Watching people cross the flooded streets of Manila, using the electric wirings as bridges, or crossing the chest-deep water below was not easy even for us who were not affected by the flooding. It was so unreal, it was Typhoon Ondoy.

Ketsana (Typhoon Ondoy) made its landfall at the border of Aurora and Quezon provinces, packed with maximum winds of 85 kilometer per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kilometer per hour on September 26, 2009 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Ketsana_(2009)]. The Typhoon was labeled only as a Tropical Storm and was not considered by PAGASA as a major threat to the country. Only  the provinces of Aurora, northern Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Catanduanes were placed by PAGASA and Public Storm Warning Signal #1 at that.. Metro Manila never had inkling that Typhoon Ondoy would cause a much greater devastation than expected.

On September 26, 2009, Metro Manila experienced consistent heavy rains. It rained for hours and rivers became so swollen that the unexpected occurred. During the Typhoon, the Marikina River breached the dikes and flooded Marikina City, sparing not even those living in exclusive villages. This caused the submersion of the city into more than ten feet of water and knee-deep mud. Other parts of Metro Manila were not spared, Malabon, Muntinlupa, Quezon, Makati, the city of Manila, Pasay, Pasig, Antipolo, Taguig, Valenzuela and San Juan were also flooded. Nearby provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and other Southern Tagalog areas were also flooded. Many have to climb up their roofs to save themselves from the flood and have to stay there under the rain for hours, hungry and cold, waiting for rescue. Because of the unpreparedness of the government, concerned family relatives and friends have to organize rescue operations themselves using pumpboats and even air beds. At the end of the rampage, thousands were rescued, unfortunately, 288 person died as result of the flooding and landslides. Billions of pesos of properties, agriculture and infrastructure were also lost due to Typhoon Ondoy.

According to “green” architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr., the practice of poor urban planning and the building of commercial and residential structures in flood-prone areas caused the massive loss of life and property in several Metro Manila cities making government officials and private developers jointly liable for the loss (www.abs-cbn.com). The government nor the private developers failed to give any reply to counter this accusation.

Well, maybe the accusation is true but what’s done is done. What’s happened has already happened. We can never bring back the loss. What we can only do is learn from our mistakes, be strong, rebuild and recope what’s been lost.