Laborer walks from Binondo, Manila to La Paz, Leyte

TACLOBAN City - With sore and calloused feet, Elwin Aralar, 25, felt glad and relieved to finally make ithome with his family after his three-month journey from Binondo, Manila to his hometown in BarangayPansud, an upland village in La Paz, Leyte.

With no money, no means of transportation, and only a half-sack of rice for food, Elwin, together with four other construction workers from Sta. Fe and Alangalang, Leyte, decided to walk from their construction site to Leyte on March 14 when President Duterte announced the implementation of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Fearing that the ECQ could trap them in Manila, the co-workers from Leyte set out on their journey to walk home.

Elwin, who only completed fourth grade, said they just walked where the big trucks headed as they made their way home.

For days, the group passed by border control points manned by soldiers and police officers who would sometimes feed them.

But there, too, were times that they would have to sleep with empty stomachs at waiting sheds or anywhere their feet could drag them when the curfew starts at 8 p.m., resting their weary bodies before resuming their trek at 5 a.m.

He recalled repeatedly explaining to unbelieving police and other frontliners at every checkpoint that they were going to Tacloban City which is almost 700 kilometers away via Pan-Philippine Highway just so they would be allowed to pass.

Elwin said they continued the trip on foot until they reached Del Gallego, Camarines Sur where they were isolated in an evacuation center, together with seven other construction workers who also made their exodus to Leyte by walking.

“We were helped by the soldiers. After we were isolated for almost two months, they helped us cross Matnog Port until we reached their camp in Catbalogan City, Samar,” he narrated.

The group was turned over to the Leyte provincial Inter-agency Task Force command center where they underwent rapid testing before Elwin was fetched by the Rural Health Unit that would monitor him while he underwent a 14-day mandatory home quarantine. Elwin was given a sack of grocery items by the provincial government when he was allowed to leave.

La Paz town Mayor Angel Sia shared that although they welcome all returning residents, they have no quarantine facility, for now, that is why they are advised to undergo home isolation. They have also no available housing and employment opportunities to offer.

“What we can do for now is to assess their needs and recommend to the National Housing Authority (NHA) if they need housing or the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to coordinate with their employers or provide them with livelihood,” he said.