'Ondoy' takes family on wild ride down raging river

For two hours at the height of Tropical Storm Ondoy, Romeo Abia and 26 other people found themselves hurtling down a raging Marikina river while balancing on a floating pile of debris. Most of them were residents of Barangay Bagong Silangan, an impoverished community demolished by the flood.

Earlier in the morning of September 26, incessant rains from Ondoy became flood waters that rose to more than 24 feet in their community, which lined the banks of the Marikina River. Romeo's entire family was standing on a rooftop with no escape route when the swollen river plowed through the rows of houses at around 8 a.m. Rather than being swept away, they jumped on a floating, entangled mass of garbage, tree trunks, galvanized iron roofing, and plywood that had clumped together. Some of the other people on the accidental raft were strangers whom Romeo says might have been carried by the current from upstream. As they neared the San Mateo bridge, Romeo looked at his wife Mary Jane and their two children – Marjorie, 13, and Mark, 10 – and wondered if they would make it past the concrete span. The water had risen to the same level as the bridge, and their flimsy raft would certainly smash into its massive concrete supports. “Kami ng asawa ko magaling lumangoy kasi lumaki kami sa tabi ng dagat, pero yung mga anak ko hindi (My wife and I are good swimmers because we grew up near the sea, but my children aren’t)," he said, massaging his bruised leg as he narrated their death-defying journey to this reporter a few days later. Dramatic video captured the moment they neared the bridge and the debris riders waved frantically for help. [See YouTube video of the so-called 'river surfers' believed to be Romeo's group.] When the floating debris collided with the bridge, Romeo heard a loud thud and frantic screaming. “Pumailalim kami, nakainom ako ng maraming tubig (We went under and I drank a lot of water)," Romeo recalled. When the screaming stopped, the pile of debris had cleared the bridge but only 11 people remained, among them Romeo’s family. But more bridges lay ahead. Two more bridges Aling Nenita, who lived several blocks away from Romeo’s house, heard the news that people were being swept away by the river. She called some neighbors to help evacuate those who remained stranded on their rooftops to avoid a similar ordeal, but they returned with bad news. “Umatras sila kasi naglalabasan na raw yung mga ahas na ga-braso ang haba(They retreated because snakes as long as one’s arm had started coming out)," Aling Nenita said. Other neighbors could only watch from the riverbank in horror. “Nakikita ko sila inaanod, wala naman akong magawang tulong kasi kahit kami takot (I could see them being swept away but I could not do anything because I was scared too)," said Mario Agubian, another resident of Bagong Silangan, which is home to some 3,500 families. It was now almost 1 p.m. and the Tumana bridge was drawing near. On the bridge, onlookers began throwing anything that the people could hold on to: ropes, electrical wires, sticks. But Romeo knew it would be better if they stayed on the floating refuse. “Umiiyak na yung asawa’t anak ko. Sabi ko sa kanila, lakasan nyo loob nyo. Kumapit lang kayo (My wife and kids were crying. I told them, just be strong. Hold on)," Romeo said. When they hit the bridge in Tumana, the large mass broke into several pieces. Six of them, including Romeo’s family, clung to one of the piles of debris. Swept away Carcasses of carabaos, pigs, and dogs drifted by while Romeo’s family clung to their makeshift raft for three hours. “Kailangan naming mabuhay, ‘kako kailangan naming makaaalis agad sa ilog (We needed to live, I told myself we need to get out of the river)," Romeo said. As they headed for a head-on collision with the Marikina Bridge, Romeo knew this was their last chance to survive. Beyond the bridge, the river would split in two and if they were still on the floating debris, they would end up past the Pasig City flood gates and into the open sea. Romeo saw people throwing ropes from the bridge. He told his family that they had to take the chance. “Sabi ko talon at kumapit sila sa kahit ano(I told them to jump and grab onto anything they could)," Romeo said. When they hit the bridge, Romeo and his son jumped off and grabbed hold of a metallic fixture. Shaking from the cold and with almost nothing on, they were later fished out of the raging river by strangers and brought to the Marikina River Banks. Meanwhile, his wife Mary Jane pushed their daughter Marjorie out towards the other side, where the latter clung tightly to the iconic statue of the mermaid by the riverbanks. The strong currents prevented rescuers from reaching her immediately. “Kumapit lang ako, wala akong iniisip na ibang bagay, basta kumapit ako (I just held on, I didn’t think about anything else, I just held on)," Marjorie said. At 2 a.m. the following day, when the waters began to subside, Romeo was finally reunited with his daughter. But his wife was nowhere to be found. After she pushed off Marjorie, it was too late and Mary Jane had drifted off with the floating debris. “Pinakain nila kami, maraming nakalatag sa lamesa. Pero ‘di ako makakain, inaalala ko yung asawa ko (They were feeding us, there was a lot of food on the table. But I couldn’t eat, I kept thinking about my wife)," Romeo said. It had been more than four hours since Romeo’s family made the treacherous journey from Quezon City to Marikina City. Of the 27 people on the pile of debris, 19 remain missing, including a mother and her baby. [See next page: A mother fights for her life] Mary Jane When Romeo and his two children returned to Bagong Silangan, more than 30 bodies lay on the covered court, some fished out as far away as Marikina and Pasig City. One by one, Romeo looked through them. He also went to hospitals to check on the injured. But Mary Jane wasn’t there. “Ang bigat ng pakiramdam ko habang pauwi, hindi ko alam yung gagawin ko (I felt so heavy while going home, I no longer knew what to do)," he said. But Romeo’s luck was about to turn. When he opened the door of his brother-in-law’s house on Sept. 28, a loud scream of joy rang out. “Hindi ako makapaniwala na buhay sila, buhay kaming lahat. Nagpasalamat talaga ako sa Diyos," a bruised Mary Jane said. She had drifted on the mass of debris for 30 more minutes in the Marikina River when she encountered strong currents and fell off, floating further down until she hit the muddy river bed. She lost consciousness and heard a chorus of high-pitched voices welcoming her.

