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As the sun shone on many parts of the country on Thursday, Filipinos started to clear their homes of floodwater and debris, wash their clothes of rainwater and grime, and try to bring their lives back to normalcy.
According to Oscar Oida’s report on “24 Oras,” the effort to rise anew after days of rain and flood – brought by the Habagat or Southwest Monsoon – was seen among the residents of a community in Malibay, Pasay City.
After weeks of rain, there’s already so much laundry that even cables were used as clotheslines.
“Sa ordinaryo, sinuot ng tao, madaling labahan. Di katulad nung sa binaha, nandyan yung mga dumi, mga putik,” Beng Navales said of the clothes affected by the flood.
“Minsan nga naitatapon mo na kasi mahirap labahan kasi kumapit na po,” she added.
Wet pillows and mattresses were also taken outside to be dried out under the sun.
“Namamaho po kasi sobrang baho yung kulob… Para maarawan mawala yung amoy ng kulob,” Juliette Pabelando said.
Rhea Ocba, on the other hand, said her house had been flooded three times over the past weeks. She had no choice but to wade and clean.
“Kasi magbabaha, huhulas. Mamaya babaha na naman. Magkahupa mamaya-maya naman, puro linis, walang kapaguran, may mga alipunga na nga ako,” Rhea said.
Some of her wooden furniture also started to rot after getting submerged in water.
“Ang dami kong mga gamit, mga kahoy ko, mga nabulok na kasi ilang araw nabasa, mga sinampay, tapos tindahan ko, di ako makapagbukas,” Rhea said.
Makay Feliciano said it was better for one’s heart to be broken ten times than to have a flooded home.
“Mas mahirap kasi … ang luha kasi isang punas mo lang sa baha kahit anong limas nandun pa rin ang tubig,” Makay said.
“Mas magandang umiyak ka na lang kaysa bahain.”
Still, the movement in the community showed that no one was giving up on life.
“Laban lang, siyempre, kailangan natin mabuhay; may mga anak tayo ((cut to)) mapapagod, magpapahinga, pero tatayo’t tatayo,” Rhea said. –NB, GMA News
