Category Archives: Philippines - Page 2

Personal Story of Xavier School’s Principal on the Wrath of Typhoon Ondoy

Posted by on October 15, 2009 No comments

The account below was given during school assembly on what happened to Mrs. Jane Cacacho’s Family the morning of September 26, 2009. Reprinted with permission.
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Good morning.

Yesterday, you all had the chance to share your experiences over the Ondoy weekend. This morning, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you my story and my insights about my experience.

Last Saturday morning, I awoke to the pleasant sound of rain pouring on the roof. And since my family and I are avid fans of rain, we decided to romp around the subdivision with our dogs. We also brought along a long wooden stick to clear the drainages so that water wouldn’t clog. And while we were at it, I remember telling my son, “This is how you help the neighborhood.”

When we went to some farther streets, we were surprised to find knee-high flood waters and some residents frantically clearing the drainages to no avail. My husband and I could only thin, “Poor them! We’re lucky we don’t live in this part of the subdivision.” Everyone was already astounded at the flooding because that has never happened that bad before. We also peered over or subdivision wall and saw some squatters already evacuating their shanties with chest deep waters. Again I thought, “Poor them! At least I live on a higher place than they do…”

At around 10:30 am, the rain had not ceased and residents were constantly monitoring the river. Note that we were just one small vacant lot away from the then already raging water. But while we were worried, we just thought, “We better stock up on water in case we’re stuck at home without electricity. But at least we’re warm and safe.” That proved to be a major understatement.

A few minutes later, some of the carpenters working on our house shouted, “Lumulutang na po ang kotse ng kapatid niyo!” (Your sibling’s car is floating away!) That’s when it started to dawn on me that this may be something bigger. The carpenters hurried guided and pushed to floating car to a higher place and my husband drove our van outside to an even higher road. He drove off with the water to his knees.

At this time, I was not panicking but because the situation was alarming, it seems that my mind just went blank. All I could think of was I hope the river stays behind the wall, but a few seconds later, the water breached the wall and that perimeter water looked like a long waterfalls with water gushing in. In a few minutes, water was knee deep inside our house and all I could do was to retrieve our passport and some money stashed in a drawer. Our household help was frantically gathering all available food within reach and bringing them to the second floor. We carried electric fans and books up. The school bags of the kids were brought up. We wanted to bring the refrigerator up but when it floated and fell, we decided to leave it where it was. Water was rising very fast. Read more »

Donate to Red Cross for Typhoon Ondoy Victims

Posted by on September 28, 2009 No comments

Drive ends 30 October 2009. Walk-in donations: Singapore Red Cross, 15 Penang Lane, Singapore 238486 Operating hours Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm, Saturday and Sundays, 9am to 5pm

Cheque donations: Payable to “Singapore Red Cross Society” Please indicate at the back of the cheque the following: For Philippine Tropical Storms Appeal
An 18 year old construction worker, Muelmar Magallanes, saved over 30 people, the last being a young mother and daughter before the currents swept him away. They found his body the day after and it is now laying in a coffin at a makeshift evacuation centre.
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After the typhoon (Sep 26-27) much work is left to be done. This is the worst flooding the city has seen in over 40 years. According to the weather bureau as much as 1 month’s worth of rain fell in 6 hours. Over 47,000 have had their homes completely destroyed and around 400,000 have homes they can’t go sleep in because they are filled with mud. Water levels reached rooftops of 2 storey homes, forcing many to climb up to the roofs and pray that the water would not go any higher. This is a picture of the second floor balcony of a friend’s home- note the water level and the tops of the trees in the distance.
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After the waters subsided, the mud remains.
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Cars which were swept away by the rushing waters piled on top of one another, leaving owners wondering how to salvage them in the aftermath.
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Even worse are the many business establishments whose furniture and equipment have been completely destroyed. The work of rebuilding will be slow.

This is one of the centers where goods were sent to be repacked and distributed directly to the people in need.
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Let’s help in any way we can.

Give me one more test!

Posted by on September 15, 2009 No comments

As with all successful service learning trips- the giving is never one way. On this trip organized by the Ministry of Education (MOE) & TLE, educators scrambled to put together a learning carnival for maths and science, passing on their skills and knowledge to the rural-based teachers who had been looking for guidance.

Amazingly, the more the teachers worked, the more energized they became. Thoughts of feeling unappreciated, tired, even on the verge of giving up their profession altogether melted away as they saw the local teachers devour every lesson being passed on. “Give me one more test!” was a constant refrain as the rural based teachers wanted to make sure that they got the concept down pat.

Even when Physical Education exercises were passed on, the genuine enthusiasm with which it was received made it almost impossible not to be infected in return. Everyone left with gladdened hearts knowing without a doubt that the day had passed with much good accomplished, not just for that moment, but for every child that will pass through each of those teachers’ classes from now on.

“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”

- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.