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2009, someone said was a “year of deaths and disasters”. While many were yet to recover from the devastation of the successive typhoons that hit our country this year, several more tragedies challenged the Filipino spirit and have left us wondering if there’s even any reason left to celebrate the coming Yuletide season.
In this Christian nation – where Christmas is the most celebrated of all holidays – December is often marked with a cheerful mood and festive merrymaking. But such was not the case in Legaspi, Albay this year, where many of the residents living near the Mayon Volcano were forced to evacuate their homes due to threats of the volcano’s impending eruption.
Mayon
Early this month, the Mayon – known in the world for its “perfect cone” – showed signs of eruption: experts recorded volcanic tremors or quakes at the foot of the volcano; while its craters continued to spew ash plumes and hot, glowing lava down its slopes.
For days, Mayon’s activity heightened, prompting local officials to declare a “state of calamity” in the province. Hoping for zero casualties, Albay Governor Joey Salceda ordered a forced evacuation of the residents living within 6 to 8 kilometers from the volcano.
While the volcano top – which sparked and glowed with ember and boiling magma, looked like a magnificent fireworks display from afar, it spelled disaster for most residents who had to spend Christmas with thousands of other evacuees in cramped, makeshift rooms; with relief goods for their midnight feast.
Fires
While those in evacuation had to make do with canned goods and instant noodles for Noche Buena, many Filipinos hardly even had anything to feast on – not with their homes and all of their possessions lost in fire.
Next to March, the month of December has the most number of fire cases – usually caused by faulty firecrackers and defective Christmas lights.
In Mandaue City, Cebu, three people – including a pregnant woman and two children, aged 7 and 8 – were charred to death after fire razed a row of firecracker stalls on the evening of December 24. .
The blaze started after a customer from one store lighted a “kwitis” which flew in the direction of the other stalls. The fire immediately spread – wiping out 46 firecracker shops and razing a multi-cab and several motorcycles parked nearby.
Meanwhile, a mother and her daughter were killed after being trapped inside their burning home in the posh East Greenhills Subdivision in Mandaluyong City on December 26.
The fire was reportedly caused by overheated Christmas lights displayed in the victims’ front door and sala.
The biggest fire incident reported this month was in Makati and Pasay City last December 23 which left at least 2,000 families homeless and destroyed over P5 million worth of property.
The blaze started in Baranggay Bangkal in Makati City because of a “rice cooker that was left unattended” . According to fire officials, strong winds caused the fire to creep quickly towards the neighboring Malibay Village in Pasay City – hitting rows of shanties made of highly-combustible material.
The blaze gutted at least 600 homes, a bus station and a gasoline station in Pasay.
'MV Catalyn B and MV Baleno 9 double sea tragedy'
Homes were lost and Christmas celebrations were stalled, yet perhaps, there is no greater tragedy than those whose lives perished in the ill-fated MV Catalyn B and MV Baleno 9, in consecutive sea mishaps to commence on the very eve of Christmas.
Motor banca, MV Catalyn B, carrying 14 crew members and 59 passengers sank after it collided with a much bigger vessel, FV Anatalia just a few miles off Limbones Island in Cavite on December 24.
Catalyn B, owned by San Nicholas Shipping Line left the Manila port at 9 p.m. on Wednesday and was headed for Lubang Island in Mindoro when its wooden bow rammed the steel body of Anatalia at around 2:20 a.m. Thursday.
Coast Guard officials reported five casualties from the wreck and 46 survivors. The 22 missing are believed to have been trapped inside the sunken ferry.
In less than a week’s time, Roll-on, Roll off (RORO) vessel MV Baleno 9, met a similar fate – this time off the coast of Verde Island in Batangas province. Baleno sailed from Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro to Batangas City on the night of December 26.
Although the manifest presented by ship owner, Besta Shipping Lines Inc., showed that Baleno only carried 20 passengers and 18 crew members, the actual headcount revealed that there were actually 123 passengers in the ferry. Of the total, there were 6 fatalities, 73 survivors and 44 still missing.
An official from Philippine Coast Guard disclosed during a recent senate hearing that the “second-hand” Baleno was not designed to sail on open sea. The investigation also revealed that the ship was manned by a marine deck officer and not by a certified ship captain.
Endings are also beginnings, they say. However these tragedies dampened our spirits and had us – in several instances – question our faith, we Filipinos, with our resilience and ‘never-say-die’ attitude, will surely rise above and beyond these challenges and have something bright and hopeful to look forward to in the coming year.
"Reach Out Touch Faith” by Demetrios Varoumas, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved
“Mayon” by Gerard Boragay, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved
“Ruby avenue fire” by tree & j hensdill, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved
"Sinking Ship, Harwich" by Ben Scicluna, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.
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