home
PART 1
PART 2
reach us
Disclaimer: This project is a student-initiative output developed for CAMRDHC class and does not represent the official position and/or opinions of De La Salle University - Taft Manila.
THE LIFE AROUND TAAL
T
he municipality of Mataas na Kahoy, located in the northeastern region of Batangas, is among the beneficiaries of Ugnayan ng Pahinungod. Specifically, Barangay Nangkaan of Purok 6, one of the districts in Mataas na Kahoy. It is known to be the closest area to the Taal Volcano.
70 families
The district consists of around
and the majority of the residents are the youth compared to the senior citizens. Their houses were built on a steep slope near the shore of Taal Lake, which could be difficult for the elderly people of Purok 6.
In addition, due to the steep path, both uphill and downhill, going through their community, the team found it challenging to reach but with the assistance of Ugnayan ng Pahinungod and the local government, we got the chance to witness and explore the locality first-hand.
Thus, the estimated travel time from Metro Manila to Brgy Nangkaan, Purok 6, Mataas na Kahoy is around an hour and forty-five minutes
Moreover, this location is indeed well-known for its picturesque and breathtaking view. However, behind those stunning characteristics lies its hazardous aspect as the iconic Taal Lake and Volcano surround it.
MR. Mario Vergara Orense
The community, especially the Barangay Nangkaan, was at high risk of experiencing volcanic eruption, volcanic gases, ashfalls, lava flows, pyroclastic flows, base surges, sulfur dioxide emissions, earthquakes, and many others (Gavilan, 2020 & Lagmay et al., 2021). With these factors, it had a significant impact on the locals’ daily activities, well-being, as well as their livelihood.
In fact, Mr. Mario Vergara Orense, the former captain of Barangay Nangkaan, shared a brief background of Taal Volcano wherein some locals believe that the volcano only erupts
Former Barangay Captain of Brgy. Nangkaan
once every 50 years
Behind the Beauty, Lies Devastation
The residents of Purok 6 were just having their normal day until the volcano erupted on January 12, 2020, after 42 years of quietness.
N
“...Pinalikas ang mga tao at katulong nga ang LGU. Edi hinakot ng hinakot yung mga tao sa–halos lahat ay sa central school at La Purisima. Ayun kasi ang naging evacuation center ng tatlong—dahil …tayo dito, sa tinatayoan nating ‘to, tayo’y mga nasa 9km doon sa crater, eh 14Km yung kanilang required na dapat ay lumikas.”
anay Teodora de Ocampo Larguisa (left), Nanay Lilia Dimayuga Embrado (middle), and Nanay Merlinda Gadila Lubi (right) shared that when they felt the activity of the volcano, it caused them to feel fear and panic. Meanwhile, other residents alarmingly ran to evacuate on their own which led people from their area scattered to different places to keep safe.
T
he municipality of Mataas na Kahoy and the Barangay Nangkaan local officials also announced the immediate evacuation of the residents on the same day. Mr. Mario Orense shared that around 2-3 PM, the volcano started to emit volcanic smog or vog, they immediately took action to evacuate the residents in the area as they were within the 14-kilometer danger zone of the volcano, specifically at 9 kilometers, which requires them to move to a safer place to avoid casualties.
With the sudden eruption and emergency evacuation, the residents were not able to prepare what to bring.
N
anay Teodora shared that they just grabbed any clothes and things they can bring to the evacuation center. Meanwhile, Nanay Lilia was not able to get any of her belongings.
“Wala kaming ka-ide-ideya na ‘yong araw na ‘yon ay siya’y puputok. Wala wala kaming alam. Wala kaming ideya na siya’y puputok. Kaya, ang damit, hakot kabi-kabila.” - Nanay Teodora
“Wala, kami’y nag-alisan nang walang dala. Palibhasa’y biglaan.” - Nanay Lilia
As they left their homes, they also had to leave their livelihood.
