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Garbage to some, gold to others: Ulysses victims forced to scavenge for their needs

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Photos and text by George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News

<p>Nora Paladan, 64, sits among the garbage with her 12-year-old granddaughter, Sophia Monsanto, along the Marikina riverbanks on Thursday. </p><p>Under the Marcos bridge, where a temporary dumping area was set up, scavengers dig through the debris for anything they can use. Nora and her family used to live along the riverbank before being forced to relocate to Cogeo in Antipolo due to the developments in the area. </p><p>With the floodwater subsiding in Marikina, Paladan and her family kept going back to the area daily to scavenge for reusable materials swept away by Typhoon Ulysses.</p><p>“May nakukuha kaming kawali, kaldero, kasirola. Yun magagamit namin yun. Tapos yung ibang pwede ibenta, ibebenta namin,” Paladan says.</p><p>Aside from these, she also looks for clothes that can still be used. </p><p>“Hahati-hatiin ko sa mga anak ko. Yung iba, dadalhin ko sa Bicol. Sa mga kapatid ko, sa nanay ko. Wala daw kasing dumadating na tulong dun,” says Paladan, who hails from Goa town, Camarines Sur, one of the towns severely affected by Super Typhoon Rolly. </p><p>“Sacrifice ko yung P100, pamasahe nung mga damit. Nakaka-isang sako na ako.”</p><p>Paladan says a bag of clothes costs P100 if she would send it through provincial buses, but such trips are few.</p><p>Executive Director Ricardo Jalad earlier said in a briefing that infrastructure damage from Ulysses cost about P10.79 billion while P540 billion in agricultural damage was recorded. Jalad also said that the cost of assistance for those affected almost reached P200 million.</p><p>A few minutes into digging through garbage, a motorcycle rider passed by and called the attention of Paladan. The rider then handed her a big plastic bag filled with clothes, and rode away after she expressed her gratitude.</p><p>She then sits with her granddaughter, sifting through the bag of clothes and checking if anything fits the child.</p><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/11/26/ulyssess-aftermath-marikina-gc-1.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/11/26/ulyssess-aftermath-marikina-gc-2.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/11/26/ulyssess-aftermath-marikina-gc-3.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/11/26/ulyssess-aftermath-marikina-gc-4.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/11/26/ulyssess-aftermath-marikina-gc-5.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/11/26/ulyssess-aftermath-marikina-gc-6.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/11/26/ulyssess-aftermath-marikina-gc-7.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/11/26/ulyssess-aftermath-marikina-gc-8.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/11/26/ulyssess-aftermath-marikina-gc-9.jpg"/></div><div><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/11/26/ulyssess-aftermath-marikina-gc-10.jpg"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><p>Paladan and her granddaughter Monsanto sit among the garbage as they look for reusable materials under the Marcos bridge in Marikina. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Paladan and Monsanto inspect a toy sword. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>The temporary dumping area located near the Marikina riverbanks. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>A hair iron is covered in dust at it lies in the garbage. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>“Hahati-hatiin ko sa mga anak ko. Yung iba, dadalhin ko sa Bicol. Sa mga kapatid ko, sa nanay ko. Wala daw kasing dumadating na tulong dun eh.” says Paladan of the clothes she found. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Paladan helps her son Michael pack some of the materials they recovered on a bicycle. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Michael prepares to take the items home. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>A motorcycle rider hands over a bag of clothes to Paladan. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Paladan checks if a shirt fits her granddaughter. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div><div class="item-desc"><p>Broken toys found among the debris under Marcos bridge in Marikina. <cite>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</cite></p></div></div></div>

<p>Nora Paladan doesn't have many choices when it comes to her granddaughter's clothes. </p>

Nora Paladan doesn't have many choices when it comes to her granddaughter's clothes.

Garbage to some, gold to others: Ulysses victims forced to scavenge for their needs

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Garbage to some, gold to others: Ulysses victims forced to scavenge for their needs

Photos and text by George Calvelo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 27, 2020 01:23 AM PHT

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Updated Nov 27, 2020 08:08 AM PHT

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Marikina

Ulysses

Typhoon Ulysses

Ulysses PH

Ulysses aftermath

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