Witnessing the devastation
Jose Ceralde
1 June 2008
Just back in the US of A, 30 May.
What a visit in the Philippines, with the passing of the Typhoon Cosme with Pangasinan and Bonuan dead center.
Leaving the country, I recall the cost of diesel to be peg seemingly to the cost of the dollar at 45 pesos to a liter. The power in most places is still out, and in Bonuan especially, it cost me a thousand pesos to fire up the generator for 24 hours to fend off the unbearable heat with electric fans and small refrigerator.
Right after the typhoon, we drove around or walked around because lots of electric posts were pulled out off the ground or cement posts were broken in half and blocked the roads.
Lingayen, Binmaley had lots of roofs blown off. Calasiao proper public school was still underwater and the Urdaneta portion of MacArthur highway was still flooded.
Devastation is hard to look at having been used to seeing military assistance used outside US in very effective way.
The good thing is seeing the resiliency and the uncomplaining people pulling roof sheets from the ground and putting them back on without any assistance from government or NGO.
Decorp with its old trucks could be seen trying to put lines back up and minimized the pilferage of the down lines. Live wires are hard to steal.
They were joined a week later by the other power cooperatives. It was amazing but you have to be local to admire their work with limited resources at hand.
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