#BangonOrmoc

I guess you probably know the news already for days now. It’s been two weeks since the one of the strongest typhoon had hit my dear country and left hundreds of damages, debris and death. The super typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan hit the Philippines last November 8,2013. The route of the typhoon mostly hit the eastern part of the Visayan island group around 8 in the morning Philippine time. The cities and towns of Leyte including Tacloban, Palo and Ormoc were hit and well chaos turned over leaving also questions to what happen, who to blame and the actions of the national government.

a motivational sign that stood amidst the ruins [pic from instagram]

During the date I was in Cebu at home fresh from my night shift duty. It started raining earlier but was still manageable. The winds got stronger around 10 AM but yeah was reluctant enough to be inside, safe and dry. It lasted 2-3 hours and during the afternoon it mostly drizzled. My brother and I started contacting my folks since we knew that Ormoc is usually passed by typhoons yet no replies or calls since the evening. Didn’t panic yet until the images and video posts emerged from the net later that night, then I was getting worried.
 
The feeling of panic when you can’t contact from your loved ones from more than 24 hours is a torture. It’s like a fucked up time bomb. Your mind creeping to things morbid. I despise it. Still can remember those three days without any news from them, mostly images and videos from reporters weren’t helping. I was able to contact one aunt but was weak due to some family issues they have so still no idea if my folks were ok.

 
Finally my father replied with “Ok ra mi but wala na atop” (We’re fine but we have no roof). It did sounded like my father so yeah it was great to hear from them. I was then able to contact the rest of the relatives hours later. My parents were chill enough but my aunts weren’t, some of them sounded panicky. You don’t want to sit next to a panicky person, sucks big time and contagious too. Thanks to them, I was on a frenzied mode of helping out and just be at home straight away. My parents were against it but I insisted. I was torn between going home or not since rumors of looting during ship docking spread like wild fire. It made me angry hearing some of it. According to the media, Tacloban was a war zone filled with people that were desperate for survival even led to some killings and rape. I don’t know it was a shocker but knowing mostly Tacloban people have this “indifferent” attitude I guess. Don’t get me wrong, I have friends who are Warays (People of Tacloban due to the dialect they spoke) but mostly they have this ego which I don’t like to describe it further. Yet these people are peace loving.

Together with the brother, we headed to Ormoc day 5 after the Yolanda incident.

the pier and first shot when I arrived

the city park [ pic from twitter]

the roofless city terminal which is located near the pier [pic from twitter]

The port and the pier looked like a giant garbage wasteland from the docks. No trees, everything was a mess icluding the park and the heat was killing it. The city was even more devastating to look at seeing that every structure, house or commercial space, was a victim. good thing they opened the fire hydrants around the area for water . The wet market along with some grocery stores were on business but with limited time due to no electtricity. Banks were slowly having transactions during day 6 after yolanda.

view from the neighborhood in Mejia

my house with the brother on the it

the neighbor's house across the street

During the night, it was creepily quite. Although we have the moon to shed some light on, the city was awkwardly silent. Some fire hydrants had this scheduled availability for water so mostly my job was to bring water and the schedule was around 7 in the evening, yep dark.

my grandmother's home in Linao which was blocked by trees

inside my grandmother's home, the floor covered in water

There were lines everywhere if you want to buy anything from grocery, hardware and gasoline but mostly Ormocanons were patient enough. People were manageable I guess since the former typhoon Uring (Ormoc Flash Flood) which hit Ormoc last November 5, 1991 was heavier. Uring swept the city with floods that left 5 thousand killed. After that, bridges and dams were maximized and ever since no heavy floods have been reported. People told me that Yolanda was stronger  and more destructive than Uring but the casualties were only 30. They were ready enough and my folks survived it.

the waiting line on Gaisano Riverside, a mall and grocery store

the city Maternity Hospital which was perished

trees torn down along the gates of the city church

The only unruly settlement was the relief goods. Its been 6 days since the typhoon and not a batch of relief goods came. The media and some people were in desperate for help and thus came the questions of the unfit from the national government.  It took a week for the goods to arrive in Ormoc.

