Modern-day heroes of Taal
After over four decades of dormancy, Taal Volcano started to erupt on Sunday, Jan. 12, forcing thousands of people in Batangas province to evacuate. In response to the ongoing disaster, more and more people are coming together to help those displaced and affected by this natural catastrophe.
Three such good Samaritans are Rio John Abel, Maximo Alcantara III, both 22, and Darwin “Dudong” Lajara, 26, young men, who in their desire to help, braved the calamity and headed to an evacuation center in San Jose, Batangas Monday to deliver some relief goods.
On their way home in the wee hours of Tuesday
morning, an accident took their lives. According to a police report, the young men’s car crashed into a trailer truck as they were driving along the national highway in Banaybanay I, San Jose, Batangas. The report said the vehicle driven by Maximo crashed into a trailer truck which was parked on the side of the road waiting for is turn to enter the gates of a feed mill.
Rio and Maximo died on the spot, while Darwin died yesterday from physical injuries at a hospital where he was rushed after the accident.
“Napakabuting tao ng tatlong ‘to. Basta alam nilang kaya nila at may posibilidad silang tumulong kahit sa maliit na paraan hindi sila naghe-hesitate (They were really good people. They wouldn’t hesitate to help anyone if they could),” Merril Patrick Morie Cobarrubias, a close friend of the victims told Manila Bulletin in a phone interview.
Meanwhile, Rio’s teacher, Noel Datingaling Arasula in a statement posted on social media said, “Mas pinili niya ang magbigay tulong sa mga nangangailangan sa oras ng gabi, sa mga taong naapektuhan dulot ng pagputok ng bulkan kaysa manatili sa kanilang bahay. Kahanga-hanga ang iyong ipinakitang kabayanihan anak (Instead of staying at home, he chose to be of aid to the people in need, in the wee hours of the night. Your courage is truly admirable).”
Helping hand
Many celebrities are likewise taking part in relief efforts to help displaced victims of the Taal Volcano eruption.
Angel Locsin, dubbed by her fans as the “real-life Darna,” took to social media and inquired about the needs of those affected by the eruption.
Together with the members of the Philippine Army, Reservist 2nd Lt. Matteo Guidicelli went to Batangas to distribute relief goods donated by people who dropped the goods off at various branches of a supermarket chain.
ABS-CBN News reported that Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and celebrity doctor Vicki Belo donated ₱500,000 through Red Cross.
Karla Estrada organized a charity bazaar while Melai Cantiveros and Jason Francisco packed clothes and canned goods for donation.
Yes Pinoy Foundation, founded by Dingdong Dantes, is accepting donations.
Batangas Congresswoman Vilma Santos-Recto posted on Instagram a photo of her staff packing food and other donations.
In an interview over DZRH Santos-Recto said she believes Batangueños will rise above this challenge.
“Batangueños are prayerful. They know that these are only trials. Batangas is the religious capital of the Philippines,” Santos-Recto added.
Animal rescue
In Balete, Batangas, animals were rescued to safety while belongings were dug up from waistdeep ash as residents of the islandvillage on Taal Lake defied the imminent danger posed by the continued rumbling of Taal Volcano to save what little they had left early Wednesday morning.
Below intimidating skies discolored by volcanic ash, Jun Maranan, 46, crossed the lake before dawn to go to Barangay Bignay, Talisay from Brgy. Sala here by a 30-minute boat ride to save not only his horse but also those of others.
“We feel sorry for our animals. What others have been saying that we didn’t bring our pets with us when we left, that’s not true,” Magpantay, a fisherman-tourist guide in Bignay, said when Manila Bulletin chanced upon his group washing horses clean of volcanic ash along the coast. The horses were brought to safety one horse per boat.
“We took care of ourselves first because they would not fit in the boat. When the volcano calmed down, we went back for them,” he added.
Magpantay and his male peers already rescued at least 50 horses since Monday from the islands already buried by ash at the foot of Taal Volcano.
“There are about 100 horses still left behind. We couldn’t get them out because the Coast Guard prevents us. They have nothing to eat. Whenever we arrive there, they run toward us,” John Paul Silva, 18 shared.
Other animals, including dogs, chickens, ducks, pigs and cows, were still trapped in the area, according to residents.
The horses were used for tourists visiting Taal Volcano, while chickens, ducks, pigs, and cows were used for breeding or were sold for their meat. They were the primary source of income of residents living at the foot of the volcano, aside from fishing.
The Philippine Coast Guard on Monday started prohibiting evacuees living in the islands in the middle of Taal Lake from returning home for their own safety.
But some still disregarded the possibility of a volcanic tsunami as they were eager to get their belongings. Among them was Florencio Maranan, 40, who dug his family’s clothes and kitchen ware from the waist-deep ash covering their home in Bignay.
Despite the situation, Maranan still kept his faith and made sure to get their Santo Niño (child Jesus) statue. “Of course He is our guide. Look, even if the house has been ruined, the Sto. Niño is untouched.”
Robert Orozo, 38, wanted the authorities to accompany them to their houses, instead of stopping them from going back to their homes. They are trying to recover their belongings and rescue their animals so they would still have something to start from and not from scratch.
“I don’t know what will happen next. The reason we’re doing this is so we can start over. So whatever happens we can save something. That’s what we mean, that we don’t rely too much on others. Whatever we save, we can turn into money. So we can start over, and if we find a place to live in the town, we can start a small business).”
Hungry
In Talisay, Batangas, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) K-9 Corps thought of a way to keep pet owners at the evacuation center.
They led a rescue operation for abandoned pets Wednesday amid threats of a major eruption from Taal Volcano to dissuade pet owners from returning to their homes from the evacuation centers to feed their animals, including livestock, MMDA K-9 Corps President Cris Falcis told Manila Bulletin in an exclusive interview.
"We're here to rescue some animals na naiwan na ng may-ari (that were left by their owners)," Falcis said.
"The pets are one of the reasons why they keep coming back. [Once the pets are rescued], there is no sense for them to come back," he added.
Joining the rescue efforts were members of the Batangas City Veterinary Office and private volunteers-slash-animal lovers. The groups assembled at Talisay Municipal Hall.
They bought cages for the animals as well as food and water.
On Wednesday morning, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) began to implement the lockdown order in the town, which is among the closest to Taal Volcano in the province. This means that no vehicle, expect those occupied by volunteers, is permitted to enter Talisay.
Volunteer Hazel Tolentino said the rescued animals from the town — mostly dogs — would be taken to a shelter in Magallanes, Cavite.
"The problem at the shelter is that we're having a shortage for cages," she said. The good news, according to her, is that they continue to receive animal feed donations, which they are constantly in need of.
Speaking of feeding animals, Jana Sevilla, media relations officer for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)-Asia said this was all they could do to the abandoned pets at Taal island.