WHEN relentless monsoon rains inundated Manila on Aug. 17, thousands of Thomasians found themselves stranded inside campus buildings, some for more than 12 hours, as floodwaters rose to knee-to-waist level in parts of the University.
For students who had already traveled to UST before classes were suspended, the day became a prolonged wait for the rain to subside and for roads to become passable so they could go back home.
What had once been stories of UST flooding shared by alumni became a firsthand experience for students.
“Late suspensions like these put students’ lives in danger,” Raven Khaysha Esguerra, a first-year behavioral science student, told the Varsitarian.
Esguerra, who lives in a dormitory just a three-minute walk from Gate 11, was stranded inside the Quadricentennial Pavilion (QPav) for more than 10 hours.
“It was the first time I experienced something like that, and somehow fear struck me that I might not be able to get back to my dorm safe and sound,” she said.
The Manila city government had suspended classes from kindergarten to senior high school on the evening of Aug. 16 due to expected intermittent to heavy rainfall from the southwest monsoon, or habagat.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. the following day, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso ordered the suspension of onsite classes at all levels effective at noon, upon the recommendation of the Manila City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department.
The University later suspended classes at all levels and office work for the rest of the day and advised those already on campus to remain inside their buildings or seek shelter at the QPav and Tan Yan Kee (TYK) Student Center.
By then, however, floodwater had already entered the campus. Several pathways were submerged to gutter depth at about 11 a.m., according to Assoc. Prof. Juliano Parena, director of Campus Safety and Security, while water in some areas eventually reached knee-to-waist level.
For pharmacy sophomore Christine Kelly Dayrit, a daily commuter from Malabon, traveling to UST despite the heavy rain had already made her uneasy.
“It was scary knowing you had to put your life at risk just to go to school, to learn only for the class to be suspended a few hours later,” Dayrit said.
Dayrit said she had already experienced three instances in which a late suspension left her stranded on campus. On Aug. 17, she remained inside the Main Building until 10 p.m.
“Hindi worth it para sa ‘kin pumunta pa ng campus kapag alam kong malakas na ang ulan,” she said. “Pero not everyone is privileged enough to miss a day in school.”
(It is not worth it for me to go to campus when I already know the rain is heavy. But not everyone is privileged enough to miss a day in school.)
Dayrit said the possibility that absences and missed activities could affect her academic standing was among the reasons she still went to class despite the weather.
Inside the campus, professors, student leaders, and volunteers helped students remain in their buildings. Dayrit also received doxycycline from the Faculty of Pharmacy as a precaution against leptospirosis.
At the QPav, first-year communication student Mianne Fajardo, a commuter from Quezon City, had arrived at UST at about 6:50 a.m. She planned to leave after classes were suspended but remained stranded until nearly 11 p.m. as conditions outside worsened.
“I wasn’t really at ease with the thought na mag-oovernight ako inside the school,” Fajardo told the Varsitarian. “And that’s where I felt most of my pent-up frustration and disappointment talaga. Kasi siyempre, pagod na pagod ako and [nakakatakot] bumiyahe ng gabi, and especially that late talaga.”
(I wasn’t really at ease with the thought that I might have to stay overnight inside the school. And that’s where I felt most of my pent-up frustration and disappointment. Of course, I was already very tired, and it was frightening to travel at night, especially that late.)
At 9 p.m., the University announced that vehicles already parked at the Multi-Deck Carpark would be exempted from overnight parking fees, while other vehicles could park for free, subject to slot availability.
Waters approach parish church
Hospitality management senior Lauren Chloe Pinauin was attending Mass for the feast of St. Hyacinth, her college’s patron saint, at the Santísimo Rosario Parish when she noticed floodwater reaching the entrance during the offertory.
By the end of the Mass, the water had risen to ankle-to-knee level at the entrance, forcing students to remain inside the church.
“I felt anxious and scared kasi it was still raining no’ng nakita namin ‘yong baha,” Pinauin said. “Medyo frustrating din kasi mahirap makakuha ng signal sa chapel so medyo nahirapan ako i-contact family ko para i-update sila kung ano na situation sa UST.”
(I felt anxious and scared because it was still raining when we saw the flood. It was also frustrating because it was difficult to get a signal inside the chapel, so I had trouble contacting my family to update them on the situation at UST.)
Pinauin, a commuter from Quezon City, remained stranded at the parish for roughly 12 hours before leaving at about 10:40 p.m.
College of Tourism and Hospitality Management Student Council President Kenneth Benito said student leaders, Pax Romana, and other organizations stayed with students in the parish for nearly 11 hours.
He urged Thomasians frustrated over the response to direct their anger at those responsible for class suspensions and flood-control decisions rather than at student volunteers who were themselves stranded.
“Wala sa kanila ang power para mag-suspend ng klase. Wala sa kanila ang flood control budget ng Maynila. Hindi nila hawak ang panahon o ang bilis ng pagtaas ng tubig,” Benito said.
(They do not have the power to suspend classes. They do not control Manila’s flood-control budget. They do not control the weather or how quickly the water rises.)
“Valid ang galit niyo pero huwag natin ibuhos sa kanila ‘yong mga taong kasama rin nating nalunod sa kapabayaan ng iba,” he added.
(Your anger is valid, but let us not direct it at the people who were also caught in the flooding caused by the negligence of others.)
First-year tourism management student Ryza May Tulin spent eight hours at the parish before being transferred to the Buenaventura Garcia Paredes, O.P. Building at 6 p.m., where she stayed until 6 a.m. the following day.
“We also did not know how long we would have to stay there or kung kailan kami makakaalis,” Tulin said. “Nakakatakot din kasi we were unsure about what would happen next.”