T
Photo by Eloisa Lopez
he residents living within the danger zone like Nanay Teodora, Lilia, and Merlinda resided for more than 2 weeks in the evacuation centers. During those times, they still cannot refrain from visiting their homes and checking on their animals. To ensure their safety and that there would be no one left in the danger zone, they were accompanied by the police whenever they visited. Aling Teodora mentioned that on the third day of their stay at the evacuation center, they went back to check on their animals and they were still in good condition. However, as they were away for some time, some of their animals died.
T
he communities rely heavily on fishing for their income. Yet, the unfavorable conditions, especially the Taal Volcano eruption, prevented them from continuing their usual routine of going down the lake to catch fish. Due to the volcanic activity, the water becomes hazardous as it emits the smell of sulfur dioxide which could cause difficulty breathing, irritate the throat, and persistent coughing.
Photo by The STAR / Miguel de Guzman
Ang Diskarte at Bayanihan sa Purok 6 : Their Resiliency
Ang Diskarte at Bayanihan sa Purok 6 : Their Resiliency
After the Volcanic Eruption, the residents returned to their respective houses. However, they claim that, even though they have brought a lot of food with them from the donations and were able to make a living, their situation was never the same as before and in fact, has gotten worse.
Nanay Lilia Dimayuga Embrado specifically stated,
“E ‘di noong aming balikan, patay na ang hayop. Marami hong alaga namin ay manok. E ‘di marami po ang patay na nang aming balikan”
Another local, Nanay Teodora de Ocampo Larguisa added that even their plants are affected,
“Ang mga halamang naiwan wala nang inabot”
From this point on, we can observe that the incident caused a massive effect as it happened one after the other. It provoked their fears, destroyed their houses, and killed their animals, adding to their misery.
On one hand, Ms. Aileen Leyesa Andal, the municipal agriculturist of Mataas na Kahoy, also pointed this out during the interview, stating the significance of prioritizing saving not only human lives but also animal lives because after the disaster, if their source of income is lost, what would the community do or expect? This would lead to a bigger problem.
With this, she highlights the government's effort during the eruption to balance saving the lives of the animals and limiting them from going through the area for their safety such as giving them a window hour to feed their animals with an escort to ensure their welfare as well as having a designed area where they can put the animals—cows, goats, pigs, chickens, etc.
Despite these measures, most of the livestock did not survive as the Purok 6 residents previously mentioned which further leads to their suffering up until this day. They additionally told their story concerning their main source of livelihood (fishing). They stated that…
“Madalang ang mahuling isda.”
- Nanay Teodora de Ocampo Larguisa
“walang hanapbuhay. Hindi pwede mangisda. Wala rin namang mahuhuli” - Nanay Teodora de Ocampo Larguisa added,
“malaki ang pinagbago walang basehan ang hanapbuhay. Walang basehan ang isda na nahuhuli”
- Nanay Lilia Dimayuga Embrado
“walang hanapbuhay. Hindi pwede mangisda. Wala rin namang mahuhuli”
- Nanay Teodora de Ocampo Larguisa added
“may amoy ang tubig. Amoy asophorate”
- Nanay Lilia Dimayuga Embrado added
Aside from that, to cope with the lack of livelihood, specifically in fishing, they had to look for other jobs to make ends meet.
Some choose to do other people’s laundry, like Nanay Teodora, while some opt to become construction workers. For example, Nanay Leonila Lubi Villadolid ’s husband, a 72-year-old man, decided to do construction work for the sake of his family and their daily needs.
pagtapos ng isang
Everything have strings attached to it.
The Taal Volcano eruption is just one of the hazards that residents of Purok 6, and their barangay–barangay Nangkaan– are facing. They are also vulnerable and being affected by earthquakes, typhoons, flooding, landslides, and the COVID-19 Pandemic.
