Manila Bulletin: Heroes emerge as tragedy unfolds
Published October 3, 2009. Elena L. Aben of mb.com.ph writes:
As tropical storm “Ondoy” (international code name Ketsana) unleashed its fury last September 26, heroes emerged amid the resulting tragedy that left at least 300 dead and thousands of lives turned upside down.
While some of these heroes lived to tell their stories, there were also those who made the ultimate sacrifice of giving up their own lives to save others like in the case of Pfc. Venancio Ancheta, Col. Adriano Regua, and five members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU).
There were also those who could be considered unlikely heroes, like Rolando Bie, who did not only save at least a hundred lives, but most of all, the family of his foe.
“Here lies another man who showed us what love is at its supreme expression – dying for others.” These were the words of Philippine Army Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, as the Armed Forces paid tribute to another fallen comrade.
On Wednesday, the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) paid military honors to Ancheta, 27, who died in the course of a rescue operation in Barangay Tunhak, Famy, Laguna at the height of the onslaught of “Ondoy.”
In a sendoff ceremony at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ibrado, AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Emilio Marayag, and Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit bestowed awards and recognition to Ancheta.
Ancheta’s wife, Marilou, received the Bronze Cross Medal Award (Posthumous) along with his posthumous promotion to Corporal for his heroic feat of saving 20 residents in the flood-stricken barangay in Famy, Laguna.
The AFP saluted Ancheta’s heroism, which served as an inspiration to his teammates who went on with the conduct of their rescue mission and saved more than 600 individuals.
Ancheta belonged to the disaster response team of the 2nd Infantry Division that responded to affected residents of Barangay Tunhac, Famy, Laguna. Braving rampaging floodwater, Ancheta made several trips to bring stranded residents in the area to safer grounds. As he made his last trip, Ancheta was carrying at his back the 20th civilian he managed to rescue when he was hit by a log. Despite this, the soldier still successfully brought the man on his back to safety before he was swept away by the flood.
The Philippine Army suffered six other casualties from its disaster response teams. They were Regua, detachment commander of the PA response team, and five CAFGU Active Auxiliary (CAA) members. The team had rushed to Sitio Johnson, Barangay Nanguma, Mabitac, Laguna.
Regua died when he attempted to rescue one of his men who was being swept away by the current. Both men, however, were carried away by the rampaging floods.
Army officials said Regua’s act proves his being a responsible leader to his men. They said as detachment commander of his group, he led his team well, effectively saving 200 residents in the area.
Regua’s remains and those of his five CAA team members were recovered the next day along Manila East Road in Mabitac, Laguna.
Regua was awarded the Bronze Cross Medal and was posthumously promoted to Sergeant during his interment at the Haven of Rest in Tanay, Rizal.
Rolando Bie and Ronnie Dacuycoy, both from Balubad, barangay Nangka, Marikina City, had been at odds for more than a year before “Ondoy” struck Metro Manila. Ronnie, in fact, had even filed a case against Rolando before the barangay after the latter allegedly threatened to kill him over a row involving their houses.
But when tragedy struck, the unexpected happened. At that time, Bie was already busy saving his own family.
The floodwater was already waist-deep and continuously rising. After taking his family to safety, Rolando went back to rescue his neighbors, including his foe’s family.
Melanie recalled, “Bumalik siya para iligtas kami. Lagpas baywang na ang tubig noon. Inuna niya iligtas yung anak namin na maliit. Nung ako na, pinilit talaga niya na mailigtas din ako. Hindi na ako makakilos noon, yun mga paa ko hindi na halos maitaas. May alitan sila ng asawa ko pero hindi niya na inisip yun. Basta nagligtas lang siya.”
