REMEMBER SENDONG: Man who lost 3 kids to ‘Sendong’ floods returns to ‘Ground Zero’

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

BARANGAY worker Victoriano Pabayo lost his three children to the rampaging floodwaters spawned by typhoon Sendong exactly four years ago. Yesterday, he went back to “Ground Zero” in Sitio Cala-cala in Macasandig to remember.

The 34-year old Pabayo is only among the thousands of people here and Iligan City whose lives dramatically changed after Sendong struck in the evening of Dec. 16 until the morning of Dec. 17, 2011, flattened communities, and left trails of destruction in this part of the country.

Four years have passed yet the bitter and painful memory lingers, said Pabayo who has since relocated to Camaman-an where he started to rebuild.

Pabayo’s four-year old daughter Lorevic Jannel and two-year old son Vic Laurance died in the raging floods while his eldest, six-year old Gabriel, was declared missing.

He recalled that he and his wife Ma. Lourdes and children were already in bed at around 9 pm on Dec. 16, 2011 when it started to rain. By 11 pm, he said, he was roused from his sleep by cries for help as the Cagayan River started to swell and floodwaters started submerging their community.

When he checked, Pabayo said, there was gushing wind outside and rising water inside his home.

He said he alerted his wife and as they tried to escape but it was too late.

“Na-trap mi sa tubig,” he said.

Pabayo said he and his family climbed and sought refuge on the roof of a neighbor’s wooden house.

But the floodwaters subsequently swept the house away. He said the house floated until they reached the area near the bridge that links Carmen and Nazareth. He said the wooden house flipped over and was tossed around, throwing off about 20 people, including his family, on top of it.

That was the last time Pabayo saw his family together.

“Ang balay nga among gikapyotan, mibangga man sa beam sa tulay diha sa rutonda, didto nagka bulag-bulag kami, ug wala na nako makita ang akong pamilya adtong gabhi-una,” Pabayo said.

He said he tried to save his family by swimming against the strong current but accomplished nothing.

Tired, he got hold of a trunk that drifted but it twirled around because of the water current and pulled him down to the bottom of the river.

Pabayo said he called on God when his head was entangled in the roots of a tree, and pleaded for a miracle.

“Pagsangpit nakog Ginoo, ingon ko ‘Ginoo luwasa intawon ko,’ kalit nga mihayag ang ilawom sa suba ug morag na-ay kamot nga migunit sa akong hawak ug iya kong gihublot gikan adtong gamot sa kahoy ug nadala ko ibabaw sa suba,” Pabayo claimed.

He said he swam towards another trunk that drifted for hours until he reached Iligan City the following morning.

Pabayo said he was already disoriented, dehydrated, and exhausted when he reached the waters off Iligan. There, he and his wife were reunited.

“Wala ko magdahom nga didto sa lawod sa Iligan, didto nako nakita pag-usab ang akong asawa nga nagsakay sa na-anod nga bangka, iyang kuyog ang tigulang nga babayi,” he said.

Pabayo said he and his wife asked each other where their children were but none of them had an answer.

At around 7 am, Dec. 17, 2011, he and his wife were rescued by the crew of a commercial vessel off the coast of Iligan.

Pabayo said there were over 100 survivors rescued with them, and most of them were from Cagayan de Oro.

Three days after they were released from the hospital, he and his wife searched for their children, and found two of them at the Bollozos Funeral Homes in Bulua.

“Daghan man kaayong patay didto sa Bollozos pero ako gihapon nga na-ilhan akong anak tungod sa ilang su-ot nga sinina,” Pabayo said.

His eldest son Gabriel remains missing. Pabayo said he and his wife were still hoping that they would find him one day.

“Nag-ingon akong damgo nga buhi kuno akong anak pero ambot asa kaha siya karon og kinsa kahay nakasagop niya? Kon asa man siya karon hina-ot nga makita pa nako siya pag-usab,” Pabayo said.