Remembering Typhoon Ondoy

Me and rest of the participants of the The Manila Day Ride keep on exchanging conversation about pushing the set scheduled ride despite of bad weather. Due to heavy rains brought by Typhoon Falcon, Padyak Manilenyo decided to cancel off the ride and move it on July 2. After all, it was a good call for the safety of the group. This occasion led me recalled my experience during Typhoon Ondoy.

September 26, 2009, it was drizzling and raining when we decided to do long rides near north. We agreed to go to Sierra Madre Hotel bike trails via Marcos Hiway from UP Diliman, because this route offers different degree of difficulty and good training for newbies like us.

The experience of battling typhoon Ondoy is something that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Took a short video clip from the bridge after we had our brunch at Mang Vic’s Bulaluhan. This bridge collapsed after 2 hours.

We were chilling when we reached the Garden Cottage marker.

The current of landslide is still tolerable, that we can still manage to push our bikes.

We kept focused and determined when passed by the falling trees, grunting sound of falling rocks from the mountains and collapsed Meralco posts.

“Hindi na ito masaya”. I heard this from my behind after seeing another landslide, only 8 kms more to Sierra Madre Hotel. Some locals told us, someone is trapped and found dead inside the huge landslide and an officer wearing a camouflage uniform confirmed it too. We asked them if they need help, they advised us to leave the place instantly because the bridge connecting Baras and Antipolo is about to collapsed.

We were surprised when we reversed the trail because the earlier recorded scenes changed when we passed by. Since, the bridge connecting Baras and Antipolo is no longer passable, we opted for another route but, the trail going Palo Alto is not passable too due to flash floods. It was a hopeless effort.

We have no other choice but to stay in Baras overnight. Luckily, a Good Samaritan named Marita helped and allowed us to stay for a night in their house.

The next day, we thank Marita and her family for their hospitality. We leave the house and bike back the city, communication were down, no electricity, Marikina can compared to a ghost town. I saw the destruction brought by typhoon Ondoy, houses are submerged, I can’t afford staring those women carrying their babies both batched in mud.

Upon arriving home, I hugged my mom and cried like a baby. That moment, I learned one thing, never underestimate the rain.