First is earthquakes, specifically volcanic earthquakes. This was experienced firsthand by Mr. Mario Orense when one night they were on the third floor of the barangay hall, watching the Taal Volcano, looking like a fountain firecracker, he said,
“Kinabahan laang kami kasi yung parang lumilindol siya ng bahagya, kaya noong sunday ng gabi kami, nilisan din namin ang aming barangay hall parang nagwwave yung aming third floor doon eh dahil Doon kami nanonood eh. kung kami’y nakarating doon para siyang nagwiwave na kahit semintado ay parang randam Mo“
- Mr. Mario Orense
After the event, the next day they returned to the building and informed other personnel to look out for sudden movements.
Next is typhoons, floods, and landslides.
Typhoons are one of the most common hazards that occur in the Philippines as it is formed in the Pacific Ocean.
However, the flooding and landslides that it may bring could be affecting the residents, specifically of Purok 6. Ms. Maribel Maralit Orense mentioned that flooding brought by typhoons and intense rainfalls has been affecting the area. This could be caused by the community located in a low-lying area of the barangay, where most of the water from the uphill portion flows down, making them a catchbasin.
Additionally, the Purok is vulnerable to landslides due to its steep sloped land. When Typhoon Glenda in 2014 hit the Philippines, it caused a landslide to Purok 6 where Nanay Lilia, Teodora, and Merlinda live. It became a disaster as there were 2 casualties, Nanay Lilia’s family members.
Lastly, is the COVID-19 pandemic. While they were still recovering from the effects of the Taal volcano eruption, the pandemic has brought them another challenge. They struggled to acquire facemasks due to restrictions and limited stocks, especially during the earlier times of the pandemic.
“E kung kinapos man ho e, nung minsan naman ho, pahirapan ang nabibilhan. Pahirapan ang pagbili kung minsan ay walang mabili.”
“Pag-alis mo pa dito, kailangan mamamaalam ka sa mga barangay bago ka makarating ng bayan para makabili ka lang ng iyong kakainin. Nung pandemic nga ‘yon, may mga papel kaming dala na katunayan na may bibilhin ka.”
- Nanay Teodora
- Nanay Lilia
Ang patuloy na pagbangon ng Purok 6
Undeniably, their remarks strongly reveal the difficult situation they have to grapple with and vividly express their worries through the recounting of their experiences. Furthermore, for them, the incident also served as a lesson to become prepared for disasters because they used to have no personal emergency Go Bags but due to this, they frequently prepared their necessities.
Nevertheless, even though the Taal Eruption and other disasters put the locals of Purok 6 in a tough spot, they evidently showed their appreciation for the local government, organizations (like Ugnayan ng Pahinungod-Manila), and individuals who generously donated and assisted their community as this significantly helped their community to recover and survive.
Overall, despite those obstacles, they remained full of determination and spirit, embodying Filipino traits, particularly optimism, gratefulness, and resilience. Through their unwavering faith and trust in God and the Filipino community, which offered them with utmost support and donations, they never gave up or lost hope.
Regardless, we encourage everyone to continuously help the community to rise again from their hardship. It can be as simple as assisting them in their livelihood, providing fishing nets, or other forms of helping.
SUPPORT OUR PROJECT
You may also support our project, Lambat Ng Liwanag or Nets of Light. This projects aims to provide acquire donations to provide the residents of Purok 6 of Brgy. Nangkaan with nets or lambat that would be helpful for their livelihood.
L
L
ng
ambat
iwanag
If you are interested to support this project, please contact:
Maribel Maralit Orense
(CSO leaders)
Volunteer Leader
IFARMC Taal Lake Chairperson
MAFC/MFARMC Chairperson in Mataasnakahoy
Kilusan ng mga Maliliit na Mangingisda sa Lawa Ng Taal Chairperson
RAFC IVA-Regional Sectoral Committee Chairman on Fisheries and Agriculture
Contact No.:
0956-7131-905 / 0948-6554-567