(We also did not know how long we would have to stay there or when we would be able to leave. It was frightening because we were unsure about what would happen next.)
Students mobilize
As thousands waited for floodwaters to recede, student councils and organizations mobilized alongside University personnel to distribute food and medicine, monitor flood levels, and help move stranded students to safer areas.
Artlets Student Council President Jenielle Elisha Butacan said much of the immediate response was sustained by student volunteers.
“Almost every single facet of the response team yesterday was possible because of the STUDENTS na nag-volunteer for their community,” Butacan wrote in a Facebook post on Aug. 18.
(Almost every single facet of the response team yesterday was possible because of the students who volunteered for their community.)
Students from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the Faculty of Pharmacy helped provide medication, while security personnel managed exits, and volunteers distributed food and transported students.
The CSC, Pax Romana, and Red Cross Youth Council (RCYC) were among the student organizations that coordinated assistance.
According to NSTP first-aid supervisor Tobey Fhar Isaac Calayo, the RCYC launched a live flood-monitoring sheet at 12:09 p.m., through which students could report flood levels and medical responders could submit situation updates from different parts of the campus.
At about 4 p.m., RCYC Central and UST Medical Missions Inc. opened a virtual medical station and e-consultation platform.
“August 17 showed us what an existing system, strengthened by experience and cooperation, could become in just 22 minutes when circumstances demanded more from it,” Calayo said in an Aug. 19 Facebook post.
The UST Quick Response Team also used rescue boats and trucks to evacuate people from flooded portions of the campus.
Students exposed to floodwater were offered free doxycycline at the Main Building, while the UST Health Service provided free consultations.
Overnight on campus
With roads around UST still impassable late into the evening, some students were unable to leave even after several hours.
At about 11 p.m., students who still could not reach exit routes were directed to the TYK Student Center for overnight shelter.
Journalism sophomore Romulo Josef Agana, a daily commuter from Mandaluyong, stayed at TYK from about 6 p.m. until 7 a.m. the following day and eventually volunteered in the relief operations.
He said limited manpower and transportation made it difficult to gather students stranded in different buildings and bring them to TYK.
“Super hirap ilikom or tipunin ng mga students inside the campus, what more pa talaga outside,” Agana told the Varsitarian.
(It was extremely difficult to gather the students inside the campus, much more those outside.)
“As one of the volunteers, masasabi ko naman talaga na hindi naging fully or adequate ‘yong help na naibigay namin sa Thomasian community,” he said.
(As one of the volunteers, I can say that the help we were able to provide the Thomasian community was not fully adequate.)
By 10 p.m., some students and personnel had begun leaving despite ankle-deep water around several buildings. Students were allowed to depart after being fetched by guardians and receiving clearance from their academic units.
At 11:30 p.m., a truck carrying students who had been stranded at the QPav for more than 10 hours left the flooded campus.
Electronics engineering senior Jihan Casiedo, however, remained stranded at the Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P. Building from 11 a.m. until 5 a.m. the next day.
“Relief and rescue operations are necessary, but they only address the effects, and not the causes,” Casiedo said.
“Flooding has been happening repeatedly; sustainable solutions in flood control and drainage systems are much needed instead of repeatedly responding only when a disaster occurs,” he added.
‘This could have been prevented’
The ordeal later fueled criticism of both the Manila city government and the University over the timing of the suspension.
“No student should ever be forced to choose between pursuing education and protecting their safety,” the UST Central Student Council (CSC) said in an Aug. 19 statement.
The council said weather monitoring, flood advisories, and Manila’s history of flooding should have provided authorities with sufficient warning.
“Students should not have to wait until the streets are flooded before their safety is considered,” it said. “When the signs are already present, waiting for the danger to arrive is not preparedness. It is negligence.”
On Aug. 18, Domagoso posted photos of relief assistance sent by the city government to UST with the message, “WALANG MAIIWAN.”
(NO ONE WILL BE LEFT BEHIND.)
The Manila Department of Social Welfare and other local disaster-response offices delivered 1,200 food packs, 30 boxes of water, and 3,000 pieces of doxycycline to the University.
CSC Vice President Franz Salangsang challenged the mayor’s declaration.
“Mayro’n pong naiwan,” Salangsang said.
(Some were left behind.)
Salangsang said students had spent hours uncertain of when they could leave while worried parents struggled to contact children who, in some cases, commuted from the provinces.
“This could have been prevented with an early announcement,” Salangsang said. “You weren’t unaware of how the situation was; you were able to post it. And yet the suspensions only came in at 12 p.m.?”
Esguerra likewise described flooding in Metro Manila as a persistent problem rather than an exceptional occurrence.
“For the past years, this kind of flooding has been a sickness roaming around Metro Manila,” she said.
“Resiliency should never be deemed toxic. Long-term issues should be fixed by permanence,” Esguerra added.
Chemical engineering senior Jari Carl Dela Fuente said he understood the backlash against the mayor following the incident.
“I think I would be more surprised if he were not under attack,” Dela Fuente said.
He said he hoped the flooding would serve as a lesson for both officials and the public about the consequences of delayed decisions.
“I believe no one wanted this to happen to the people. But it just so happens that there are actions, or the lack of them, that lead to this,” he said.
The University suspended classes and office work in the days immediately following the flooding and later shifted classes to enriched virtual mode as cleanup and recovery operations continued.
Seminarians posted photos of their cleanup efforts after floodwaters entered their chapel, a ritual that’s becoming more frequent. Ashley Madeleine D. Lampa with reports from Luis Angelo N. Palma and Elihoenai Hazael B. Cortez
