Over 2,600 evacuees flew to Manila – AFP

Rappler.com

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The Armed Forces of the Philippines estimates more than 2,600 evacuees flew to Manila on military C-130 planes.

MANILA, Philippines – The exodus out of affected areas increases. 

The Armed Forces of the Philippines estimates more than 2,600 evacuees flew to Manila on military C-130 planes.
Natashya Gutierrez reports.

LANCE PINO, TYPHOON SURVIVOR: Hindi namin inexpect na ganyan yung tubig kataas. Kasi hangin lang. Tapos noong ano na, yung bagyo may kasama nang tsunami at ipoipo. Hawak hawak ko nalang anak ko. Sabi ko nga sa ano ko, wala na tayo. Kung ma giba itong isang kwarto, patay kaming lahat dun eh. (We didn’t expect that the water would rise like that. Because it was just strong winds at first. Then later the strong waves came. [jumpcut] I just held my child. I told my wife, we’re done. If this one room breaks, we’re all going to die.)

17-year-old Lance Pino makes it out alive. He arrives in Manila from his broken city, Tacloban. But his mind is elsewhere. His wife and his 7-month old son are still in Leyte.

3 days ago, Lance’s father Warren took him and his 3 brothers to the airport to see if they could get on a C130. Chances were slim, they were able to sneak in Friday night. Lance had no choice but to leave his wife and son, who were asleep at home.

 

In Manila, Lance’s mother Kathy welcomes her family. After 8 sleepless nights, she can finally hold them. Her husband, who kept his family alive during the past week is dazed. He won’t talk.

Afraid of breaking down, Kathy won’t face our camera.She tells Rappler, it was 6 days of torture. It seemed her family would never get that ride to Manila. She despaired over the long lines and and the chaos at the Tacloban airport.

Here at Villamor Air Base, it’s the complete opposite. Soldiers and volunteers are busy caring for survivors dumped by the military planes. It’s very organized, very systematic. There’s free food, water, clothes, shelter, medical help and counseling. There’s also free transportation to wherever they need to go. For those without family in Manila, the government houses them in evacuation centers.

The planes come from Cebu, Ormoc, Guiuan, but mostly Tacloban.

COL MIGUEL OKOL, PH AIR FORCE SPOKESPERSON: We’re organized exactly because the influx has increased. From the 2 C130s or 3 that were transporting people back starting last week, to more than 7 or 9 working every day. So bringing in about 100 evacuees from Tacloban to here. So volunteerism really works here.

Still, operations are not perfect. Imelda Kempis, who lost her home in the typhoon, traveled to Ormoc from Tacloban. There, her family meant to catch a flight to Cebu where her sister lives. She ended up in Manila.

IMELDA KEMPIS, TYPHOON SURVIVOR: Noong second night, doon na kami natulog sa airport sa Ormoc. Tapos kaninang alas tres ng umaga, dumating yung C130, papunta na kami doon nakasakay kami. Sabi nila for Cebu. Sumakay naman kami. Pag ano namin dito, nagtatagalog, Maynila naman ito! (On the second night, we slept at the Ormoc airport. Then at 3am this morning, the C130 came. We were able to get on. They said it was for Cebu. So we rode it. When we landed, people spoke in Tagalog. This is Manila!)

Without enough money for a return ticket, Imelda worries about how to get to Cebu. But she is happy to be with her family, and unlike in Tacloban, food here is plenty.

Survivors say until they got to Manila, they received no aid from the government, not even at the airport. Lance admits he and his brother resorted to looting to survive.

LANCE PINO, TYPHOON SURVIVOR: Yung anak ko wala nang tubig, walang nagbibigay ng pagakin doon. Hindi katulad dito meron. Nagbibigay sila ng tubig, pagkain. Sa airport mismo walang pagkain. Pumasok rin ako ng grocery. Kumuha rin ako ng mga pagkain, gatas. (My kid has no more water, no one to give him food. Unlike here, they give water and food. At the airport there’s no food. I went inside the grocery. I got food and milk.)

Lance now plans to wait at the air base for his wife and son. Kathy will be with him, awaiting the arrival of her grandchildren and her eldest child. For now Kathy’s youngest child, 12-year-old Karl, is content in his mother’s care. Karl whispers he lost friends and saw corpses on the streets.

Relief. This is the common sentiment of evacuees who after days of waiting, finally arrived in Manila. With no access to basic goods over a week since typhoon Haiyan, survivors are grateful to at least have food, water and shelter. Natashya Gutierrez, Rappler, Manila.  Rappler.com

The Long Road to Tacloban 
A Rappler team is headed to Tacloban City, Leyte by land. The 24-hour trip will take them through provinces most heavily devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). 
Follow their story here


Help the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (international codename: Haiyan). Visit Rappler’s list ofongoing relief operations in your area. Tell us about your relief and recovery initiatives, emailmove.ph@rappler.com or tweet us @moveph 

Visit rappler.com/typhoon-yolanda for the latest updates on Typhoon Yolanda.


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