On October 28, a mother gave birth to her child while at the Poblacion Evacuation Center (PEC) in Muntinlupa City.
According to witnesses and individuals who assisted her during labor, the nearby barangay health center was unable to provide help as there were no staff on duty. It took nearly two hours before the mother could be brought to the Ospital ng Muntinlupa.
Poor climate, disaster response
As of November 5, around 130 individuals are staying at the Poblacion Evacuation Center (PEC) Previously, affected residents from Pulong Silangan, Rizal Aplaya, and Espeleta Pantalan, who were impacted by rising floodwaters, were relocated to Muntinlupa Elementary School (MES) on October 25.
These communities are located in narrow alleys surrounded by water of Poblacion River and Laguna de Bay. As of 2020, the population of Barangay Poblacion rose to 120,115.
49-year-old Myrna Dela Concepcion, one of the evacuees from Pulong Silangan, shared that although her house is on higher ground, floodwaters still reached waist level.
“Some of my neighbors had water up to their necks, and their homes were swept away,” said Dela Concepcion.
More than 400 individuals from 68 families evacuated due to severe flooding caused by Typhoon Kristine. According to Dela Concepcion, about 100 of them were from Pulong Silangan.
While she expressed gratitude to Barangay Poblacion for informing their community to evacuate on October 23 due to the threat of rising water from Laguna de Bay, she highlighted the difficulties in processing documents to access services and support for safely relocating her family.
“You have to inform the barangay first, then go to the center, then to the school. And there’s a different form to fill out each time. Before you get a tent, you have to complete all these forms,” said Dela Concepcion.
Dela Concepcion’s family stayed at MES for three days before transferring to PEC on October 27. She said they had to request to be moved to PEC as Barangay Poblacion initially offered to transfer them to an evacuation center in Brgy. South Ville 3.
“We couldn’t accept South Ville 3 because it’s far. We’re residents of Poblacion, our children study here—why should they bring us there, and they won’t even cover our children’s transportation costs,” she said.
Dela Concepcion also recounted their first day in the evacuation center, lamenting that they didn’t receive drinking water on the day they evacuated.
“On October 25, food was still okay. On the morning of October 26, it was still alright, but by noon, we had to wait a long time for food, and it wasn’t enough. There was no rice or viand,” shared Dela Concepcion.
“When we were moved here to PEC, there was no assistance at all. Many children here are hungry, and some are still trying to study,” she added.
Of the 130 individuals at PEC, 53 are children, four are senior citizens, three are pregnant women, and five are persons with disabilities (PWDs).
“We don’t expect anything from them anymore. Elections are coming, and they know this will come back to them,” shared 48-year old Jenny Rose Espeleta, not her real name, also a resident of Pulong Silangan.
Like Dela Concepcion, Espeleta’s stilt house had its wooden floor destroyed.
“Our floor is completely submerged, and there’s no one else to fix it but me. I’m a single parent, and my mother is elderly. Some of my children have families of their own. I feel like I’m going to die just from worrying,” Espeleta said tearfully.
Nine people live with Espeleta, including her elderly mother and her child with a disability.
In what seemed like an ordinary family dinner, tragedy struck when intense rain and heavy floodwaters rushed into their stilt house within an hour. That night, they never finished dinner.
“It was 10 PM when we reached MES. I was with Myrna when we evacuated,” she recounted.
While staying at the evacuation center, Espeleta’s two children have continued going to school. Despite their challenging situation, she remains committed to ensuring her children’s education.
“Before, the fare to their school in Aplaya was only P10, but now it’s P15. That extra P5 isn’t a small thing. How much more if we’re moved to South Ville 3? We really wouldn’t be able to afford it,” Espeleta lamented.
Espeleta earns around P500 to P700 through what she calls “Madalang” or on-call work as a caterer. She mentioned that it won’t be until December that she is likely to start getting more jobs again and allow her to earn a steady income.
