Members of the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation Team, composed mainly of Philippine Army men, help distribute relief goods in Masantol, Pampanga, one of the areas devastated by typhoons Pedring (international name: Nesat) and Quiel (international name: Nalgae) on Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. Many villages in Central Luzon have remained submerged under water. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARMY SPOKESMAN MAJ. HAROLD CABUNOC AND SGT. RONALD TAN
The world champion dragon boat racing team, using the same vessel that earned them international renown, has joined military forces mobilized to rescue or bring relief to villagers trapped in heavily flooded parts of Bulacan and Pampanga.
The 20-member Philippine Dragon Boat Federation Team, dubbed the “Pinoy Dragon Warriors,” participated in the humanitarian missions on Sunday in response to a call from the Army chief, Lieutenant General Arturo Ortiz, for soldiers to join in the rescue effort.
They used the very same dragon boat they rode to five golds and two silvers and set two world records at the world championships held in Florida in August, according to the team manager, Army Major Harold Cabunoc.
Since the boat can accommodate only 20 people, team captain Sergeant Usman Anterola said that for every trip, the boat carried eight paddlers who ferried 10 villagers at a time.
There are 11 soldiers in the team, mostly from the Philippine Army, based at its headquarters in Fort Bonifacio. The rest are either members of the Coast Guard or civilians.
Cabunoc explained that the team practiced for six hours every day for more international competitions this year even without support from the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission.
Payback time
Another team dispatched to the disaster zone in Bulacan at the weekend was made up of victims of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” in Marikina City two years ago, according to Marikina Vice Mayor Jose Fabian Cadiz.
“The city mayor, upon seeing the news about the floods on Friday morning, instructed our Rescue 161 to go to Bulacan and offer whatever help we can give,” Cadiz told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The city sent two motorboats, an ambulance, search-in-water equipment, outboard motors, generation sets, and other first-aid kits recently purchased in preparation for an Ondoy-type disaster. More than 100 of the nearly 500 lives Ondoy claimed came from Marikina.
In dispatching the 15-member team, Mayor Del de Guzman admitted that the city has yet to recover from the losses of properties and lives, but said, “Now, it’s our turn to help.”
Caught unprepared
Ronald Mejia, officer in charge of Marikina’s Rescue 161 and team leader in the two-day Bulacan rescue operations, said the floods in the coastal towns were “very much similar to Ondoy.”
Although the roof-high floodwaters reminded him of Ondoy, Mejia was able to spot the difference.
He said the flood that entered their homes in Marikina City came with mud while the floodwaters in Bulacan were crystal clear as it directly came from the dams.
“In Marikina, the floods were gone after a few hours. In Bulacan, it was taking several days for the floods to subside,” he added.
Mejia said that when his team arrived in Paombong town in Bulacan, people came rushing to them and asked them to rescue relatives marooned in their flooded homes.
The team managed to save more than a hundred lives, including a pregnant woman standing on her house’s roof.
“It was the first time they experienced huge floods so they were really shocked and caught unprepared,” Mejia said.