MANILA – It has been two weeks since tropical storm “Ondoy” hit Metro Manila but some areas have yet to recover from the devastation.
In Barangay Nangka in Marikina City, heaps of mud still fill the streets and houses. Garbage is everywhere and some areas are still without electricity.
Velagia Pagadena, who was busy doing the laundry, said washing her family’s soiled clothes was easy but recovering from the devastation won’t be.
“Hindi ko na alam kung paano kami babangon,” she said.
Like the rest, most of her family’s clothes were submerged in murky waters.
Meanwhile, the Nangka High School has yet to resume classes a week after the Department of Education (DepEd) ordered its resumption.
The first floor is still filled with mud while the school’s computers are no longer usable.
“Grabe ang bahang idinulot sa aming lugar,” said Albert Mutia, principal of Nangka High School.
The faculty is working round the clock to make sure classes will resume on Monday.
Hand-in-hand
Help, meantime, is pouring in for affected residents in the city.
The Taiwanese-founded Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation has been helping in the clean-up drive.
Foundation members bought heavy equipment and even hired the locals to clean their houses.
“They don't need dole-outs. They need help. Sinuswelduhan namin sila para merong pansamantalang pangkabuhayan,” noted Alfredo T. Li, CEO of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, Philippines.
With everyone working hand-in-hand, residents of Nangka are starting to believe their lives will return to normal soon.