Ibo evacuee-couple’s wish for Christmas: Have a safe place to stay, sleep

Carmelinda and Leonito Muñez, who lost their house and most of their belongings to the big waves brought by tropical depression Vicky, will continue to stay at the evacuation center in Ibo Elementary School. | Futch Anthony Inso

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — “What I would ask God this Christmas is for us to have a safe place to stay and sleep.”

This is the Christmas wish of Leonito Muñez, a senior citizen, who together with his wife, were among the 90 families in Sitio Apro, Barangay Ibo, Lapu-Lapu City whose houses were destroyed by big waves brought by Tropical Depression Vicky last Friday, December 18.

“Ang pangayuon nako sa Ginoo nga karong Pasko, makapuyo mi ug linaw nga katulganan. Malikay mi sa mga peligro,” said Muñez, 68-year-old resident who had resided in the area for 10 years.

(What I will wish and will ask God this Christmas is for us to have a safe place to sleep. We will not be put in danger.)

Muñez said said that during the incident on Friday night, December 18, 2020, his family were not able to salvage any of their belongings, after their house collapsed.

Muñez was originally from Pagadian, Zamboanga, and has migrated to Lapu-Lapu City, together with his 63-year-old wife, Carmelinda, after their siblings have already settled here.

But aside from their house that has collapsed, Muñez also said that they were not able to save the P10,000 cash, P8,000 of which is the financial assistance that he and his wife have received as the Christmas bonus from the city for senior citizens.

“Apil ug kalunod kay kumpyansa lagi kay nangatulog mi. Pag-ana karon sa balay, dagan dayon mi. Basta malibre lang ang kinabuhi, kay ang kwarta makita ra man na,” Muñez said.

(The cash was among the things we lost because we were confident about it being safe in our house and we slept there. But when the house gave way, we hurriedly ran to save ourselves because the money we can find it.)

Read: In Photos: CDRRMO lists 83 homes in Brgy Ibo that were damaged by big waves

Munez and his wife and 90 other affected families will likely spend their Christmas in the evacuation center at the Ibo Elementary School because their houses were destroyed by the big waves.

Jesus Marcus Antonious Bao, social welfare office II of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), said that of the families affected in Sitio Apro, 62 houses were totally damaged, while 28 houses were partially damaged.

Read: Chan mulls transfer of Ibo families displaced by ‘storm surge’

But the CSWDO has recommended that they will stay at the evacuation center, until such time that the city can find a relocation site for them, or if they have a relative where they can stay.

“Ang uban sir, nag-express man gyud sila nga wala pa silay kabalhinan kay totally damaged man gyud ang ilang panimalay no. Unlike katong partially damaged wherein nag-repair na sila sa ilang mga balay,” Bao said.

(The others told us that they had no place to transfer because their houses were destroyed. Unlike those whose houses were partially damaged and they just repaired their houses.)

He added that today, December 21, 2020, is the last day that the city would provide a packed lunch to the evacuees. 

But Bao said that by tomorrow, they would establish a community kitchen in the evacuation center so that evacuees could cook their food.

Bao also said that they also requested the Department of Education (DepEd) to extend the stay of the evacuees in the school./dbs