Ukay-ukay, a small business selling second-hand clothes, is the only livelihood of 36-year-old Naga City vendor Rolando Tesorero Jr.
When thick mud and waist-level floods engulfed his almost P300,000-worth wares at the height of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, Tesorero could not explain how he felt after seeing what was left of his goods.
“Grabe garo napapahibi po talaga ta siyempre iyo lang po ini ang source of income mi tapos si mga tao mi digdi man nag-aasa, maray kung ako lang,” Tesorero said in an interview with Rappler. (I really felt like crying because of course, this is our only source of income and our helpers also rely here. It must have been much easier if it was just me.)
The thrift shop has been Tesorero’s and his wife’s lifeline since 2016 so while enduring the whip of heavy rain in their house at the height of Kristine, they could not help but worry thinking about their store which had by then been flooded by mud and water.
“Itong tao ming saro, pinipirit mi kutang magdigdi para i-check kaso halangkaw na daa talaga ang baha kaya sinabihan mi na lang dai na magdagos (We tried to ask one of our helpers to check our shop but the flood was already high so we told him not to go any further),” he said.
Although they already wanted to start cleaning their store right after the storm, they were unable to, as floodwaters had not receded despite Kristine’s exit. When they were finally able to open their shop two days later, they were greeted by a mess of clothing stocks and thick mud.
After dealing with the brunt of the storm in their respective homes, ukay-ukay vendors like Tesorero still have to face the burden of washing clothes using washing machines and water pressure, an electric machine that generates a high-pressure stream of water, just to salvage their capital.
“Washing machine po ang gagamitin namin. Pero hindi po kaya ng washing yung mga makakapal na pantalon, so gagamit din po kami ng water pressure,” Tesorero said. (We’ll use a washing machine. But for those thick pants, we will use water pressure.)
In addition, Tesorero along with the three helpers, will also have to open more than 10 bales of flooded ukay-ukay, hoping to filter clothing stocks that can still be recovered and sold. They also plan to either dispose or donate those P20-worth “on sale” clothes so as not to add to the laundry pile.
Another ukay-ukay vendor, who requested anonymity, loaded his ukay-ukay items on a truck so they could start cleaning their goods using a washing machine. This cost an estimated P22,000.
Dismayed, the vendor said there isn’t much he can do but accept what happened. “Basta ang buhay iyo na yan kayan. Kung mahibi ka, nangyari na, mayo man magigibo.” (Life is just that. If you cry, and it has already happened, there’s nothing more we can do)
Tesorero said that they need at least a month to fully recover from the impact of Kristine especially since the town still faces several challenges, including power supply outages and water shortages which are essential for their cleaning operations.
Reynier Martin, a resident of Naga City and a thrift shop customer, was sympathetic to the situation of the vendors knowing that each bale of ukay-ukay is costly.
“Nahirak ta siyempre sa ukay-ukay dai mo man aram minsan kung makakabalik ang puhunan mo (I felt sorry because of course in ukay-ukay you won’t know if you can recover your investment),” he said.
Aid for vendors, uncertain recovery time
In an interview with Rappler, Mayor Nelson Legacion said that the Naga government has not yet calculated the total amount of losses in the business sector, but he emphasized that all flooded establishments were badly affected and are still recovering a week after the onslaught of Kristine.
When asked about the programs that can be offered to affected business owners, the Naga City mayor said that entrepreneurs can take out an an interest-free loan for capital through the Business Stimulus Program of the city government.
“Meron na po. Kung matatandaan noong panahon ng COVID-19 mayroon tayong tinatawag na business stimulus program na kung saan pinahiram po natin ‘yung mga maliliit na negosyante ng capital without interest,” he explained.
(There is a program already. If you remember during the time of COVID-19 we had what is called a business stimulus program where small entrepreneurs can loan capital without interest)
However, vendors like Tesorero said that borrowing money to recover is the last thing on his mind, “Ayy utang pa rin. Huwag na lang, sa kapamilya na lang namin po.” (Still a debt. We would rather just rely on our relatives.)
Legacion has yet to say how long it will take for Naga to recover from the wrath of Kristine, but he said that clearing operations are ongoing and he hopes for the immediate rehabilitation of the town.
“Actually, di po natin masabi kung ilang linggo, ilang buwan bago maka-recover totally. Pero siyempre iyong ating ninanais ay agad-agad makabalik po tayo sa dati, makabalik sa normal. Ang inuuna po natin sa ngayon, mayroon pa rin po tayong relief operations at kasabay ‘yung clearing operations,” he added.
(Actually, we can’t say how many weeks or how many months it will take to recover completely. But of course what we want is for us to immediately return to the way we were before, to return to normal. What we are prioritizing right now, we still have relief operations and clearing operations at the same time.)
All establishments and shops in Naga are still closed and currently recovering from the storm. Tesorero has a message to his fellow business owners: “Parehas lang naman kaming naapektuhan, kaya laban lang. Tuloy lang hangga’t kaya pa.” (All of us were affected, so just fight. Just keep going as long as we can.)
As of October 26, the unprecedented flooding caused by Kristine affected over 4.2 million Filipinos and killed at least 81, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. – Rappler.com
Angelee Kaye Abelinde, a campus journalist from Naga City, is a second-year Journalism student of Bicol University and the current copy editor of The Bicol Universitarian. She is also an Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024.
