Surviving Ondoy

We were told to leave the office, located in the Philippine Stock Exchange building at 11:30 AM Saturday, September 26, because of typhoon Ondoy. I did not think it that serious until I stood up from my cubicle and the power went out. This happened twice, so we were forced to use the stairs to go down 25 floors.

I realized the gravity of the situation when we got to the building entrance. From there I could see the rain being swept forcefully by the wind, the way you would see waves moving during high tide. After five minutes, the rain subsided, and I proceeded to the bus stop at SM Mega Mall.

The bus I rode got stuck in Ortigas for about two hours. I finished martial arts flick Iron Monkey, which was showing inside the bus, even though the other passengers had already opted to walk. I thought to myself that since I would surely end up going home late, why not enjoy a free movie before the agony of trudging through flooded streets? The ending was a bit stereotypical of Chinese movies, but the fight scenes were spectacular.

I got off the bus and thought that after getting to the Ortigas flyover going to Cubao, I would be able to ride in any bus of my choosing. Then I saw a huge chunk of the Corinthian Gardens concrete fence sprawled all over EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue opposite Robinson’s Galleria. Unless that got cleared, the street was impassable. I looked at the road going to La Salle Greenhills and saw that the water was almost waist deep. Needless to say, cars wouldn't be able to go there, either.

I then psyched myself to walk to Philcoa if need be. I chose the left side of the road, since there were fewer people there. I asked everyone I met about flooded areas in the Metro and elsewhere, and they told me that after Camp Crame, the roads were passable.

My boot-clad feet ached and I tried my best to remain dry--I brought my extra-large umbrella to shield myself from the rain.

By the time I got to Araneta Center in Cubao, I was already limping in my boots. I bought slippers at Farmer’s Market, and decided that the best way to get anywhere would be to ride a jeepney going to Fairview at the Ali Mall terminal. Unfortunately, there were no jeepneys at the Ali Mall terminal. That shattered my world, since I would certainly have to walk to Kamias. I ate the sapin-sapin I was supposed to bring home to my wife then asked a Mercury Drug staff member if I could buy a plastic bag. Even though it was against their policy, the woman took pity on me and gave me one when I told her that it was where I would put my cellphone.

I went back to EDSA and talked with a man who was trying to go home to Fairview. He had come from Sampaloc all the way in Manila. We separated at the flyover to Santolan. He decided to go under the flyover, where pedestrians usually went, but I chose to walk on the flyover because the water in the streets below reached above the knee. I was afraid I would get sucked down a manhole, and I discovered that my rubber slippers were, as their name implied, very slippery, so I had to take them off. My fear of getting tetanus and leptospirosis, a kind of bacterial infection, from the floodwaters added to my stress. I jumped the metal fences of the flyover to get to the sidewalk, which was when I started getting leg cramps.

Good thing I was so terrified of being blown away by the wind when I was at the top of the flyover that I forgot about my cramps. Another flyover I had to cross along GMA Network-EDSA. The cramps still threatened to have me make a forced pit stop. I was able to go down to the other side without any mishaps. Then as I was walking along Quezon Avenue, my umbrella gave in.

So much for staying dry. I held my trusty umbrella as the rain soaked my shirt. It was raining hard along Quezon Avenue, but the street wasn't flooded, and I knew that my decision not to walk along GMA-East Avenue was the right one.

As I neared the Quezon Memorial Circle, I walked with the throngs of people going through the QC Monument to get to Philcoa. This was the first time I saw it fully. It filled me with awe, and renewed my resolve to go home, as I saw its towering magnificence despite the strong wind–unflinching.

It was all ready 5:30 PM yet the vehicles along Philcoa were still not moving, and a lot of truck drivers were getting impatient. I thanked the Lord for keeping me safe. A few more meters and I would be home. I was shivering. Black clouds were gathering and the wind was getting stronger. Ondoy was bracing himself for another onslaught. I removed my slippers as I walked along UP-Ayala Land Techno Hub. My feet were blistered and the storm was threatening to get worse. Still, I needed to hurry, someone at home must have been getting exceedingly worried.

Photos by Joey Cruz. Licensed under Creative Commons license by-nc-sa-3.0-philippines.

Video by rajibumbum. Taken from YouTube.com.

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