Symbol of tragedy being ripped apart piece by piece

LAST VOYAGE A year after being washed inland by Supertyphoon “Yolanda,”MV Jocelyn of Eva Shipping Lines can still be seen in Barangay Anibong in Tacloban City. The owner of the 3,000-ton cargo vessel promised to remove the ship by next month at a cost of P1million. REM ZAMORA

(Second of a series)

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—Workers wielding blow torches are ripping apart piece by piece one of the biggest reminders of the tragedy that befell this city during the onslaught of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” on Nov. 8 last year—a 3,000-ton cargo vessel washed inland.

The MV Jocelyn, of Eva Shipping Lines based in Mandaue City in Cebu, is being removed in response to the clamor of residents to get rid of a symbol of the wrath of Yolanda (International name: Haiyan) in their midst.

Ma. Rosario Bactol, 56, chair of Barangay 58, also known as Anibong, said the shipping company hired a contractor to cut up the vessel into small pieces to make the job easier.

“We can heave a sigh of relief once the ship is removed from our area. It serves us nothing but just as a reminder of Yolanda,” Bactol said.

Jocelyn’s owner hired 14 workers of the Philippines Precious Metal Resources in Talisay City, Cebu, for the P1-million job which started in October and is scheduled for completion by next January.

Carrying 14,500 of sacks of cement, the vessel was pushed inland by giant storm surges generated by Yolanda. It plowed into 10 houses and killed 11 people. All told, 27 people, six of them children, died in the village.

Yolanda, the most powerful cyclone to ever hit land, killed more than 6,000 people in the Visayas.

A proposal to convert the vessel into a restaurant as a tourist attraction was shot down by Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., who said it would be disrespectful to the typhoon victims.

Removing the vessel would be bittersweet for Emelita Ripalda, 30, who said it also served as a refuge for several dozen people, including her sister Eflida, 22.

Refuge to 30 victims

“She survived Yolanda because of that ship,” Ripalda said.

The vessel got stuck less than 50 meters from Eflida’s house, which was destroyed by storm surges. With nowhere else to go, Eflida swam toward the ship, climbed aboard and took refuge there, Ripalda said.

The ship’s crew gave shelter to more than 30 people from the village during the storm.

Ripalda, her common-law-husband Christopher Portillo, 29, and their then 5-month-old baby Cassandra Mae, were evacuated to the nearby Anibong Elementary School. An aunt, Flocerfina Menceza, was among those killed.

Magnet for humanitarian aid

Bactol said the vessel also served as a magnet for humanitarian aid.

“Because of that ship, we became known,” said Bactol. “Several international nongovernment organizations visited our village to help us, including providing us with psychosocial assistance,” she said.

Bactol said last month, Daniel Villono, operator of the vessel, gave P50,000 in cash assistance to the village.

The money would be given to people whose houses were hit by the vessel.

Bactol said residents had put up a “donation box” to finance activities lined up for Yolanda’s first anniversary.

Aboard the vessel, workers were cutting up chambers, cautiously wielding blow torches, fearing they could ignite a fire in four nearby houses. “We are using acetylene which can cause fire if we are not be careful,” said Jury Ughayod.

Pieces of metal from the ship would be shipped to Cebu and sold as scrap.

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