MANILA, Philippines – The year 2008 will be etched in the minds and hearts of Western Visayas residents as the time when they faced one of the worst tragedies that tested their resiliency, compassion and faith.

Typhoon “Frank” struck in the Visayas on June 21 with a fury never seen before by residents in previous storms leaving behind unprecedented death and destruction.

The typhoon triggered the worst flooding seen in the region leaving at least 284 dead and 156 injured. But the final death toll could be higher with many more still missing and presumed dead.

At least 336,449 families or 1.68 million residents of Western Visayas were affected by the calamity, according to disaster management agencies.

At the height of the flooding, thousands climbed on rooftops and tree branches to escape the rampaging waters. The flooding spared no one from the poor to the rich.

Victims were still recovering from the devastation and horror of the tragedy, with officials expecting it would take years of rehabilitation programs and projects to restore normalcy.

Amid the pain and loss, the disaster also brought out compassion and heroism among the common folk.

Rodney Berdin, 13, was honored during the State of the Nation Address (Sona) in Congress on July 28 for saving his mother and two siblings in Barangay Rumbang in Belison town, Antique, after floodwaters swept away their house.

A group of businessmen and professionals in Iloilo City rescued trapped residents on rooftops and trees by riding on their jet skis at the height of the flooding.

Many others volunteered to pluck residents from flooded communities and in taking care of the homeless in evacuation centers.

Sea mishaps

The year 2008 was also marked by sea disasters in Western Visayas that left many fatalities.

At the height of Typhoon “Frank,” at least seven ships and motor bancas sank in the region.

The cargo ship MV Lake Paoay operated by the Semirara Mining Co. and carrying 5,000 metric tons of coal sank off the coast of Carles town in Iloilo. Five crewmembers died.

In Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, families of over 100 fishermen continue to mourn. “Frank” left dead 55 fishermen on board 22 fishing vessels from Cadiz City and, as the year ends, 75 remained missing, Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante said.

The fishing vessels had sought refuge near Roxas City to avoid the onslaught of “Frank” only to end up the worst hit as the typhoon battered their vessels, causing some to capsize and others to sink.

Three hundred four of the fishermen survived but their 130 other companions weren’t that lucky.

The long and arduous searches organized by the Typhoon Frank Task Force Mananagat created by the Negros Occidental and Cadiz City governments resulted in the recovery of 55 bodies, many bloated and decomposing.

But for the families of 75 others still missing, closure has remained elusive.

The damage to the Cadiz fishing industry was placed at about P250 million.

The MV Ocean Papa also sank off the coast of Culasi in Antique on June 21. Two its crew, including ship captain Carlo Kho, died, while two others remained missing.

The ship’s cargo of 16 metric tons of the toxic substance toluene di-isocyanate placed in 80 drums remained missing even after more than a month of search operations.

Twelve persons died in November after the passenger boat MB Rollie IV sank off Concepcion town in Iloilo. This month, a crewmember of the cargo ship MV Maria Lourdes died when the ship capsized and sank between the islands of Sibay and Panagatan near Caluya town in Antique.

Land dispute

The year also brought to the hilt the land ownership problem in Boracay Island.

Several persons were injured and a fire engulfed commercial stalls in November after court sheriffs implemented a demolition order on a disputed lot in Barangay Manoc-Manoc.

A resort operated by an Australian national and his Filipino wife was forcibly taken over by the owner of the lot and the former sub-lessee of the resort operator. The impasse remains after courts have failed to resolve the dispute.