00:00 It's not my first time in Siargao.
00:02 My uncle is already a local in Siargao.
00:05 And then we got our own Airbnb
00:07 that we rented in Siargao.
00:10 That's why we always go to Siargao.
00:12 We arrived on December 15, 2021,
00:20 so a day before the supposed landfall of the typhoon.
00:23 If it's a typhoon,
00:25 we feel that if it's strong,
00:27 the flight will be canceled.
00:28 So we thought that everything was cleared.
00:31 The three of us went to Siargao that time.
00:33 We were staying at Tropical Temple
00:35 the day of the landfall.
00:37 That morning, I was still able to go to school
00:40 because we were face-to-face in an online class.
00:42 Then it started raining and the wind was strong.
00:45 So around 11am, the signal was lost.
00:48 The electricity was gone, the water was gone.
00:50 We didn't panic much because it was just raining.
00:53 Our room was just sleeping.
00:55 We didn't know that the other room,
00:57 the room next to us,
00:58 had already moved its roof.
01:00 Then in front of us, the roof of the room fell.
01:03 We were so lucky that the room we were staying in
01:06 was just sleeping,
01:07 as in, it wasn't damaged.
01:09 So around 11.30am or 12am,
01:11 we were evacuated to a dorm-type area
01:14 that was just cemented.
01:16 You don't have a window inside the room,
01:18 so it was very hot.
01:20 It was also sleeping, so it was wet.
01:22 But it was okay because there was no wind.
01:26 So we were safe inside their dorm-type rooms.
01:30 At 2pm, the rain started to pour.
01:34 It was already dark at 5pm in Siargao.
01:37 We ran out of electricity.
01:39 They had an emergency light, but it was small
01:42 because we were a lot of people.
01:44 It was just a hallway.
01:46 And then that night,
01:48 since we didn't have food,
01:50 they cooked what was left of the tropical temple.
01:54 So a few rice,
01:57 and tuna in a can,
01:59 and then chicken that was left.
02:01 It was just a little bit.
02:03 They made room for almost 50 people
02:05 because the place we were staying in,
02:08 the Laughing Pirate, if I'm not mistaken,
02:11 was pure glass, so it was broken.
02:13 So the people who were staying there
02:15 evacuated us as well.
02:17 So we were almost 50.
02:18 The water we had left was only 4 gallons.
02:21 We had no rice, no water, no food.
02:26 It was so dark,
02:27 and we could hear the glass falling.
02:30 We couldn't get out because we were stuck there.
02:33 The next day, after the typhoon,
02:41 on the 17th of the morning,
02:42 at 5am, we started walking.
02:44 When we got out, we saw that
02:46 all the roads were blocked.
02:49 So we started walking at 5am to find a signal,
02:54 and of course, food as well,
02:56 because we didn't have food supply,
02:58 like the last food supply for that night.
03:01 We hitchhiked on our motorcycles
03:03 to the place where they said
03:07 that we could use the radio to find a signal.
03:10 When we arrived in the municipality,
03:12 there was no signal, no one was there.
03:14 So they said that all the people in the municipality
03:17 were already at the mayor's house.
03:19 So we went to the mayor's house,
03:22 and they didn't tell us anything.
03:25 They said that the signal tower was okay,
03:29 but the satellite dishes were broken.
03:32 So we didn't know when we would get a signal.
03:35 So they said, "Not anytime soon."
03:38 All they can say is, "We have to wait."
03:41 Maybe by that time, later or tomorrow,
03:44 the next day, there will be rounds of helicopters.
03:49 So that's when we'll hope for a signal.
03:55 So we went home after 6 hours of walking
03:59 and looking for a signal around 11.30am.
04:02 I went back to Tropical, and we ate.
04:06 But the problem is, we didn't have water supply,
04:09 so we had to go to the well.
04:13 We only had two small pails of water.
04:16 Because we also have to think about the other people there.
04:20 We really had to save with our supplies.
04:23 So we went to the beach, and took a bath there.
04:26 Since I have an uncle who is already a local in Siargao,
04:30 so we crossed paths.
