HE BELIEVED AND OVERCAME

Wilhelmina S. Orozco

25 January 2014

He was in Cebu for team building but had a very strong feeling that something was going to happen. In the evening of November 6^th of 2013 Rod Senense came home to Leyte, earlier than expected. Typhoon Yolanda was going to come roaring in three days and so he deemed it necessary to prepare for it in advance.

“I had a strong feeling na kailangan kong bumalik ng Leyte upon learning about the super typhoon. So I arrived at 11 pm. On November 7^th, early morning, I went to the market to buy things that would keep us afloat during the typhoon – noodles, water, rice, candles, just enough for 72 hours. Yan ang natutunan ko sa disaster preparedness. Mabuti na lang at nakabili ako kasi after 72 hours, wala ng mabili. Lahat ng stores ni-ra-ransack na.”

The nature of the typhoon was highly unusual, according to Rod. “Yung typhoon kayang baluktutin ang bakal. ” (The typhoon could curb steel.)

To put his children to safety, Rod used his experience in scouting. “Naglagay ako ng table; inipit ko sa dalawang kabinet. Dun ko pinatago ang mga anak ko, dalawang lalaki. “

HANGIN

The wind was going berserk, moving in different directions. Rod recalled, “Ang Tacloban, napapalibutan ng dagat. Ang Palo nasa loob. Kalaban namin yung hangin. Umuugong malayo pa. Maniwala ka sa hindi, ang hangin clockwise, tapos spiral, tapos patayo kung umikot.

Alas 6 ng umaga, onwards hanggang mga alas 9 ng umaga. Tumatahimik ang hangin 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 at 9:30 pero bumabalik. Nung kalakasan ng hangin kitang-kita ko, bumagsak ang bintana."

Rod could only pray over the seemingly unconquerable force of the typhoon. Although he is scientific in his approach to life, he could only attribute unusual occurrences during the typhoon to the intervention of God. “Saan ka nakakita na yung bahay, tinayo nung 1970 expected ko na magigiba. Ini-expect ko na magigiba. So nagdasal ako, 'Lord, tirhan mo kahit kalahati lang.' Ganun nga ang nangyari. Natira kalahati, natanggal yung 70 to 80% nasira. Pero hindi nag-iba lahat.”

Even the trees in front of their house, the normal tendency of which was to drop on their house, suddenly fell away from it. “May dalawang puno sa harap ng bahay namin, kaymito at mangga. Anytime, puwedeng tumama sa bahay. Sa awa ng Diyos, nang bumagsak, hindi tumama sa bahay namin.”

One memorable occurrence which he felt so much in his heart was when the pictures of his children when they were still young, suddenly fell on the waters. “Noong nagkakagulo, nahulog yung picture ng dalawang anak ko noong bata pa sila. Kaisa-isa lang yun. Gusto kong kunin. Pero bago ako bumaba nagtalukbong ako ng plastik na silya. Ewan ko kung bakit ko ginawa yun. Noong nasa baba na ako, biglang may nalaglag sa ulo ko, isang haligi, puro pako.

Talagang nangilabot ako. Pero kinakasihan pa rin ako ng Diyos. Siguro, may naramdaman na akong may mangyayari kaya tinalukbungan ko ang ulo ko."

For many, many years, Rod and his family have been living in Tacloban peacefully. Suddenly their life became topsy-turvy, a complete overhaul of their lives. “No communication, no lights, no food. Outside, there was anarchy. Walang batas. Nakawan, lahat ng establishments, Robinsons, kinuha lahat ng mga goods ng mga magnanakaw.

I went to Baybay, Leyte to get a signal (for my celfon), to inform my relatives in Manila. Pagdating ng Baybay, lobat na ang celfon ko. Naghanap ako ng macha-charjan ko. May isang tao, my generator. Napakabait, pina-charge ako. 'Magcharge ka,' sabi sa akin. Nagcharge ako ng dalawang celfones. So I was able to talk to my wife, my parents."

The media at that time was already releasing names of people who were missing in Tacloban as reported or texted to them by survivors. Three of those missing were Rod and his two boys.

“ I had to make that call kasi ang labas sa media, patay na ko.”

