Residents of Bula, Camarines Sur, on Thursday, October 24, took to social media to complain that some stranded people in their town have to pay to get rescued by private boat owners.
The fees charged by private boat owners range from P500 to P2,500 per head, and P5,000 per boat, according to the residents interviewed by Rappler.
Some areas in Camarines Sur, including Bula town, were still heavily inundated on Thursday, October 24, or days after Tropical Storm Kristine brought continuous rains that triggered extensive flooding and landslides in the Bicol Region.
“Marami pa po need i-rescue…. ‘Yong iba po hindi ma-rescue kasi ‘yong ibang bangka may rent. Sad to say, P5,000 daw po ang sundo sa kanila,” said Jayrah Rose Tolop, a volunteer monitoring the rescue operations in Bula.
A Bula resident, who asked not be be named, told Rappler that they were not able to have their family rescued due to the fees involved.
“Anggoton na po mga tao ta kaipuhan na ngani po ning tabang pero ninenegosyo pa (People are getting angry because they urgently need help, but others are making the rescue a business),” the resident said.
The resident also clarified that it is their fellow residents — not government personnel or genuine volunteers — who are charging fees for rescues.
Others, however, were compelled to pool their resources to expedite their evacuation. A netizen shared that her relatives had to pay P12,000 for three boats just to get them out of their flooded home.
According to Ryan Casulang, a concerned citizen from Albay, this practice has been going on for years during disasters, specifically in the town of Nabua, a flood prone area.
“Private individuals po ‘yan. I had an experience years ago, makatawid lang sa baha, hihinganan ka ng bayad,” Casulang recalled to Rappler.
(Those are private individuals. I had an experience years ago, when I was asked to pay just so I can cross a flooded area.)
“But they call themselves ‘volunteers.’ Ironic,” he added.
In a screenshot sent by Casulang, an anonymous sender was seen complaining because they were not rescued due to lack of money, even if there was an elderly person with them, and the flood had reached the second floor of the houses.
Carla Shyne Madrid, a youth volunteer from Camarines Sue, said that the issue reflects a bigger problem.
“Due to the lack of ongoing rescue ops, people are resorting to this kind of trick and that is sad,” Madrid said.
As of writing, the Bula municipal government and its Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Office have yet to address the residents’ concerns over the rescue fees.
Bula town and other areas in Rinconada District, including Nabua and Baao, are still experiencing severe flooding as of Thursday, while rescue operations are hampered by lack of resources. Many residents have posted that the flood water had already reached the second floor of their homes, or that though they were safe and dry, they were running out of food and other basic needs.
As of Wednesday, October 23, at least 315,160 families, or 1,498,966 individuals were affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine in Bicol, according to a Department of Social Welfare and Development report.– 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.
Lyndee Buenagua is a third year college student and campus journalist from the University of the Philippines Baguio. The former editor-in-chief of Highland 360, a Baguio-based publication, she is also an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow of Rappler for 2024.