04:32 I think that was the first time I cried,
04:34 because I saw my uncle,
04:36 and I was still alive, and we were still okay.
04:39 He told me that he would pick me up when everything was okay.
04:43 That time, I was so sad,
04:45 because Siargao is so beautiful,
04:47 especially if you've been there pre-pandemic.
04:50 After the pandemic, they just started to open again,
04:54 because they just opened with tourists.
04:57 And then, this time,
04:59 nothing was left in Siargao.
05:02 It's super wiped out.
05:04 The famous boardwalk in Cloud 9,
05:07 I think they said it was still in the 90s.
05:10 Nothing was left in the boardwalk in Siargao.
05:13 It was heartbreaking for me,
05:14 because I really consider it as my second home.
05:18 So when I saw it,
05:20 as in the morning after the storm,
05:23 it was really washed out.
05:25 It really hurts my heart
05:27 that that's what's happening in Siargao.
05:30 Actually, that's why we were able to go home,
05:38 because I said I have an uncle
05:41 who's already a local in Siargao.
05:43 So, on the 18th,
05:45 he followed me to the tropical temple,
05:47 along with my two friends.
05:49 Then, he stayed with us at his place,
05:51 because luckily, his place is on the second floor.
05:54 It wasn't destroyed, because it was cemented and everything.
05:58 And then, I remember,
06:00 we were also outside, looking for food and signal.
06:03 Then, when we got back to the room,
06:05 he had a paper stuck on the door
06:10 when he was staying,
06:11 because I can read it.
06:13 He said,
06:15 "Alison, I booked us a boat
06:18 for tomorrow at 4 a.m.
06:21 Please prepare your stuff to go home.
06:23 We are out for errands.
06:24 See you later."
06:25 Something like that.
06:26 That was the second time I cried,
06:29 because I said,
06:30 "Oh my God, I can go home now."
06:33 I actually left my luggage in Siargao.
06:35 I left it there.
06:36 The only thing I brought home was a single backpack
06:39 with my essentials.
06:41 It took us almost 14 hours in transit
06:45 before we could get to Manila.
06:48 We didn't have any food,
06:50 just biscuits and water.
06:52 No other food,
06:54 because we were in transit.
06:57 And of course, all the places we went to were destroyed.
07:01 We didn't have any food.
07:03 And then also, we were already short of money,
07:06 because the boat ride was already expensive,
07:09 the multi-cab ride was expensive,
07:11 the bus ride, and even the flight.
07:13 They were already expensive.
07:14 But we could just go home.
07:16 We were like, "Okay, let's grab that
07:18 even if we don't get to eat first.
07:20 We'll just pay later.
07:23 Like, credit card, whatever we can afford.
07:27 We can just go home."
07:29 It's actually very underreported.
07:32 It's like,
07:33 it's not given justice
07:37 for what really happened in Siargao.
07:39 Even in nearby places like Cebu,
07:42 Palawan, Leyte.
07:44 Because I also have friends in Palawan
07:46 until now, they don't have a signal.
07:48 It's like,
07:49 they're just looking for a place with a signal,
07:52 but everywhere,
07:53 there's still no signal.
07:54 So, I'm really asking for everyone's help.
07:58 If you have something to spare,
08:00 you can donate with different trusted channels.
08:04 It's not just monetary donations that they're asking for.
08:07 They're also asking for in-kind donations.
08:10 If you've already been to Siargao
08:12 or you have plans to go to Siargao,
08:14 Siargao needs our help right now.
08:17 The most beautiful island that we once knew,
08:21 it's gone now.
08:22 And they really need our help
08:24 so that they can stand again
08:25 and they can go back to operation
08:27 and even the livelihoods of the locals there.
08:30 So, they really, really need your help.
08:32 Also, I hope you can find it in your hearts
08:36 that we help the locals in Siargao
08:38 so that they can go back to their livelihoods
08:42 and they can open their doors again to our tourists.
08:45 If you have an inspiring story like this,
08:57 email us at stories.onlygood@gmail.com.
09:00 And don't forget to subscribe to the OZee Channel.
09:04 Thank you for watching.
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