Rod's networking business under the King Dnarmsa Spirulina Inc. was a great help to him. In this hehas built a huge network selling Humus Plus - a kind of soil conditioner which helps increase the yield of the land - to farmers in Eastern Visayas – Leyte, Samar, including Cebu. His co-networkers are highly inspired by his leadership that they are already the top money-earners in the Visayas.

Hence, Rod cannot be said to be really lacking in resources. “Maraming pumasok na pera sa akin noon. P200 thousand one day, P200 thousand the next day padala through Cebuana Lhullier. Nagpunta ako roon para kumuha ng pera. Pero hindi ako maka-withdraw. (Siguro baka dahil maubusan ng pondo ang tindahan. Maraming nagwi-withdraw) Ayaw akong bigyan.

So I pretended to be a policeman. (Kung ikaw ang nanduon, hindi ka dapat mawalan ng disposition.) May flashlight ako ng pulis. Bisaya ang mga pulis dun. So nag-Bisaya ako.

“'Ma'am, maraming patay. Perang yan gagamitin ko.'” So binigyan ako. Ginamit namin yung pera para pamasahe papuntang Maynila."

WATER "Ang main source of water namin ay putol. Pero after 3 days, nagkatubig na. Binuksan. Pila-pila sa tubig, isang kilometro ang haba ng pila. Ang tubig namin, sprite. Pero meron akong sinuhulan, kako, “Bigyan mo ko ng isang container, P200. Binigyan naman ako.”

PAGKAIN

"Nagluluto kami ng noodles, tinitipid namin kasi di namin alam kung kailan kami makakapunta sa Maynila."

THE LONG TRAVEL TO MANILA

"Sa Tacloban airport walang masakyan. Limited ang pasahero. Pila pa. Yung priority mga may sakit, babae, nakatatanda. So from there, nagpasya akong pumunta kami sa bus terminal"

Rod could feel the greed permeating the society then. It was highly sickening, from food distribution to water fetching, up to traveling to Manila just to escape the hellish and anarchic situation.

"Yung bus naman, sinisingil ako ng isang libo para pamasahe. Nagrason ako: 'E nawalan na nga ako ng bahay, bakit mo pa ako sinisingil ng ganyan?' Hindi ako pumayag. Nakakita ako ng tricycle, sabi ng driver P400. Tumawad ako P350, binigay naman."

Then Rod and his two children reached the terminal wherein they would board a bus to the pier; and from there, the bus would get on the Roro, the roll-on-roll-off ferry boat that links Leyte to Samar.

"Sa normal bus travel, 21 hours papunta sa pantalan, sasakay sa Roro. Inabot kami ng 39 hours. Na flat pa kami ng dalawang beses."

Even the buses allowed to leave Northern Samar were limited to certain companies only. “Ang priority sa Roro na mga bus, from Northern Samar, mga Philtranco at Silver Star lamang. Ang Roro tatawid papuntang Bicol. At yung bus, tutuloy ng Maynila."

Because of the critical situation where anyone could easily cash in, drivers who were not regularly employed suddenly surfaced. The driver that took Rod and his sons to Manila stopped so often along the way. "Ang driver hindi alam. Nagtatanong sa daan, 'Boss dito ba ang papuntang Maynila?'” But he could not complain at all since it was even pure luck that he and his sons were able to get on the bus.

Rod looked not so haggard when he was being interviewed at the office of the KDSI. But on his face is marked relief from a disaster that usually would only be seen in full as horror movies.

However, everytime someone asks him how he is now, after that harrowing experience, his eyes belie a certain sadness – because for one brief moment, all the efforts at building his networking business nearly collapsed totally although he is still grateful because he and his two sons are alive.

Rod and his team in Eastern Visayas did not suffer much, and he was even advised not to return yet to Leyte. They still have the guts and the roaring energy to start the business again, one that helps the farmers, the victims of the typhoon, to recover their lands, and make them productive again, through the application of the humus plus.

Sabi ko ngayon, “I am resurrected.”

"Everything happens for a reason. Sa likod ng tragedy na ito, may opportunity. Yung crisis – what happened in Leyte – is more than a crisis May opportunity dito sa tragedy sa Leyte. Magiging faithful ang mga tao. They will recommit themselves" prophetically, Rod said.

“I learned many lessons here.”

Great lessons for him are always trust in God; no human being will be deserted ever; and people will overcome so long as they believe.