- Posted on 13 October 2009
It’s been over a week since our clean-up operations at Provident Village. My back is still sunburned, and the skin is starting to peel! But let me start at the beginning.
Paul and I were able to lead a team of volunteers to attempt cleanup on Friday, 2 October. It was quite the learning experience, and though I felt rather down about it, Paul was convinced that it had been a good day for assessing the damage and figuring out what to do.
Unfortunately, Typhoon Pepeng (international name Parma) came over, so we couldn’t go out on Saturday. We stayed home, made sure we had enough supplies of our own in case of any emergency, and kept watch at home in case strong winds brought the rain water in.
But all reports indicated that Pepeng was headed North, and Metro Manila would be clear by Sunday, so we decided we could push through. I got in touch with all volunteers and announced what we needed for Sunday. Nick, Kitty, Ron, Aissa and Ryan all enthusiastically indicated their intent to join me, Oneal and Paul during the cleanup.
We got up bright and early the next day. It was still cloudy, but not raining. We loaded all our equipment into the Pajero. Niki, Kitty and Ron all came to Yale to hitch with us. Ryan and Aissa were scheduled to meet us at Provident Village. The volunteers from the super awesome Taytay Montanara Riders Club were going straight to Provident as well.
The rendezvous was scheduled at 9:00 AM. By 8 or so the members of TMRC were already there. We got to Provident before 9. Fortunately there wasn’t too much traffic. On the way, Ron, Niki and Kitty all marveled at the damage the floods had wrought: the mud, the debris, the garbage, the abandoned buildings.
When we arrived, we met up with TMRC, and Bernie introduced me to his friends. We agreed that the bikers would follow us to the house, where they could park their bikes and we could park our things, and we would work on Columbia St. Paul stayed at the gate of Provident Village to wait for Ryan and Aissa, and lead them to the house.
The bikers followed behind Oneal’s Pajero, and everyone saw the damage that had been done to the village. While the 51st Engineering Brigade of the Philippine Army had cleared St. Mary of most of the mud, there was still so much garbage, old furniture, and years’ worth of personal belongings lying in the street. The volunteers all saw the damage ‘Ondoy’ had left.
Many people were still trying to clean their houses, throwing things away, buying supplies. Homes were falling apart: wooden walls and ceilings were warped and frayed, glass had been broken, cars had been slammed against walls and gates. In the side streets, mud was still deep: anywhere from a few inches to almost a whole foot deep. When you stepped on the ground, it seemed as though the mud would suck you in.
Once we got to the house, we oriented everyone about the plan: shovel mud into the sacks, and clear the drains so the water could flow through. We also wanted to clear the road of large pieces of debris and garbage, to make it passable. We armed ourselves with shovels, tongs, plastic buckets and basins, rubber boots, face masks and rubber gloves. If we had a bigger budget we’d probably have gone for hazmat suits. 
The bikers proceeded to shovel the mud. They split into smaller teams of 4 or 5, and either shoveled the mud into the sacks, or used the buckets to throw mud from the street into an empty lot.
The empty lot beside my uncles’ house was being used as a dumping ground for garbage, debris and mud. The bikers created a barrier at the lot’s edge to keep the debris and mud from spilling out onto the street again.
Ron, Paul and Ryan worked with the bikers, while Niki, Kitty and I cleared the road of garbage, especially items that would block or clog sewage. Aissa was everywhere: picking up garbage, throwing mud into the pit, taking pictures. Oneal was directing everyone, lending a hand where it was needed, advising people what to do.
At 11, Oneal and Aissa sent her driver out of the village to buy food. It was a good thing they decided to send him out early, because traffic on Marcos Highway was unpredictable, and it took the poor man over two hours to get back with 38 Jollibee burger meals. The smell of all that food in the car must have been such a torment!
We gave out biscuits and cookies for snacks, so everyone took a break for a short while. Ever prepared, the bikers all brought their own camel-back hydration packs, strapped to their backs with straws out front. Almost all of them also brought their own boots and shovels or trowels, and they were really ready to just show up and work. We were all tired and sweaty, and the snack helped tide us over till the food arrived.
Since the driver didn’t get back till about 1:30, most of us were working on the street through noon, so I guess that explains my sunburn. Ron repeatedly said, “You’re turning as red as your shirt!” I thought he was joking.