I hate politics but it was too much. The president was mostly blaming the local governments in Leyte of the unpreparedness. The people were prepared but didn’t expect of how strong it was. Reasons behind delayed of the goods were due to the DSWD who again repacks them with seals from elected officers where in fact the people were the one who brought them, not having enough vehicles to bring the goods where in fact during last election, the candidates were able to reach the smallest roads with their campaign and just keeping the goods on factories until they were spoiled or perished due to rain.  Some of the officials had made a fool of themselves against international medias like CNN and BBC. The interviews led to how dirty Philippine Politics is and made some unruly responses from Filipinos across the world. It’s about time for the whole world to know and yes I guess they were challenged big time. They were loads of issues being raised but then our own media can be biased against it all.

There were hundreds of people from northern Leyte fled to safer cities like Cebu and Manila. Every terminal and dock were packed with people. Even when we were leaving for Cebu, the pier had become an evacuation center for some waiting for the scheduled boats to arrive.

people scavenge for electricity to contact their loved ones [pic from child fund]

Spent just 3 days at home but I wasn’t that devastated. I witnessed the people I came from are stronger and that the goodness of humanity still exist. Ormoc may not be a glamorous city but its people have strong fighting spirits. Even under the heat and finding ways of rebuilding homes, people still managed to joke around and smile. They still also managed to help each other especially on neighboring communities. My photos posted aren’t enough to say how much it felt like being there. To my fellow Ormocanons, I salute you! Survivors twice in the making.

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October 15, 2013

Woke up the usual and timed in for work. Second day on being a nurse with my baby patient in the pedia ICU. I was psyched to get the day over for it was my last day and was the holiday. Holiday meaning double pay for some how staying 12 hours on the hospital.
 

My patient was still awake and her mother was there. Luckily my patient was attached to an oxygen cannula and to the cardiac monitor only, so it wasn’t much of a hassle.
 

Around 8:15 am, I was done with preparing her milk and giving the meds when suddenly it started to shake. I was kinda reluctant that the earthquake would stop but it got stronger. The mother was praying then onto the Lord and held on the baby crouching herself unto the floor. Instinct brought me to keep them priority so I covered them with my body not caring of my own. I was still in calm and I could hear some of my workmates screams. I started to panic a lil when I saw some falling ceiling tiles from the hallway. This was not an ordinary shake and well I think it lasted around  a minute. Instinct drove me again that it wasn’t safe and the three of us should get out.  The mother and her child was still calm and well I just pulled out all the cables and aquapack and headed to the exit. No one was badly injured but those gruesome seconds of the deadly shake was unbearable.

 the Pedia ICU after the earthquake [pic by coworker sasa]

My hands were shaking when all the trembling was over. Good thing my patient was calm enough. My other two workmates were crying and shaking as well. All I could thing next was to provide oxygen for the baby, good thing my senior staff had already secured a portable oxygen. The Pedia Resident was there and checked the baby, said she was ok. My pregnant charge nurse decided to transfer my patient to the ER, an isolation room to be exact. Together with the resident, the baby, her mother and two of us staff nurses, we headed to the ER since my workplace was on the second floor.
 

The stairs were packed of people when we got there. Everybody was in a frenzy including patients who could walk, patients who can’t but where man carried or carried on their beds, medical staff and other people who just wanted to get out of there. The hospital doesn’t have any ramps available on floors so they man carried the beds, breaking along the way some parts of the stairs.
 

When we reached the er, thankfully the isolation room was empty and the baby was still in a calm state. I just hooked her to a portable pulse oximeter and oxygen, she was fine. I was still trying to contact my brother and cousins at home. Like always, the reception was crap. I did reached them after a couple of trys and there were fine. My pregnant charge nurse followed after us and stayed there. She wasn’t suppose to stay upstairs in case some after shocks occurred.
 

Code white was on.
 

I left my patient to the care of my charge nurse so I could help others upstairs. A few people were already on the ER with hyperventilating problems, seizures, injuries due to falling objects and fainting. It was like in a movie scene. I was asking God why during those first few minutes, and thanking Him that I was safe.
 

the entrance of the hospital [pic by coworker nico]

 

tents made from bedsheets and poles built on the parking area [pic from coworker karen]

 the outside street in front of the hospital [pic by coworker siao]

 the other side of the hospital with stable patients sitting down [pic from coworker karen]

