Bangon Ormoc

I’d not been to the Philippines before and I’d never done disaster relief work before. I had no idea what to expect. Stepping off the ferry (where the sound system was playing the most hideous Christmas remixes I’ve ever heard) into Ormoc city was surprised to be greeted not by the post apocalyptic scene I’d expected but by a functioning city.

Maybe not functioning in the same way before Yolanda had struck but functioning all the same, mobile phone charging stations were gathering a roaring trade at the road side, people queues quite orderly for food guarded and distributed by the Filipino army, armed with klashinkovs. (Guns would be a familiar site in the Philippines as most establishments had some form of armed guard). There were legitimate reasons our first briefing contained warnings about looting and an almost comical story about how at the height of the storm the guards in Tacloban prison had released prisoners (for their own safety) asking them to return after the storm. Unsurprisingly many failed to return after Yolanda had struck.

People were smiling welcoming us to Ormoc, a tall fit American guy we met on the ferry was being told repeatedly he was very handsome by the locals. The mood was upbeat and jovial, not what I was expecting, and everywhere there was that word –
Bangon. Scribbled on flags, grafitti’d on walls, emblazoned across t-shirts. Bangon Ormoc.

Bangon means ‘rising from a lying position’ in Filipino and Ormoc had risen and continues to rise after Yolanda.

What’s in a Word: Bayanihan

BAYANIHAN

It’s a word brazen across our volunteer t-shirts. In Visayan (the language spoken on Leyte) the word is so much more than just a tag line. Its the reason why Ormoc was functioning far beyond expectations when All Hands staff set up base there. Its the reason why the majority of roads were clear. Its the reason why despite looking at us volunteers like we were crazy for bagging up trash outside that within minutes the whole neighbourhood was there helping and grabbing every bag they had to join in. Its the reason why when working in schools kids are so desperate to help clear the dust from the ceiling we just removed they are fighting over who gets to use the broom. Its the reason why things aren’t so desperate as they otherwise could be in Leyte.

Bayanihan means ‘unity’ in Visayan. In the wake of Yolanda it meant neighbour helping neighbour even if those neighbours are from the other side of the world. Somehow it encapsulates everything about the spirit of the Filipinos in the wake of Yolanda. It also came to mean strength in numbers and the reason why on Leyte everyone is still working tirelessly to rebuild and still will be many, many months from now.

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned

There’s a story in the Philippines that Yolanda (the local name for Typhoon Haiyan) had found out her husband was cheating on her. So great was her rage at the ultimate betrayal that she ravaged cities and countryside alike lifting the roofs of houses until she found him inside.

Scientists obviously will have a different version of events, and the Filipino story doesn’t say whether Yolanda found her wayward spouse. But whichever version of events you believe, the damage is the same; widespread and indiscriminate. Yolanda’s rage lasted for 5 terrifying hours on Leyte; stories of survival are incredible as whole families fled to the rice fields to crawl through irrigation ditches on their stomachs to avoid falling debris and ultimately death.

The statistics tell their own story of Yolanda’s rage; classified a super typhoon with unconfirmed winds of up to 196mph, the fourth most severe typhoon recorded and possibly the most severe typhoon ever recorded to make landfall. The reported death toll is over 5,000. The Philippine Visiyan Islands of Leyte and Samar beared the brunt of Yolanda’s anger. 90 percent of buildings in the main cities of Tacloban and Ormoc (where All Hands Project Leyte is based) lay damaged or destroyed. Over 1 million homes in the region were completely destroyed with an estimated 4.4 million people now homeless or displaced. Most areas have no running water or electricity.

My first day out in the field on Project Leyte and the scene was overwhelming. Roads were lined with flatten houses mile after mile, hillsides that would have been covered with lush green forests are now bare and lined with stumps or trunks stripped bare of all foliage. Schools, Chapels, businesses and homes are all affected. Pylons and power lines lie fallen, twisted and destroyed. There’s hope power will be restored before Christmas.

Yolanda’s temper had calmed by the time she left Leyte, perhaps exhausted by the sheer power she unleashed, or perhaps she’d finally exacted revenge on her cheating spouse. But one thing is for sure Yolanda is a woman no one wants to mess with again.