Who would have expected the sun to come out?? Typhoon Pepeng (international name Parma) was still in town, and it was cloudy and even drizzling, then the sun came out! But it would still occasionally hide behind the clouds, or disappear completely.
Finally lunch arrived. Jollibee never tasted so good. Fortunately there were some extra burgers, so some people were able to have seconds. It was all we needed to continue working.
After lunch, we went on with renewed energy, shoveling, clearing garbage, arranging the sacks. Paul took on the task of clearing the drains, using a trowel and sometimes even his own gloved hands to remove the thick mud blocking the way. He, Ryan, Ron and Nick took turns shoveling the mud around the drain, then they would raise the grate—not an easy task at all! The mud had begun to solidify, and was so thick that water could not get through anymore. It looked and felt more like clay than mud, it was so heavy. But Paul persisted, with either Ryan or Ron holding up the grate, and someone else crating away the mud Paul removed. Eventually Paul would be able to clear the thick mud away, enough for the water to flow from the street into the sewers, as it was meant to. In this way, Paul successfully cleared two drains, and got the other volunteers to work on two other drains.
We also set up a relay. Ron would shovel mud in my direction, and I would pick it up in a bucket. I would pass it on to someone, who would lift it up to Ryan and Aissa on the barrier, who dumped the mud into the empty lot. Paul and Nick took turns. It was hell on the back, and the arms too! It was a pretty good workout.
By 3pm, about half of Columbia St looked more like a residential street and less like a disaster zone. When you took a step, your feet actually touched the pavement, and not mud! The street saw flowing muddy water instead of immovable mud. You could even see the sidewalk, where hours earlier we saw only mud and garbage. In the morning, the mud almost reached the tops of our boots. But now, the mud was mostly water, and barely an inch deep. It was such a good feeling to see what a day’s work could do.
We had run out of sacks too, and switched to biodegradable garbage bags. We were just doing what we could to move the mud into the empty lot. Eventually, the garbage bags and our energy ran out, and there wasn’t much left to do. We called it a day, and congratulated each other on a job well-done.
It took a while for everyone to clean up, what with about 30 volunteers taking turns at the water hoses. We had to clean mud off our arms, our faces, our boots, and we had to make sure not to get mud on our clean clothes! We also had to clean the shovels and buckets, and make sure we didn’t leave any of our things lying in the street. It was such a relief to walk up and down Columbia, and to step on the actual street, and not sink in the mud.
Aissa’s car had a flat tire; they probably drove over a nail or something else. The same thing happened to Oneal’s car when we first went to Columbia. They had to drive the car into the garage so the driver could change the tire.
As the bikers packed up, they said a prayer to guide them safely home. One by one they drove out of the gate, and I couldn’t help but shed a few tears of joy for these wonderful people who just wanted to do a good deed. After they left, we were able to do our own cleanup: changing into clean, dry, mud-free clothes; carefully removing our dirty boots; putting away our garbage; packing all our supplies. Tito Luis was able to hitch a ride out of the village with us. Ryan and Aissa left, tired but still cheerful, and enthusiastically looking forward to hot showers.
Kitty had left earlier to meet up with JP, who was showing a Korean news crew around Provident. So Oneal and I were left with Nick, Paul and Ron, and we left Tito Alex’s nephew at the house. We dropped off Tito Luis at the Katipunan LRT station so he could go to work, and we proceeded to Yale.
I couldn’t shower right away, because I waited for Elmer Perez of Sta. Maria, Bulacan, to arrive, so I could give him donations of much-needed clothes, food and medicine. Fortunately he was able to get a cab from Gateway, because we must have given him about 7 bags of relief goods. He was so happy. I promised to solicit more donations for Sta. Maria.
It was only then, after Elmer left, that I felt the sunburn. My skin was warm, and my cross-back top had left rather pronounced tan lines on my back! It was with some discomfort that I showered, washing the mud from my hair and making sure to scrub everywhere.
I don’t even remember what time Nick and Ron left, but I know we were all very tired, and very happy to have been able to help.
Thank you to all the volunteers, and all the donors. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Photos by Aissa Ereñeta on Flickr
via Pinoy501st Relief Operations: Clean Up Report, Day 2 | Pinoy 501st.
