too high. Rescuers could only use boats, or helicopters, and unfortunately, they were not readily accessible.
People started to swim to their neighbors to see if everyone was okay. People who had inflatable boats navigated their village channels to help people who needed to transfer to higher ground. Suddenly, everyone started to help those in need, without being asked, without thinking of their own lives. Muelmer Magallanes, an 18 year old construction worker, lost his life after saving 30 people. After getting his family to a safer place, he went back for his neighbors and started to transfer them to a safer place too. After making several trips, he was exhausted, but then he saw a mother and her baby floating helplessly inside a Styrofoam box being pulled by the strong flood current. He managed to save both mother and child, but he ended up too exhausted to save himself. Muelmer was sent adrift by the current as his family and those he saved look on helplessly.

As the rain stopped, many houses appeared submerged, but that did not stop the Filipino from helping others. BAYANIHAN. Helping others. Bayanihan is a word that is purely Filipino. It is a word that is often found in social studies books, not in everyday lives; a word that is often unspoken, but is often acted upon. BAYANIHAN- a trait that is embedded in every Filipino. A trait that makes everyone a hero in their own little way.

People started to act by calling people and asking for volunteers and donations. They used Facebook and Twitter as the medium of communication. Suddenly, people braved the floods and started coming to relief centers to help pack goods and donate money. Like mushrooms, relief operation centers starting popping everywhere. Goods came pouring in, volunteers started arriving, companies started to give out food and trucks were sent to the relief centers to send out the goods to those people and places in dire need.

College students who usually don’t care, children who only thought of playing, citizens, rich and poor, were now helping. They were involved in something bigger than themselves. Colleges and universities started their own relief centers, even making the college or university an evacuation centers. Students suddenly cared to help other people. Children were exposed to the reality of life. People- young and old, rich and poor- started to move and help.

Ondoy, much as it brought pain and loss to thousands of people, gave hope, awareness, and faith to millions. It transformed millions of lives. The Filipino spirit stood strong amidst the death and pain. The Filipino people became a part of something bigger than themselves. The Filipino spirit rose to the occasion, and saved those who lost hope. Every Filipino became a hero in the eyes of another. Ondoy might be strong, but the Filipino spirit is stronger.

We never fail to see the silver lining, we, Filipinos, are optimistic. Flood? It is an improvised swimming pool to some children. Cleaning the house? It became a project between neighbors, laughing and interacting as they toss out things and pile up mud. Those in evacuation centers started to support others and gave comfort to those who lost everyone in their family, realizing how much one has.

We Filipinos may live in a third world country, we may live below average than other countries, but in times like these, we give abundantly. We care more for others and we become better people. We may not have much, but we help when someone needs help. We think of others before ourselves. We become better people when a situation calls for it and we give selflessly when we have nothing.

Many people realized that life can make a 360 degree turn in a blink of an eye. This storm taught us something that many people may have forgotten: the value of every life and Bayanihan. This only shows how resilient the Filipino is. No matter how hard life keeps throwing us down, we will get up. We will never give up. There will always be the Filipino spirit to show us what good things life still has to offer.

The Filipino spirit rises to the occasion. Where I’m from, everyone is a hero. And I am very proud to be Pinoy.

Credits: Biggest thanks to Hayen! :)