"Help us!!! Donation please... We have nothing to eat!"
The moment we entered the first municipality of Compostela Valley (Comval) Province yesterday (December 11, 2012), we were greeted by fallen trees and roofless houses. Tall, age-old bamboo trees, known for their endurance and flexibility, failed to withstand super typhoon Pablo's wrath. Some of them laid on the side of the road showing their uprooted fibrous roots.
When we reached the highway leading straight to the Municipality of Compostela, a grimmer picture greeted us. No word can fully describe the somber ambiance of the area.
Trees that survived the storm stood on the ground- frail and basically lifeless.
Thousands of hectares of banana plantations were eradicated overnight.
Some lost their roofs, others lost their walls. A lot more totally lost their homes.
Warehouses and big rice mills were not spared.
A gloomy sight along the highway.
A military truck carrying donated coffins.
People displayed their placards begging for food along the highway as they waited for relief goods.
At a little past 1:00 p.m., we finally arrived at the Barangay Hall of Barangay San Miguel, Compostela, where throngs of people waited for us. A pile of steel trusses occupied the adjacent lot. "That used to be our gym," the people informed us. Sadly, in front of the fallen structure were what used to be the homes of these people.
We would like to thank Provincial Board Member Josielyn Romano and all the leaders of Barangay San Miguel, particularly their Barangay Chairman, for the orderly distribution of the relief goods.
We would also like to thank Fr. Artemio "Jun" Toyco, Jr., Parish Priest of the Municipality of Compostela, for volunteering to help us distribute the other relief goods we brought with us.
This will NOT be the end of our relief operations for the victims of Super Typhoon Pablo.We are now preparing to send food packs and medicines to one of the hardest hit areas in Davao Oriental.
A BIG THANKS to our friends and families who have pledged to help us in this endeavor.
