“People call us bakwit or evacuees. Oftentimes, we are hurt but we are getting used to it. It is degrading andmakes us feel worthless. It reminds us how helpless our situation is, and it brings back bitter and painful memories of our past”.
Nanay Inday in front of Guinsaugon landslide - remembering those who have perished…
“For more than a year now, we are staying at Saint Bernard Central School. We have been living since the Guinsaugon landslide happened. It claimed a thousand lives and for fear that the same fate might befall us, we followed the government’s advice to evacuate and leave our barangay – the place that has been our home for years and for most of us – the only place we knew since the day we were born”.
“Life in the evacuation center is difficult. You can just imagine the congestion. There is no privacy. It is so difficult to move around. We longed for the day that we will be at the privacy of our homes and enjoying the convenience it offers. Here, we do not have any source of livelihood. We are farmers but we do not have have farms to tend”.
“For some time, we have depended on relief goods as we are not also allowed to go back to our barangay for it is too risky, they often say. But the supply of goods did not last long. It became scarce after a few months and by January of this year, relief totally stopped. We have to find ways in order to survive. And for this reason, we are forced to go back to our old high-risk barangay. We know the risk, we know the danger - for we have personally witnessed the disaster but what can we do? We will die earlier of hunger at the evacuation center”.
“Our situation is already difficult and yet some people makes it more difficult for us. There are a lot of attempts to move us out of our evacuation site because school authorities want to use the space we occupy to pursue their development projects. But in our mind, what is more important, is it the development project or the people’s lives. For whom is the development project if people are dead, or if people are suffering and facing great risks?”.
This is how Nanay Inday would relate her situation every so often.
Nanay Inday, as she is fondly called, lived her entire life in Brgy. Sug-angon. She never thought that such a tragedy willhappen in her lifetime and will witness the details.
The landslide claimed the entire barangay and thousands of lives in a split-second. Memories of that fateful day is still vivid in her mind. She can still recount details of what transpired during that day: people running for their lives, children crying, mothers hugging their children and couples trying to comfort one another. Much more difficult to erase in her memory are the lifeless bodies retrieved from the site.
The scene was so moving, so inhuman, so overwhelming. Surreal. Gruesome. Those who survived and who witnessed the incident cannot believe what they saw. They became numb and can hardly move. It took them a while before they realize that it was true. They could still hear the moaning, the cries and the call for help but survivors cannot look back and extend their hands because they will also perish. There were attempts but they never made it.
Minutes later, they received text messages from students and teachers believed to be under the ground. And then there was silence.
Days of life-threatening rescue followed. They tried to establish an access road to reach the school site. But the ground was too soft and unstable that even heavy equipment like backhoes cannot negotiate their way through. It was at that point that they realized that they cannot go any further.
Nanay Inday witnessed all these and more.
The Guinsaugon landslide has not only taken the lives of a thousand; it has changed the lives of more than a thousand. Like that of Nanay Inday’s and the rest of the residents from nearby areas, the tragedy has left an indelible mark in their hearts and in their lives.
At the evacuation site, Nanay Inday, despite her age, actively involves herself in the different programs and activities for the evacuees. Her opinions matter and community members respect and value what she has to say. She lives life with candor and enthusiasm and finds joy and wonder despite difficulties. She would start the day early with prayers in their makeshift chapel. Then she would hop from one house to the other reminding her neighbors of the forthcoming activities. She does this while exchanging stories with other mothers. She will not miss the fun part, of course.
Nanay Inday was very flattered when she was chosen to represent the barangay to attend ACCORD’s Community Trainors’ Training. She was hesitant to take the floor but she makes it up sharing her views and opinions during discussions. She also helped in identifying training participants, explaining to them the value of preparedness and convincing them to spare some time to learn. She oversaw preparations, made sure that food and venue are all set, while ensuring that participants show up and stay.
“It makes me happy to know that I am helping my community even in the little things that I do. I believe that we should learn from the tragedy. There are things that we can do and that includes preparedness. As we all know, we are always facing risks, and it is important that we are doing something about it”.
Nanay Inday’s and her sari-sari store at the evacuation site and the rags that she herself made to earn extra money for a living.
Aside from being an ACCORD community facilitator, Nanay Inday is also an active member of Barangay Sug-angon’s Women’s Association. They are engaged in livelihood activities. Nanay Inday was taught how to make rags and door mats and this occupies most of her time while also tending her small sari-sari store. She said that it just proves that someone’s age should not limit anyone to contribute and become a productive member of the society.
There is life after the rubble, and despite the threat of another rubble.
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