WHAT I LEARNED AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING IN THE EARTHQUAKE: DISTRIBUTING RELIEF GOODS TO MY FELLOW SAN REMIGIOHANONS

This is the fifth day of our recovery process after that 6.9 magnitude earthquake broke our homes and lives. It is evident that we are still far from living again the comfortable life we once had, and we are fortunate to have been helped by private organizations distributing goods and water that everyone here needs. I would be honest that the first two days of living as homeless were difficult and heartbreaking, but I learned to be tough in order to move and help people around me. If there is one thing I have learned in this situation, it is to not be selfish and just be stagnant the whole time while everybody is battling for survival.

Today, I had to move around the town and face the heartbreaking consequences of the 6.9 magnitude quake. The look of people raising their placards, houses made from scratches, and children running desperately towards a vehicle in hope of getting relief goods gave me goosebumps. We are all recovering, but it is inevitable to see many that have worse situations than us. I cannot help immediately with donations, that’s why @cintilla @rheign @soulenne and I are raising the word on this platform to spread the voices of San Remigiohanons who deserve to be helped. We are in progress now with our posting, and the rewards we will get from our posts will reach people in most need.

This morning, I received good news from our department’s dean that relief goods are fast approaching our municipality, donated by a private organization she once worked with. There were plenty of packed goods, but no individuals were there to do the repacking, which is an urgent activity to deliver the goods as soon as possible because for sure many are waiting. She messaged me by 7:00 A.M. in the morning and requested me to help her do the repacking since we live in the same area near the center where they stored the goods. I immediately headed to the said center because I cannot lose seconds as the survivors await the water and food they are struggling to find in this time of calamity.

When I arrived, there were already four of them; some are my dean’s relatives, and one of them is also a psychology student. I did my part to repack, which was putting the biscuits in every bag of goods. The ready-to-cook foods and bottled waters were already put inside the bags, and the biscuits were the only food left to be added. In a pack, it includes five biscuits, two bottled waters, and noodles. It was supposed to be complemented by rice and medicines, but the truck containing these essentials was still in the city, and tonight is their arrival. We cannot just stare at these goods until evening knowing there are people waiting and struggling to make their ends meet. So we have to move and continue moving.

My teacher and her friend were packing the noodles, and I put the biscuits next while making the final wrap and counting the total packs. There were a lot of boxes with different biscuits, and it was confusing telling the difference of five biscuits every time I put them in the bags.

We were packing outside our town’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Center because the inside area is still not safe. We had a good space repacking it since there were no people in the center. In normal days, this place is flocked with crowds in quest for cedula to clinic referral since the relevant offices are situated here, such as the Welfare Office, Police Station, Municipal Hall, Rural Health Unit, Psychosocial Center, and many more.

In an hour, we finished the repacking of goods, and these were the final packages. In total, we had 150 bags of goods, but there were plenty of biscuits left that we couldn’t include because the other goods were just few in numbers. Regardless, 150 packs are good, and I am happy to know this will reach the people immediately since barangay and municipal hall relief goods honestly take days before being distributed for formal processes, which I find dumb and frustrating.

The vehicle arrived, which was designed for this kind of transport. But it is uncomfortable to ride, especially when roads are rough. But it didn’t stop us; we immediately put the goods in the vehicle and arranged them to maximize space. We were five individuals with many goods in a vehicle, so it was risky.

We stopped first at a gasoline station because minutes after we drove, the wheels lost air, and we also had to re-gas the vehicle. And the journey to restore humanity began again.

There was still traffic on the main road earlier in every corner of this town because the roads were destroyed by the earthquake. It made the transport slower, and it is not a good timing since many organizations are heading to the north to help, but the roads make the distribution harder.

Our first stop was in Cayang, Bogo City, just near Polambato, that homes many homeless and struggling people. We delivered 50 packs to one of my seniors, and we tasked him to distribute them to the ones who need it today. Since our goods were limited, we made sure to allocate them properly based on the data we gathered from our department’s students who live in particular areas.

Since Batad and Bagtik are just neighborhoods of this area, we also left goods for those places and messaged trusted individuals to pick them up at the same place. The roads in this place were rough and destroyed, making the travel uncomfortable since we were just sitting on the edge of this vehicle to fit the goods.

It was scorching, and I didn’t wear any long-sleeved clothes, so I already expected to get sunburned. We stopped at this house to distribute goods to one of the students in our department who didn’t get even one good since the start of the calamity.

Next stop was Kayam, a place in San Remigio not accessible by those private groups who distribute goods, so the people there haven’t got their shares yet. The place needs to be climbed since it is up on a hill and too far away from the main road. There were elders and children hungry and in need of food and water, so the best choice was to enter this risky zone because of the sloped roads stopping our vehicle from moving upwards.

It was 12 in the afternoon this time, and we had to have our lunch. Luckily, one of the students I was with earlier lived in this place, so she invited us to have our lunch before resuming our distribution.

Our food earlier was only rice and canned sardines because food is scarce in the area. We were very hungry from distributing the goods that we didn’t mind our food while eating. We talked for a while with these people I don’t personally know and started to prepare for the next route.

The next route was so far from the central area of our town, and the worst scenario was to ride on this road full of slopes and damaged floors. Sometimes, we would descend from the vehicle because the roads were risky, especially when going downwards, and sometimes because it couldn’t bear our weight when going upwards.

We had to grasp any part of the vehicle in order not to fall while on transport.

We arrived in Anapog, San Remigio, and messaged one of the students who would distribute the goods in the area. She is actually a Hiver here, but I cannot remember her name, unfortunately. We gave her plenty of packs and stored them in boxes for security since some people would steal because they are hungry, and it is a sad reality. We headed back to the central barangay of our town to visit our last two routes, which were Hagnaya and Punta.

On our way, a long traffic occurred, and it was still scorching daylight. I burned my skin the whole trip, but it was worth the burn because I helped fill the stomachs of my fellow Cebuanos. There were many people on the main road sitting beside their placards written with “We Need Food And Water” or “Please Help Us Survive The Day.”

Since we still had packs left, we distributed them to some people who asked for it and made sure they needed it since some are in abundance of goods. It would be fair to give our goods to those who are struggling tremendously.

The traffic was too long, and we learned it was because of the road and a march for those dead ones who lost their lives in the earthquake. Seventy-two people left our town because of what happened, and each of them tells a story of survival, selflessness, and heroic acts. It was sad to witness such a long march to honor people who tried to get out of their homes but weren’t able to. Also, the eyes of elders and children on the main road made this journey poignant, and if only I had enough wealth, I could help them in ways that could make them comfortable.

We headed to our last two routes and distributed the goods immediately. I felt sorry to be late in their areas, but they said they already ate lunch. We headed home after the distribution because we needed to get rest for tomorrow’s another distribution.

This day ignited the true meaning of humanity in me through this little act of kindness. The goods may not be many, but I hope it made their day better and more survivable. Stagnancy and silence will not help in this state of calamity—that even those who are also struggling but can help need to move and create a little change for those who are completely drowned in the misery this earthquake gave to Northern Cebu.

We are still in need of goods, hygiene kits, tents, water, and other essentials, and your help will make a big impact on my fellow Cebuanos. If you wish to help, message me or comment in this blog, and let’s make Northern Cebu a better place to ease the pain Cebuanos have now. Monetary and non-monetary donations are open, and we make sure to give them to the best of our hands for the people. If I can make change as one of the survivors in the earthquake, you can also do it in any way of helping you have in mind.

Thank you, dearest readers, for reading my blog, and I promise to be more active once this settles down. See you soonest, my dearest.