Mary Jane had drifted on the mass of debris for 30 minutes more in the Marikina river when she encountered strong currents and was toppled off, floating further down until she hit the muddy river bed. - Joseph Holandes

The next thing she knew, she was lying in the Pasig General Hospital with gauze on her forehead. Mary Jane kept screaming and pleading with the doctors to let her go. “Gusto kong makita yung mga anak ko (I wanted to see my kids)," she told them. Finally, when Mary Jane proved that she could walk and no longer needed medical attention, she was released. She went straight to her brother’s house, thinking that nothing would be left of their house. There, she waited until their tearful reunion. Lucky For their first meal as a reunited family, they shared tinola and litson manok. “Yun na ang pinakamahabang biyahe ng buhay ko (That was the longest journey of my life)," Romeo said. When the couple returned to their house, they were prepared to see nothing but rubble, but to their surprise, it had withstood the floods. However, it looked like an empty shell as most of their furniture was washed away and none of their appliances were salvaged. “Pero nagulat kami kasi yung isa naming aso, nandoon pa at sumunod sa amin, buhay pa pala (But we were surprised to see our dog was still there, it even followed us, he’s still alive)," Romeo said.

After their harrowing ordeal, Romeo and Mary Jane are picking up the pieces of their lives in Bagong Silangan. Their daughter Marjorie and son Mark, however, need to get over their traumatic experience. - Joseph Holandes

After their harrowing ordeal, Romeo and Mary Jane are picking up the pieces, especially for their children who need counseling. Marjorie had kept to herself for two days, barely speaking and telling her aunt she no longer wanted to go to school. Mark was more playful, but Mary Jane fears her son is merely trying to cope silently. “Marami sa mga tao dito ang traumatized. Takot na sa tubig. Okay yung relief goods pero sana matulungan din kami sa loob namin (A lot of people here are traumatized. They are afraid of the floods. The relief goods are okay, but we need healing from within too)," she said. When the water in Bagong Silangan receded, people started to rebuild their lives, even as most are still grieving the death of loved ones. Meanwhile, Romeo said their experience has made his family stronger, and no storm in life would tear them apart. “Pero ‘wag lang sana bumaha uli (But I hope it doesn’t flood again)," he said. - GMANews.TV