Helicopter crash victims tell tales of survival

With its strong winds and storm surges, Supertyphoon “Yolanda” left a large part of Eastern Visayas looking like a war zone.

Buildings and houses lay in ruins, as if wracked by bombs, while trees stand leafless and lifeless.

During the first weeks, residents were left shell-shocked in grief and terror, walking aimlessly along streets littered with bodies. Tens of thousands were injured.

Noemi Mongaya and Danny Franco Bitara have their own set of battle scars. Showing matching scars on their foreheads, the two shared how they went to Leyte to help typhoon survivors, only to become survivors themselves — of a helicopter crash a month after “Yolanda.”

Last flight

It was their last day of relief work in Leyte. Noemi Mongaya and Danny Franco Bitara, both Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) staff, were due to return to their respective regional offices the next day.

On the afternoon of December 6, Mongaya, Bitara and a group of soldiers from the Philippine Air Force boarded a Huey helicopter to distribute relief goods in the landlocked town of La Paz.

La Paz, a fifth class municipality of Leyte, suffered at least six fatalities and recorded around 50 injured people during the onslaught of “Yolanda.”

“It was difficult to land in that area. I was thinking at that time that we would be forced to air-drop the goods,” Mongaya told Inquirer.net in Filipino.

However, as they neared the area, strong winds battered the helicopter.

“Malakas yung hangin…parang gumalaw iyong helicopter namin. ‘Nong tumingin ako sa taas nag-iba na ‘yong porma ng helicopter. ‘Yong elesi tinatamaan ng niyog,” she said.

Mongaya watched in horror as the chopper started hitting trees as it went down.

“Tumitingin ako sa likod hindi ko na sila nakikita, kung ano ang nangyayari. Iyon na ang last na malay ko. Nagkamalay na ako nandoon na ko sa hospital after the operation,” she said.

The soft-spoken Bitara also recalled seeing the chopper swing to one side before crashing.

After the crash, which left all of them injured, Bitara mustered the energy to crawl away.

Fortunately, the townsfolk immediately came to their rescue.

“Gumapang ako ng siguro 10 meters tapos namahinga ako. Sinaklolohan na ako ng mga tao,” he said.

Bitara said he was brought to a motorcycle and seated between two men who drove him to a nearby hospital. He was later transferred to a tent hospital in Tacloban City.

As Bitara was being operated on by Australian doctors for internal bleeding, Mongaya was brought to Cebu for the treatment of her spinal cord.

A blow to her spinal cord had caused her difficulty in walking, but her doctor says she will be able to walk properly in less than a month.

“Sabi ng doctor, ako daw yung pinakamabilis na naka-recover na ang situation ay spinal cord,” Mongaya said, smiling.

Accodales and criticisms

On Thursday, the two were reunited after being flown to Manila to receive their Award of Recognition, handed out by President Benigno Aquino III, during the DSWD’s 63rd Anniversary program.

After briefly talking with them on the stage as he handed over their plaques, the President gave a short speech praising the agency and its employees for working hard despite criticisms.

“Often, there are more criticisms than expressions of gratitude, the list of complaints is longer than that of praises. But I’m glad I’ve not heard of anyone waving the white flag to say, ‘I’m giving up,’” he told DSWD staff during their 63^rd anniversary celebration.

Mongaya and Bitara thought the President couldn’t have said it better.

“Sa akin po parang naiinis ako pag ganoon, maraming batikos na naririnig sa amin. Kasi sabi ko nga palagi sa mga kasama ko, hindi kasi nila nakikita yung ginagawa natin. Siguro yung napapansin lang nila ‘yong masasama,” Mondaya said.

She quoted the President as saying that their list of criticisms is long, but that of praises is short.

“Pero hindi po iyon totoo. Marami po kaming nagagawa, siguro kung may mistake man is konti lang,” she added.

Bitara said it was true that some of their fellow staff members were working 24 hours a day.

“Hindi po totoo ‘yong sinasabi nila kasi…kung naghihirap ‘yong mga tao doon sa Tacloban, mas lalo din po ‘yong mga staff na tumutulong doon,” he said.

“Walang tulugan talaga ‘yong iba doon lalung-lalo na noong kasagsagan ng relief operations,” he added.

Asked what he wants to say to critics of DSWD, “Try nilang pumunta doon…para makita nila iyong sitwasyon,” he said.

Mongaya, who was among the first responders after the typhoon, said she is willing to return to Leyte, several hours away from where she lives in Northern Samar, to help the survivors.

Bitara said he has no regrets despite what happened to them.

“Wish ko talagang makapunta ng Tacloban kasi para po makita ko yung sitwasyon talaga doon,” he said.

For now, both are waiting to fully recover before going back to work.

Although they are only contractual workers, Bitara said the DSWD has renewed their contract for another six months. They are also being paid while they are recuperating, in addition to the medical bills being shouldered by the government.

Mongaya is a social welfare assistant for the DSWD’s field office in Region 8 while Bitara is a municipal link for the agency’s field office in Region 5.