Kristine victims detail grueling experiences with massive floods, landslides

Severe Tropical Storm Kristine caused massive floods, landslides, collapsed land, broken bridges and ports throughout its downpour in the country this past week.

According to data released by PAGASA, Kristine poured a water volume of 528.5 mm onto the Philippines. Typhoons Ondoy and Yolanda only had approximately 400 mm.

“Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” on Sunday highlighted those in life-threatening situations due to the storm.

In Nabua, Camarines Sur, a man named Sandy was spotted holding onto a coconut tree to avoid a raging flood. He clung to the tree after the boat he was riding capsized at 4 a.m. He was with his father but was separated from him when the boat turned over.

According to Sandy’s father Ernesto, they asked for help from their barangay officials but there was a lack of rescuers. Sandy was saved by his relatives, who were relieved to see that he was still alive.

By the time Sandy was rescued 12 hours later, he was weak and was continuously praying for his safety.

Another Nabua native, also named Kristine, spent hours on their roof with 10 other people. They were unable to leave as it was already dark.

Due to this, her father Perto built a raft so they could escape.

“Hindi niya natitiis na nakikita niyang ilang oras na kaming walang kain, hindi nakatulog. Parang sa awa, ‘yun na ang naisip niya talaga na gumawa ng balsa,” Kristine said.

["He couldn’t stand seeing us go hours without eating or sleeping. Out of compassion, he thought of building a raft."]

Unfortunately, his heroic deed ended in tragedy.

During their ride, Perto was already feeling cold and his feet were cramping. Kristine’s mother Shirley kept telling him to hold on.

“Bigla siyang nakabitaw na," Shirley said. "Nahulog na siya doon sa tubig."

["He suddenly let go. He fell into the water."]

Kristine then tried to do CPR on her father, to no avail.

“Kahit anong gawin ko po, wala na talaga,” Kristine said through tears. “Hindi na siya nag-re-response tapos sobrang lamig. Sobrang lamig niya na po.”

[“No matter what I did, it was no use. He wasn’t responding anymore, and he was so cold.”]

In an emotional message, Kristine thanked her father for saving them.

“Mahal na mahal ko kayo, Tay. Utang ko sa inyo yung buhay ko, Tay. Sampung tao kaming niligtas mo, Tay.”

[“I love you so much, Dad. I owe my life to you. You saved ten of us, Dad.”]

Talisay landslide

Kristine caused an estimated 81 deaths, the report said, 18 of which were from landslides in a barangay in Talisay, Batangas.

It rained non-stop for almost 24 hours, with floods almost reaching the roofs of houses. The continuous rain caused land and rocks from a mountain to slide down into the barangay. At the same time, the Taal Lake’s water level was rising.

Cars were flooded with mud and logs fell all over the street.

The KMJS team, led by Jessica Soho, visited the area to cover the retrieval of bodies, capturing the rescue efforts and grief of families.

After the landslide, a resident named Zeddy lost five relatives including her father, sibling, and two pamangkins who were covered with mud and rocks from the landslide in their own homes.

“Nasa loob po tapos parang sinubukan nilang makalabas, hindi na kinaya, inabot na ng mga malalaking bato,” Zeddy said, and added that it was the first time they experienced a landslide.

["They were inside, and it seemed like they tried to get out, but they couldn’t make it—they were trapped by the huge rocks."]

Zeddy was downstairs when the landslide hit, and he immediately ran towards them.

“Pagdating ko po diyan, sumalo po ‘yung kapatid kong bunso. Sumikip ang dibdib ko.”

[“When I got there, my youngest sibling was already there. My chest tightened.”]

In the aftermath, people have been digging through land to search for their missing loved ones. Some ended up only seeing their dead bodies.

Residents are blaming the landslide on an alleged illegal quarry in the area, located just a few meters away from the houses. The open pit is large enough to hold a football field.

According to an investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in the past year, there are at least 15 trucks that gather land from the quarry site everyday.

As of Friday, the official death count in the Talisay barangay reached 15, with 13 being children. According to Zeddy, there are five or six more missing people.

The barangay captain said it is the first time a landslide has happened to them.

The barangay captain added that eight families had deaths due to the landslides.

“Ang nakuha na po naming bangkay ay anim, tapos ngayon po ay siyam. So 15 na po,” he said.

[“We’ve already recovered six bodies, and now nine more. So that’s 15 total."]

“May dalawa pa pong probably na nakita na sila. So siguro tatapusin na namin ito para makuha pa ang mga bangkay.” He added that the barangay had already listed a total 20 possible deaths.

[“Two more bodies have been spotted. We’ll work to recover them as soon as possible.”]

The local government unit has promised that operations would continue to look for the missing townspeople and that they would provide help to the victims.  —JCB, GMA Integrated News