Survivor done with publicity stunt

PEDRO Lacandazo visits the mass grave of his family and relatives at San Joaquin Parish Church, Palo town, Leyte province. RAFFY LERMA

PALO, Leyte—In just a matter of five hours, he lost not only his home but also 22 of his loved ones.

Although his sorrows almost crippled him, Pedro Lacandazo took over the job as village councilor of San Joaquin in Palo town, Leyte province, after two council members died during the onslaught of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

In February, upon Malacañang’s invitation, Lacandazo went to Bohol. He felt proud when he was asked to speak before Mr. Aquino during his visit to the province, which was also reeling from the devastation caused by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, he recalled.

“At the same time, I also saw it as an opportunity for me to personally deliver a letter from our barangay asking him for relief assistance,” he said.

Lacandazo said he was made to sit in front of the audience, just below the stage where the President, some Cabinet secretaries and Bohol officials were.

The President introduced Lacandazo as one official who set aside his own personal pain to serve his constituents. Then Lacandazo spoke and narrated his experience and losing his wife Norma Cita, six children, eight grandchildren, a brother, a sister-in-law, a daughter-in-law, a nephew and three nieces.

“There were cameras all over and he (the President) extolled me for still managing to carry out my duties despite what had happened to me,” he said. “In the end, I got nothing.”

Publicity stunt

Lacandazo saw the event as simply a Palace publicity stunt.

After the speech, Lacandazo handed Mr. Aquino a folder containing a barangay resolution and a letter, both detailing the barangay’s request for assistance from the national government, which was then coming in trickles to their community of more than 3,000.

“Food assistance came five days after the typhoon. People in the village were hungry and didn’t know what to do or where to go,” Lacandazo said.

The President reportedly told Lacandazo that they would look into it and gave the folder to a staff member. Until now, the barangay councilor has never received any response from Malacañang.

“When I was about to go home, somebody handed me an envelope containing P2,000, barely enough for fare back home. That’s it,” he wryly said.

He also received 25 kilograms of rice from the National Food Authority and 10 corrugated iron sheets.

Fortunately, Lacandazo received help from international and local humanitarian groups that visited San Joaquin, such as Catholic Relief Services (CRS) that gave him P32,000 in financial assistance.

A year after Yolanda, Lacandazo has yet to receive burial assistance from the national government through the Office of Civil Defense. A survivor stands to receive P10,000 for every relative who died during the storm.

Lacandazo and 26 of his relatives were living in one big house that was washed out by storm surges caused by Yolanda. The only survivors were Lacandazo, his son Pedro Jr., 34; adopted son Erich, 14, and nephews Gerald and Jade Laboc.

When the water subsided, Lacandazo first found the bodies of his granddaughter Janice and her mother Grace in a swamp. Grace was pregnant at that time.

One after the other, he saw the bodies of his wife and his daughters, Ma. Victoria, Racquel and Arleen; son Elmer; brother Fernando, sister-in-law Mardelyn and their daughter Mandy Frances; daughter-in-law Cherwin and her children Chelsey, Paul Chester, Pauline Claire and Princess Charlene; grandson Kenneth Rey; nephew Ramon, and nieces Lilian and Lyca Mae.

Ma. Victoria was experiencing labor pains at the height of the storm.

Still missing were his daughter Joan, who was also pregnant, and grandchildren Justine and Adam Patrick.

Mass grave

The bodies were buried in a mass grave on the grounds of San Joaquin Parish Church where a memorial park was built. Yolanda claimed the lives of 377 people in San Joaquin alone.

With the money given by CRS, Lacandazo was able to build a small house on the spot where his old house once stood. Hanging outside the dwelling is a white board written with the names of his 22 loved ones.

“I deeply mourned their deaths and almost lost my sanity. I could not understand why this had happened to my family, but during that time, I never asked God why it happened. I just asked for his forgiveness,” Lacandazo said.

By seeking forgiveness for all his sins and renewing his faith, he gained the strength to overcome the worst trial of his life.

In February, Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla appointed Lacandazo to the barangay council, replacing Pedro Napoles who died during the storm. Lacandazo finished eighth in the race for the seven council seats in the October 2013 polls.

While looking for his loved ones, Lacandazo helped retrieve more than five bodies in the village. As head of the village council’s agriculture committee, he went to the offices of the Philippine Coconut Authority to ask for seedlings for the farmers and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to seek any assistance for the fishermen.

Fishing and coconut farming were among the sources of income in San Joaquin, 4 kilometers from the town center.

“I am missing my loved ones, but I just focus on my work as a village official. This way I can, even for just a moment, forget my misery and the loneliness I feel, especially when I am alone,” Lacandazo said.

Every day, he visits the mass grave where his relatives were buried. Along the way, he prays for them and asks God for forgiveness and strength.

Like the rest of the faithful, Lacandazo looks forward to the arrival of Pope Francis, who is scheduled to be in Tacloban City and Palo in January to be with the Yolanda survivors.

He hopes to be one of the 30 people who will be chosen to dine with the Pope.