Little Ondoy Stories

After Ondoy, people in our neighborhood gossiped about random people in our baranggay. Someone drowned, someone lost their house, the works. Some stories are tragic, some are funny. Some are weird. Here are three of my favorites.

1. BUMALIK KA NA SA PINANGALINGAN MO! (Go back where you came from)

A man was trapped in the middle of the heavy rain. Worried about his family at home, he tried to wade through the flood in our baranggay. At first, the flood was only knee deep. Then waist deep. A few meters later, waters reached his chest. 

He stopped for a while, thinking about what to do. Then from afar, he saw two girls, standing in waist deep waters. Relieved that he’ll be able to get home, he walked on, until the two girls started screaming (somewhat angrily) at him. “BUMALIK KA NA SA PINANGALINGAN MO! WAG KANG PUPUNTA DITO!” (Go back where you came from Don’t go here!) Puzzled, he walked on.

The girls shouted, “ANO BA, WAG KA NA NGANG PUPUNTA DITO! Nakatungtong lang kami sa oner (owner-type jeep), di mo kakayanin!” (We said don’t go here! We’re only standing on top of an owner type jeep!)

2. Faint

A man was evacuating his family from their house. He first carried his son out, then had him stand on top of a nearby tricycle. Then he went back to their house for his wife and two other kids. When they got out, the wife saw her other child on top of an almost submerged tricycle. Maybe she was too nervous or something that she fainted on the spot! Poor guy had to drag his unconcious wife and three kids through shoulder-deep waters.

3. Uhm, party?

Tullahan river runs beside our baranggay. At the other end of the river was a beer factory. When the flood went down, peole living beside the river found at least hundred cans of beer lodged on the river side. Apparently, a wall of the beer factory gave way and cases (lots of them!) of beer were carried off by the river to our area. Don’t let good beer go to waste eh? To celebrate surviving Ondoy, they decided to have a little street party and get drunk. Some decided to sell their beer loot at 10 pesos per can.