Baby Zendong and other stories

A.Paulita Roa

LIKE it or not, we are presently living in an important period of our city’s history. This is the period of the second great flood that hit Cagayan de Oro since 1916.

I am reminded of my father, Pio, his sister, Caridad and their generation who used to tell me stories about that great flood in 1916 that they experienced when they were still young. For them, it was so unforgettable because never before was a natural calamity of that magnitude happened in Cagayan. It is a pity that not one of them wrote their experiences that would have been read by us today. So it is important for us to record now what happened to our family, friends and even strangers when typhoon Sendong struck our city at dawn of Dec. 17, 2011. That was a “where were you when that happened” moment for all of us. Let me share with you some stories that I gathered from several survivors of the flood last month.

I met Charlene in Cala-Cala one late afternoon. She smiled broadly as she showed me some of her clothes that she dug from the ruins of her house that was around 30 meters from Cagayan River.She related to me how she and her family survived the flood.

She woke up past 11 pm and heard a big roaring sound emanating from the river and she got fearful. She woke up her husband and three kids and told them that they must leave the house at once. Then she ran the whole length of the road in her neighborhood telling the people to leave their houses and go to a higher ground. But she was ignored save one who stuck his head out of the window and told her to take it easy for  in the last flood of 2009, the waters came only up to their knees.

Charlene and her family went to the covered basketball court that was only a few meters away. Once there, the waters rose so fast that she was swept away by the strong current and bought here straight to a coconut tree. She clung tigthly to the trunk for hours. When the waters subsided, she saw that she was almost near the top of the tree. She started hollering her husband’s name and asking where he was. He answered back and told her that he and the kids were all safe.

Then she clambered down the coconut tree fast like a skilled “manananggot”–a thing that amazes her each time she thinks about it. But what she truly treasures was that moment when she ran to the arms of her family and seeing that they were all alive and well.This is something that Charlene is forever thankful to God for.

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In Balulang, a young husband went to fetch a the neighborhood mananabang–a male and brought him to his house near the riverbank. When they entered the house, the water was knee deep and the two-year-old son sat on the bed with his mother who was in labor pains. Suddenly, a big volume of water broke through the wooden wall and carried the husband away. The mananabang slung the mother on his shoulders carried the boy in one arm and ran out of the house. He ran so fast it was as if he was chased by the angry waters.

Being an old resident in the area, he knew the terrain well. So even in darkness, he choose to go uphill. After what seemed to be an eternity, he reached a level ground. There, he gently  placed the mother down on the grass and a few minutes later, with his help, a baby boy was born. She named him Zendong. The young mother and two sons are doing fine but the father is still missing and is presumed dead.

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The experience of 56-year-old Arquipo Lapay of Cala-cala is a big miracle and is one for the books.When he and his family were swept away, they were holding on to pieces of wooden furniture to keep them afloat. In the din of the roaring waters and screams for help by people around them, Lapay urged his wife and children to pray and call upon the name of the Lord so they will be saved. He and his son were holding on to the family table and when that broke into two, the strong currents separated both of them. But it did not deter Lapay from shouting to his son this parental directive, “Anak, ayaw ug undang sa pag-ampo aron maluwas ta!” (Son, dont stop praying so we will be saved.)

When daylight came, he found himself in the open sea, surrounded by bodies and other debris. And then he saw several pieces of lumber and twine. He slowly gathered the wood and bound it with the twine until he was able to make for himself a small raft. As he stood on his raft, he started to feel very thirsty, so he began to suck his shirt for water. He knew that it was bad to drink sea water. So he prayed to God to give him something to drink.

A few minutes later, he saw a big refrigerator floating nearby. He jumped and pulled it towards him and then, lashed it to his raft. Then, a thought came to his mind, “What if there is no food inside this ref?” With a pounding heart, this very thirsty man opened the ref. Lo and behold! Lapay saw that it was filled with canned soft drinks! He right away opened a canned Coke and drank it; but he felt great pain in his stomach.

So once again he prayed that the Lord will send him food. After sometime, he saw a big plastic covered box and he jumped overboard to get it. When he opened it, he saw that it contained Skyflakes crackers! And so, Arquipo Lapay safely reached Camiguin island on board a well-stocked makeshift raft. As an added blessing, he was united with his whole family at the Macasandig gym.