Cop, wife stay in evacuation center on Valentine’s Day

LA LIBERTAD, Negros Oriental, Philippines—Police Officer 1 Danny Camero and his wife Elisa would have wanted, as in the past 13 years, to go on a date and take a leisurely walk on Valentine’s Day. But not this year.

On Tuesday, Camero, 35, and Elisa, 34, had to be content with just being together with their 13-year-old son John Loyd at La Libertad’s multi-purpose gymnasium.

They have been at the gymnasium since last Wednesday along with 30 other residents who evacuated after the February 6 earthquake and landslides that destroyed or damaged houses and other buildings in the municipality.

Despite losing their house, the couple said they were thankful that all three of them were still together. In fact, the policeman said, his family has grown closer to each other because of the calamity.

Assigned to the police in  Dumanjug, Cebu, Camero would make it a point to come home to be with his family every February 14. When he could not come home because of his duties, he always called Elisa to greet her.

On Tuesday, Camero asked permission to stay a day longer to be with his family.

Another earthquake victim, Edna Alpuerto, just greeted Elmer, her husband of 26 years, on the “Day of Hearts.”

Since Alpuerto’s house in La Libertad was destroyed in the earthquake, her family has been sleeping in a tent in front of their house in Barangay San Jose. They get wet when it rains.

Alpuerto, a member of the housekeeping staff at the Lalimar beach resort, still has not received her salary because the automated teller machines in neighboring Guihulngan City were damaged by the  6.9-magnitude earthquake.

“It’s sad but we are thankful just the same because we are alive,” she said.

Among those who could not be with their spouses on Tuesday was Lt. Reynaldo Cañete.

Cañete, 28, executive officer of Alpha Company of the Army’s 11th Infantry Battalion, is among the soldiers assisting relief and recovery operations round-the-clock since the earthquake struck.

His unit was pulled out from combat operations to help in disaster relief and assistance activities in La Libertad since February 6.

He could not be with his wife Joyce and their baby daughter, who turned nine months on Tuesday.

“We would have gone on a date, dined out and listened to acoustic music but I have work here,” Cañete said. But he said his wife has accepted his long absence was part of his work as a soldier.