Helping hands overwhelm typhoon victims at air base
What she witnessed on Edsa over 27 years ago, she saw again, this time at an air base bustling with people eager to offer help.
Canossian Sister Lita Base could not help but be reminded of the 1986 People Power Revolution when she saw people streaming into Villamor Air Base the other day, giving whatever aid they could to victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” who had just been flown in from devastated Tacloban City.
“I am so happy that I am seeing a lot of young people aware of other-centeredness … just like in Edsa… This is the other side of sorrow [showing] the resiliency of the people,” said Base, 60, who was among the nuns that took part in the popular revolt that toppled the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos.
She was among six sisters from the Canossian Daughters of Charity in Paco, Manila, who volunteered Sunday to provide stress debriefing to typhoon victims who arrived at the air base in Pasay City via military planes.
Up to 700 Yolanda survivors —shaken, hungry and uncertain about their future—have been arriving daily since mercy missions at the Air Force headquarters went into full swing on Thursday, with major air support from the United States and other countries around the world.
“It’s the spirit behind giving, helping, reaching out. It comes naturally for us. That’s our trademark as a people. Behind all the bad that’s happening, you always see the opposite,” Base said.
Article continues after this advertisementGood Samaritans have been flocking to the base since Thursday night after lawyer Golda Benjamin decided to post on Facebook an appeal for volunteers when she and two friends saw the lack of transport for Tacloban survivors who wanted to go to their relatives here in Metro Manila.
Article continues after this advertisementAt the time, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has set up operations at Villamor’s hangar to process Yolanda survivors who opted to flee Tacloban.
Those with relatives in Manila or nearby provinces either received help in contacting their relatives or were driven to their destinations if transport was available. Those with no families here—some were in Manila for the first time—were accommodated at DSWD centers for the meantime.
A field hospital was also setup to treat those with medical needs while a debriefing area was available to those in need of counseling.
Following Benjamin’s call, 50 volunteers turned up on Friday, some of them diplomats’ wives looking for a way to help.
On Saturday, after Benjamin’s post went viral with nearly 2,500 shares, hundreds of people streamed into the base in the morning, bringing food, water, clothing, toys and vehicles, eager to offer any help.
Natural instinct to help
“I was no longer shocked, just overwhelmed. Because Filipinos, I think, naturally want to help. And sometimes, the only thing we need is a clear idea of what we can do,” Benjamin told the Inquirer as she marshaled what has become “Oplan Hatid” which offers free transport to victims. The volunteers include private citizens, school bus operators, even cab companies.
On Saturday, volunteer drivers came in from all sectors, even private companies that decided to lend their office vehicles upon the urging of their employees.
“We just heard about it over Facebook so we decided to take the initiative. Management heard about it so they lent eight company vehicles and we also have two personal vehicles. It’s part of what we can contribute because not everyone can go on site,” said Roel Ugaban, one of several volunteers from the Home Guaranty Corp.
Others readily dug into their pockets when Leah Lagmay, among the coordinators of the volunteer effort, asked for cash assistance for a group of 10 survivors who needed to get to their relatives in Isabela province.
“I could not get them anywhere so I thought, ‘Let me do a pass the hat.’ In less than a minute, I raised P10,000 to send them off to Isabela. People are opening their wallets; people are giving out money,” Lagmay told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
This show of support for those who have lost everything in Tacloban is something Air Force spokesperson Colonel Miguel Okol has not seen throughout his career in the military and his years of being assigned to disaster-stricken areas.
“I’m proud to be a Filipino. That’s all I can say. Because everything that you see here speaks much of who we are. We’re still ready to help,” said Okol, who experienced disaster firsthand as a Philippine Military Academy cadet during the 1990 Baguio earthquake.
Okol is closely involved in coordinating what has become a global response to the Tacloban disaster, with air and sea support coming in from around the world, making for what may well be the largest presence of international military assets here in recent memory.
“This is quite unique. We have done mercy missions during my time as spokesperson, but the level of support and the level of how we do things now, this is the first time I’ve seen this,” he said.
Overwhelming response
“When you see firsthand what really happened, even my small kids understand [that] the province almost ceased to exist. In our recent history, I think this is one of the worst disasters. But seeing this, this was one of the best in terms of how people responded,” Okol added.
Some foreign nationals not affiliated with any organization also took the time to volunteer the other day. People from Laos, Cambodia and Thailand were at Villamor, looking for a way to help, eager to share their experience in previous disasters around Asia, including the 2011 tsunami in Japan and the 2008 earthquake in China.
“We just arrived. We have worked in Japan; Szechuan, China; flooding in Laos and Thailand. We’re looking for a way to help and give a sustainable project so our brothers and sisters can survive deadly disasters,” said Thai Mana Jangmook.
As help poured in for those flying to Manila, days remained bleak for those waiting for a chance to leave for Tacloban City to find their families.
Fisherman Arnold Glean was out at sea off Mindoro when he heard about the devastation in Tacloban City, where his wife Lorena and 7-year-old son Arnold Jr. were. He rushed to shore and went immediately to Villamor, hoping to catch a flight to his obliterated home province.
“I was able to text them and they said I should not worry. But they’ve had almost nothing to eat or drink, and they are growing weak,” said Glean, unable to hold back his tears.
It was already his fourth day waiting at the air base, sleepless as he constantly wondered whether his wife and boy had already eaten. One time, his wife sent a text that they were finally able to eat after 4 p.m., when food rations reached their village some 5 kilometers from the airport.
“If they go to the [Tacloban] airport, they will grow even weaker because the people there are pushing each other in the line,” he said.
Meanwhile, Okol, the Air Force spokesperson, appealed to shipping lines to help government ferry people queued at the air base for flights to Tacloban.
