ILIGAN City ― We were watching a movie last November, about a family in Thailand who were caught in a tsunami during their vacation when they were staying in a hotel, contemplating a good day of swimming. Suddenly they were all torn away from each other--separated by the onslaught of the waves

We had a visitor who also watched the movie on Netflix with us. The parents, with their three young boys though, survived, but barely. They were reunited at the end of the movie, entitled, "The Impossible."

But our visitor, Boy L. told us that he too had survived. But not 3 of his kids. Sendong took 3 of his kids and only one was found. So the family got to bury only one.

My daughter-in-law. Bren. then asked us why we had selected that particular movie, but stopped short of saying that we were all "insensitive." What with our visitor's own Sendong experience.

But we didn't know that Boy had such an experience with Sendong. So, pardon our "insensitivity," I said, but only silently.

On Dec. 17, a week before Christmas this 2022, Sendong marked the city, on its 11th-year anniversary. And the sad memories of that day came back. With over a thousand dead or missing in the city on that day, how can one not remember? Along the side of a street leading to Bayug Island which bore the brunt of that fury a tarp of a child riding on a huge log could be seen on that said day. A wreath is laid at "Sendong Memorial Garden" in said area, together with the lighting of candles, especially by surviving families. A holy mass was also officiated there by no less than Bishop Jose Rapadas IIi.

So, I couldn't help recalling other stories in connection with that city-wide tragedy, 11 years ago. A married couple both employed at a prominent university here seeing that they would both drown just saw to it that both their IDs were worn. So that their identities wouldn't pose some problems thereafter. Another story: Lito and his son said climbing a coconut tree saved them from the surging waters.

Jimmy, a purok president of a barangay here narrated that he, together with a friend was delivering a "lechon" to some party in Cagayan de Oro. But he and that friend were not able to partake of that lechon and the goodies there for "they were not allowed as they did not have meal tickets with them." Downhearted, Jimmy and his friend, returned pronto to this city.

That was a blessing, he said as when he got back to Tambo, his purok here, the surroundings were already swirling with the waters. Hurriedly, he knocked on every door in the area to alert the whole neighborhood as many were already asleep. Thus, many were able to evacuate on time.

There are many other such stories. That Bayug island suffered the brunt as it was more of a peninsula, sort of. Naturally, the waters there moved from the left, from the right, and elsewhere. One reporter, somebody called Michael K., which they also dubbed as "ang batang kahibulongan" who was living there just disappeared, never to be found. His wife though, and family were found somewhere in the sea at Misamis Oriental, clinging to something.

Eni, an officer of a radio station here also didn't survive Sendong. It was reported by some "Marites" that he could have been saved. But in the process of evacuating, he had forgotten something in his house and went back to save that something precious in his house.

He could not get back to safety alive.

These and many more stories could be heard from time to time. As for me and my friend Sita, we were at CDO then, on the night of the 16th, billeted at a hotel at CDO for we had a meeting on the 17th day with the bigwig of this paper, Ernesto: "Toto" Chu presiding. So, it was only during the early morning of the 17th that we knew of the struggles of the cities of CDO and Iligan.

My friend, Sita opted not to attend the meeting anymore as she was wondering whether her son, Neil had survived. Fortunately, he had climbed onto the roof of their house, aided by a flashlight whose battery was newly changed. Although their house seemed unlivable thereafter for a time, so they had to transfer temporarily to another barangay.

As for myself, I went home to Iligan early afternoon of Dec. 17. My son, Den cautioned me not to proceed immediately to the house as there was mud all over, the side street leading to the houses of the purok where we lived and even immediately inside and outside the house.

So I opted to stay at a pension house overnight. But even there, there was a melee. Every room was occupied! So where was I to stay?

I appealed to management that I would just sit on a chair. Hoping that some occupants might vacate some room by and by. They relented. Fortunately. Could they really do otherwise in that kind of time?

Among the other stories heard and believed by many people here was that St. Michael had come down from the heavens. And then with an axe, destroyed the bridge at Mandulog. With that act, he "succeeded"? in preventing the waters of the river surge with all its fury, thus drowning most if not "all" the city residents. Because of that act, the furious waters retreated and thereby "saved" many people. St. Michael, to note is the city/s patron saint. Even the not-so-religious believed that one.

Oh, by the way, Odette last year struck. During December too. Wreaking havoc in Visayas and yes, Mindanao. Including this city, though not as furious as Sendong. And while Sendong had made known his strength below, or on the ground, making people scamper to high ground, Odette was the opposite. Her strength was upward, thus transferring some roofs of some houses, to another. Romy, a sibling in Lapulapu city reported that Odette had "flown" the roof of the second floor of his house away and taken it somewhere. Whoa! What lessons can be gleaned from all these?

I think we better stop all this now. Lest you brand me as "kj" or "kill-joy." After all, this is Christmas. So, merry Christmas to all!