“As a beneficiary of the 4Ps program, receiving P4,300 a month, the amount isn’t nearly enough especially with our current situation,” Espeleta said.
“But if I get a payout, I’ll definitely use it to fix up our house,” she added.
4Ps or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is a conditional cash transfer program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
On government official’s disrespectful treatment
“They’re disrespecting us. You can see it. You’ve seen and heard how they treat us,” said Espeleta.
On November 6, Manila Today visited PEC to check on the conditions of the evacuees.
The heat was palpable as families crowded together in one tent. Some had even chosen to lay mats outside the tent for a little more space.
At the back door, washed clothes were hung to dry. In the same area were also remnands of the lit candles the evacuees put up during All Souls’ Day in remembering their lost loved ones.
That same day, officials from the Muntinlupa Social Services Department (SSD) arrived.
The officials blamed the evacuees for dirty walls, toilets, and stairs in the PEC.
At around 1:00 PM, the officials forced the evacuees to gather just to scold them about the litter they had observed.
Using a megaphone, one official went from tent to tent without regard for the small children or resting evacuees inside.
“The place is okay, but sometimes it’s hard to get water here, especially for the toilets. There are restrooms, but not all are accessible,” Espeleta added.
According to the evacuees, only two of the six restrooms in the center have been open since they arrived. These were located on the first and second floors. Meanwhile, leaking pipes on the second floor leaves muddy and unsanitary floors, making it hard to keep the restroom clean.
“The way they talk—it’s harsh and disrespectful. It’s inhumane. That’s why I’m speaking up. I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Mary Rose Pelayo, a 25-year-old evacuee.
Espeleta also recalled a confrontation in their barangay when she overheard a comment from some individual working for the barangay.
“One time, I overheard, ‘These pests just won’t leave.’ So I responded, ‘You’re the real pest,’ and they told us we were just relying on the government. I told them, ‘This evacuation center was built with our taxes.’ I may be poor, but I’m not dumb,” she emphasized.
After the scolding, the SSD official filmed the evacuees, including young children, while cleaning the walls and floors.
The official also suggested evacuees who have somewhere else to go could leave the center.
“It’s natural for an evacuation center to get dirty; we evacuees live here, and there are kids. If they have something to say, they should speak calmly. But they don’t, and the kids hear these insults,” Pelayo said.
Pelayo has evacuated three times—during Typhoons Aghon, Carina, and now Kristine.
“There were four families here during Carina. After a few days, they told us to go home if we could. I had to put on a brave face because we couldn’t leave; there was no way through. I was carrying my two-month-old baby,” Pelayo recalled.
After Typhoon Kristine, she said that even though the bridge had been rebuilt, the floor of their home was destroyed.
Pelayo shared she would never forget the hurtful words and treatment they experienced while evacuated during Typhoon Carina. She recalled that they were even called “patay gutom” or beggars.
“I reasoned, ‘We don’t need this because we can buy it ourselves. What we need is a place to stay.’ They can say what they want, but it’s still hurtful. They’re supposed to help us, but instead, we’re being oppressed and blamed. We’re already flooded, and then they speak to us like that. Is that right?” Pelayo lamented.
Pelayo believed there was an attempt to force them out of the PEC because the barangay said they ought to plan an event in the center. However, according to her, no event took place.
“They said there would be an event at the evacuation center. How could they hold an event here? Shouldn’t it be at the barangay hall? Others left because of this, and only four families remained. When there were just two of us, we had to make do and stay under the stairs of the center,” she said.
She shared that the pressure for them to leave PEC stemmed from the doors, sinks, and other parts of the center getting damaged.
Pelayo then questioned where the funds are going, beyond the disaster and calamity response budget, particularly for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE).
“They’re even making us clean the steps on the stairs now. It would be better if they had hired maintenance workers for improvement,” Pelayo said.
“Also, it is normal for things to get damaged as time goes by. But really, what kind of materials are they even using? Why do these break so easily?” she added.
