TINGLOY, BATANGAS – Widow Zoraida Dimaala, 69, lost a roof to Typhoon Nina last year. But in the recent twin quake that hit this island town, she lost an entire house.

From a vacant lot in front of a cousin's house, Dimaala would regularly go down to check her destroyed home, and she could not help but cry. She said the house stood for two decades and was where she raised her nine children.

"Ako ho'y napaiyak na lamang. Wala naman ho akong magagawa e," she said.

(I couldn't do anything but cry. I couldn't do anything about what happened.)

Dimaala’s house was just one of the 10 totally damaged homes in Barangay Sto. Tomas, where over 500 families were affected. There were also 167 partially damaged houses in the coastal village.

The sexagenarian said she would never forget the sound of the grumbling earth, and the sound of panic, as her neighbors shouted in fear while houses swayed like toys.

"Malakas ho talaga ang uga, tutumba kayo kung hindi kakapit. Para hong wala kayo sa lupa e. Pagkalakas ng uga ho," she said.

(The tremor was really strong that you'll fall down if you don't hold on to something. It's like you're not standing on land. The tremor was really strong.)

Dimaala said all her children, despite having their own families to look after to, agreed to help her rebuild their old home. They said the house will be small and sturdy so they wouldn't have to worry about earthquakes anymore.

PLIGHT OF THE ELDERLY

The day the earth shook in Tingloy, some ran to higher grounds in fear of tsunami. Some ran to the shore in fear of landslides. They had limited choice.

Ligaya Aldovino, 75, was trying to figure out how to carry her paralyzed husband.

The sons and grandsons of the couple decided to use a hammock they found nearby to carry their patriarch who couldn’t even cry properly because of his condition.

The Aldovinos took Tatay Goding to the grounds facing the sea. This was their quickest, safest option, said Nanay Ligaya.

Sleepless nights followed as frequent aftershocks would wake the family up in the middle of the night.

Tatay Goding, exposed to heat during the day and to the cold breeze at night, was having a bad cough. There were no health workers around and the only hospital in Tingloy was still an hour’s walk away.

Health was also the problem of Emiliana Dimalihan, 69, who lives in Barangay Gamao, a village where one needs to ride a boat and brave the waves for 30 minutes in order to get to the hospital.

Dimalihan, who had a heart surgery a year ago, was told to relax as temblors hit the town. But she simply couldn't loosen up.

The 69-year-old managed to join her family as they ran through an uphill trail for about 20 minutes to reach safety. They were carrying a 6-year-old grandson who injured his arm after falling from a chair during the quake.

"Ako'y nagtatakbo kahit walang tsinelas. Nagtakbo kami sa taas, sa bundok, talagang nagkakaiyakan kami sa nangyayari," she recalled.

When the tremors subsided, they went back down only to find their house badly damaged by the quake.

Village councilman Francisco Ilagan said the narrow uphill roads are their only way to safer grounds. This sole option posed great challenge in evacuating the elderly, children, and people with disabilities.

Ilagan said while barangay officials in Tingloy were trained for disaster response, they did not have tents and first aid kits. They do not even have a public evacuation area.

BY THE NUMBERS

A total of 3,357 quake-affected families were recorded in Tingloy. The villages of Sto. Tomas, Papaya, and Gamao had the most number of affected persons and damaged houses.