Transferring patients who are intubated is not a joke. There were seven patients on the ICU, two weren’t intubated and two adult patients on the pedia ICU both intubated. Our patients on the pedia ICU where transferred to the ICU since it was still in place. The ICU resident in charge was indecisive if to transfer all patients downstairs. News broke out that there was fire on the 5th floor due to some voltage problem but only in a room. The smell reached on the ER when I made my way up on the second floor. The Engineering department put down the fire quickly before the Fire Extinguishers got there. The significant others of the intubated patients went berserk-ed and demanded for their loved ones to get outside. Good thing the chief IM resident was there and made most of the arrangments and decision making. We had to transfer the patients. The non intubated patients were first, followed by the stable intubated ones. We were running like mad men with oxygen tanks on hand, looking for some spare oxygen gauges and ambubags. It was an adrenaline rush! All of them were placed on parking areas and other non critical patients were place on the streets with tents on. E-karts were opened, portable suction machines lined up, doctors were in a frenzy on updating the statuses of the patients and consultants ordering non stop. There was even an emergency CS made on the ER. The administration were also there.

the scenario at the Fuente Circle, Cebu after the quake [pic by coworker keith]

 

The scenario lasted even I was off my shift. It was gruesome and amazing at the same time. You could witnessed all people work hand in hand to get all those patients safe. Even the off duty staffs and alumni were there. The aftershocks were a pain in the asses but there was nothing else to do. Time flew so quickly and all I wanted was for those aftershocks to stop. That duty was so exhausted that even at night I wasn’t able to sleep properly due to the aftershocks; which my brother and I spent it in my cousin’s house in Talamban.
 

The earthquake had the magnitude of 7.2 originally from Bohol, which was a neighboring island of Cebu. It was more lethal for the Boholanos, roads and bridges been blocked and ripped open, no clean water and electricity too. Some of the fine churches were in rumbles. Even in Cebu the Basilica de Sto Niño has it’s bell tower ruined.
 

My university in North Reclamation with the bus flattened [pic from facebook]

the different churches in Bohol that were affected by the quake [pic from facebook]

 the Sto. Niño Basilica with its bell tower in shambles [pic from yahoo]

Other casualties included houses been shattered, my own university was flattened on the ceiling including the bus. Most cars were toppled down with stones and other building debris. A recorded of a hundred people (or more) died and some twenty people still missing.
 

other parts of Cebu that were affected [pic from instagram]

 

civilians who died in a fish market in Pasil, Cebu [pic from facebook]

 It was a total disaster. Even after two days, aftershocks are still present. I guess the earth is getting old. So old that earthquakes and typhoons are often now a days. Is God’s way of revenge? I don’t think so. It’s His way that this earth is not perfect. No matter how human are well trained or well prepared for such incidents, still there are some that we couldn’t predict.

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A band called HALE

I was in junior high when I first heard the song Broken Sonnet played on the local radio. I thought it was some international artist who sounds like Coldplay or Radiohead. You got that right. It was a local band actually of four members playing like poets. I got hooked right away after that but never the less the life of being fan to this band has to end so soon.

HALE in early years (L-R) Champ, Roll, Omnie and Sheldon

Clearly there were no reasons being stated why the sudden break up. Their record label, PolyEast record, stated about the group’s break up. Money issues? I don’t know for sure. One thing is clear that their frontman Champ Luio Po is going solo and is to start an acting career. He’s currently recording though as stated some of his tweets. As for the other guys, no word from them but they have no intentions also to go solo or make songs as a new group.

One thing I hate is that the decision is kinda sudden. No definite explanation and even the moderators to their official sites is missing as well. Its like they just decided to shut down, which made it somehow creepy. I don’t make assumptions but their indefinite reasons to disband got me assume to stuff that aren’t pretty. Its selfish but at least they should give their fans a one last gig for all of them, not a video.

As a fan it pains me just to let these guys fall apart. The songs they make plus the new friends I met during gigs were fun. Know there are just distant memories. Seriously this group is the first I ever joined in. Being able to dedicate some time just to see them perform or just being with friends who you can share a lots of memories too. Really have a great time with them.

HALE with new drummer Pau

One would be first time meeting them during Sinulog 2006. I was a sophomore college and met some Cebu Halers as well. It was a screw up at first since the gig was at Ayala plus the streets were packed with people, no vehicles available since the roads were close and that I have to walk a very long way with heels on since my flats were destroyed earlier. The walking part was the pain but getting there was awesome. The entrance was a killer but the show was worth it since few people were there. We had a chance to get up close and personal with the guys

Another would be in Ormoc. Sad part was that we had no camera on that day and it was totally unexpected. My bro, cousin and I headed backstage after they perform, it was my idea actually. So we risked it and it was mighty fine indeed. They were there, few people too and my cousin bagged a free pizza form them. Good times!

