Over a month after the Taal volcano eruption, over 180 individuals still reside at the Batangas Sports Complex – the biggest evacuation center in Batangas City. This has been their temporary shelter since the volcano erupted last January 12. As they move forward with their lives, over a thousand families have already left the center and went back to their homes. 18-year old Mary Joy Nicart and 64-year old Precy Castillo are just two out of the 180 individuals who continue to seek haven in the Batangas Sports Complex.

PLDT brought families together by providing a connection like no other as thousands of individuals cope through the tragedy and start their lives anew. According to Provincial Information Officer Katrin Buted, it was PLDT that reached out to the Provincial Information Office when the volcano first erupted. “We’re very thankful to PLDT because they know that as a company, they have a corporate responsibility to help the people. PLDT came to us in our time of need and they gladly offered their best services to help the Filipino people,” Buted said.  

The Provincial Information Office played a critical role in the disaster response operations of Batangas. According to Buted, the Office is in-charge of information dissemination which plays a significant role in times of disaster. “The office became very active since the day Taal erupted because initially we needed to give instructions to the people. We’re in-charge of disseminating right information and making sure that everyone’s safe and that everyone responds accordingly,” Buted said.

A connection like never before

Walking in the concrete jungle that is the Batangas Sports Complex, only about five or six green tents stood. It’s hard to imagine over a thousand families occupying such space just three weeks ago. In the corner, there stood 64-year-old Precy Castillo. On the night of the Taal Volcano eruption, Castillo shared how her family – all 16 of them, including her children and grandchildren – flee to safety in the biggest evacuation center in Batangas.

In photo is Precy Castillo, 64-year-old barangay health worker.

“Natutulog po ako nang mangyari po ang pagputok ng bulkan. Kay rami po ng gabok. Iyong buong bahay po namin ay punung-puno po ng gabok,” Castillo said. (I was sleeping when the volcano eruption happened. There were so many ashes everywhere. Our whole house was filled with ashes.)

Castillo was with her grandchild when it happened and a sense of urgency immediately took over her as she packed some clothes – most of them were for her grandchildren. “Sila na  po ‘yung inuna ko po kasi po mga bata sila. Ako naman po ay matanda na. Puwede na akong mawala dito sa mundo,” Castillo said. “Dalawang beses ko na po naranasan ang pagputok ng bulkan. Una po ay noong 1965 nang ako ay sampung taong gulang pa lamang at ngayon naman po ulit na ako ay sixty-four years old na po.” (I prioritized my grandchildren first because they are still young. I am old now, and I can leave this world. I have already experienced the volcano eruption twice. First was in 1965 when I was only 10 years old and the second is now that I am 64 years old.)

According to Castillo, they rode a tricycle going to the Batangas Sports Complex all the way from Wawa Ibaba, Lemery in Batangas which is almost an hour away. The rest of Castillo’s other children and grandchildren rode separate buses. “Nang makarating po kami sa evacuation center, nagkahiwa-hiwalay po kami ng napuntahan ng mga kapatid ko. Buti na lang po ay may libreng pantawag at WiFi ang PLDT,” Castillo said. (When we reached the evacuation center, my siblings and I went to different places. Good thing PLDT and Smart provided free WiFi and free calls.)

It was this connection that allowed Castillo to somehow be reunited with her siblings even though they may be some kilometers apart.

A mother’s love

Inside one of the tents seen in the evacuation center, 18-year old mother Mary Joy Nicart cares tenderly for her five-month-old son Raymart Lindo. Nicart, along with her husband Richie Lindo and mother-in-law Nora Maraon, only evacuated in Batangas Sports Complex last February 2, 2020. Hailing from San Nicolas, Batangas, Nicart said that it took a while before they were able to reach the Batangas Sports Complex. Nicart tells the story on how her family reached the place where they are now. The struggle was painful but having sought shelter in the end was worth the travel.

“Naglalaba po kami no’n ng biyenan ko po nang mangyari po ‘yung pagputok ng bulkan,” Nicart said. “Ang nagsabi po sa amin na pumutok na ‘yung bulkan ay iyong asawa po ng biyenan ko. Pinakita nga po niya na umuusok na nga po ang bulkan.” (We were doing our laundry when the Taal Volcano erupted. It was my father-in-law who told us about it and he even showed us that there was already smoke coming out of the volcano.)

18-year-old Mary Joy Nicart is one of the evacuees at the Batangas Sports Complex.

Nicart vividly describes the smell of the explosives as if the moment was still upon her. She couldn’t breathe and her eyes sting from the smoke that now turned into a thick fog. But her mother’s instincts enabled her to care more for her child’s welfare than her own. Nicart rushed her 5-month old son to the nearest hospital. Her son was allergic to the ashes caused by the eruption. Little Lindo was at the brink of death as Nicart later found out.

“Ang sabi po ng doktor, ‘yung plema raw po niya ay halos nakadikit na po sa baga niya. Kung hindi po naagapan, baka po namatay na po siya,” Nicart said. (The doctor said that his phlegm was already so close to his lungs. If we didn’t bring him to the hospital any sooner, he could’ve died.)

Nicart and her family travelled a long way to reach the Batangas Sports Complex. During the night that it happened, they first tried calling for help and waited for a truck to pick them up. Two days passed by and no help came. Three days after, a truck finally came through. However, they ended up in a Mormon church, which, according to Nicart, was the first place where they sought temporary shelter. Eventually, they ended up staying almost a week in the hospital to find cure for her son. By the time they reached the Sports Complex, it was already packed with thousands of families.

During their time of need, Nicart received a tremendous amount of help – from her son’s hospital bills, to their temporary homes, and to their other basic necessities of food and water. Nicart also mentioned that most families like her lost contact with their relatives on their way to the sports complex. According to Nicart, most of the families availed of the free WiFi and free calls provided by PLDT.

Moving forward

To further aid the families affected by the Taal volcano eruption, the Provincial Information Office placed the families in an interim home – two of which are located in Iba-an. In the interim homes, the families are provided with food, medicine, and other basic needs. According to Buted, while the Office is still in the process of constructing resettlement areas for the displaced families, they will remain in these interim homes.

Buted underscores the importance of the resettlement areas as it plays a big role in opening new chapters for the affected families. “Aside from building these resettlement areas, we also want to make sure that the families can sustain their lives. This is why we also plan to provide livelihood opportunities for them,” Buted said.

“We plan to build these resettlement areas in places where these displaced families can find such livelihood opportunities so they can continue on with their lives,” Buted added.