One thing i am thankful for these guys are the people I met with. There are some really nice people I met through online. Yes I went through the eyeball phase so what the hell. Anyways, i personally joined some groups also that connects through texting it was unique at the same time. Fun in ways you could actually receive news about the band and gig information. Lastly, it’s a nice way also meeting new people that have common interests. Yes a lot of girls I here say. There were downs as well like having an imposer turning once clan into a disaster or though fights and stuffs like that. One thing I admire these clans are that they still together for one in supporting the band.

First single and MV: Broken Sonnet

Last MV: Magkaibang Mundo

When the band is gone, I dunno I guess these fans, make it we fans will still be waiting for their encore…

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Walking under sunshine

After three months of pain staking, sweat pulsing and heat bronzing around the islands, the rainy season is here. I’ve been constantly checking the temperatures through my desktop for the past days and the highest was at 35 degrees! Plus el niño is still playing among the clouds that some parts of the country are dry like prunes.

Enough with the complaints, this summer must be my most colorful yet. I remember posting before about having my summer destination, indeed it did happen! I was relieved for the first time since my family (rather make it 4 families), the one who are my constant companion to my escapades, were not kill joys! Ok I take that back, some parts they were kinda plain boring but I couldn’t blame them! Note to self must find a job for traveling!

White sands on Canigao Island

First stop was at Canigao island. Located south in Leyte, we had an early start in the morning traveling through cars. I had to endure my legs with my cousin sitting on it for 3 hours! After reaching the docks of Matalom, a 10 minute boat ride was to be expected with a fare of 45php per person, back and forth ride. Literally the island is so small that we actually went around it by foot for 15-20 minutes only! White sands with blue green waters were everywhere. If you went around the other side of the island, it has a really nice view plus the waters have the right temperature to keep you cool. Some fishermen also sell their newly catch fishes or shells that were the size of a computer mouse or bigger. Spending the night would have been fun but the adults had work the day after. We actually went there twice with the family neither we spend a night. A very lovely island indeed which is similar to that featured in magazines and televisions with moderate expenditures.

The next weekend, we headed to Bohol. I have no idea where the adults got the money but there we were traveling to a 2-hour car ride to the pier in Bato, Leyte. Two cars were brought. Another boat ride was expected, the lousiest part ever was waiting it 3 hours to get to Bohol. Seriously it was like watching a bout crawling through the seas.

All around Bohol

I guess the adults were feeling adventurous that day using only a map and got us stuck in the middle of somewhere around late in the afternoon. I was totally pissed and hungry plus I was forced to pee outside out in an open environment since no decent rest rooms were near. Ahhhh the idea still makes me sick. Gladly the next day the van was our savior! At least we were able to see some interesting sites but I was so inches away to try out some adrenaline routines. Inches!

For the next destination was on another island near Leyte, Camotes. I have no idea why the island belongs to Cebu, but hey they still did a pretty cool place renovating and making it a tourist destination. Armed again with food and sunscreen, we head to the beach. First day was tiring seeing also some sites but I guess I’m kinda fed up to the whole garden thingy. Had stayed in for the night but had electricity problems. Bonfire was nice but kinda creepy since a few meters away stands a coffin of unknown decent. More of the beach, it was the first time for me to jump over a high cliff. Felt really good about it with water rushing in as I submerged and floated to the surface. Must try that one again!

Sites and Lights of Camotes Island

Another trip was on Davao. I mentioned this on a previous post. Mostly with adults thank God for my twin on being there. She was the one who well kinda put some spice on my trip on Davao. Really nice experience, the smell of durian is not my thing but the sites and food are must tries! Their durian coffee is delish. Got to try the zorb on pool and terrain. Experienced again a local circus which was way too fun. Crocodile farm was one of my cool places, saw really really big crocodiles it was humongous! Plus feeding a tiger was plus points as well…

Seeing Davao

Typically that is my summer 2010. I’m officially like Dora the explorer, the children program with short hair and brown skin. If I ever cosplay her, it would be a match! As of the moment, I’m clearly sweating out and by next month, which is June, I guess church weddings will overflow.

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