(Photos courtesy: www.awatiro.com)It's Raining... Oh Men!
For the record - well at least in my own recollection -, last week was the longest gloomy weather condition the city had ever been through. Not only was it gloomy, it had moderate to torrential rains and occasional gale. It all began on the night of January 10, 2009. Rain started pouring on my rooftop like a madman throwing stones everywhere. Surrounded by corrugated GI sheet roofing of the next house (my lola's), my small upper floor bedroom turned into a heavy metal noise factory. Rain pounded so hard leaving not a single inch of silence. Thus, getting sleep was almost impossible.
When I woke up the next day, it was a dark and cold
Sunday morning. The rain heavy. Bombo Radyo Cagayan de Oro recounted rising flood in various parts of the city. Of course, the ever-flooded areas of CM Recto Avenue - along LimKetKai Center and MUST (formerly MPSC), Kauswagan high-way and lower Carmen where among the first mentioned to have sunk.
The rain that day lasted for more than 11 hours and never had it poured low to a drizzle. PAGASA said there was no sign of storm or tropical cyclone within the Philippine Area of Responsibility. Instead, the so called tail-end of a cold front was affecting the vast skies
across Bicol Region, eastern section of Visayas and Mindanao.
Like Never Before...
Exactly a week before that, Cagayan de Oro River rose to extensive water levels after a downpour that lasted for hours. Leaving hundreds of homeless in its wake. This made me reaffirm that quote "Lightning Strikes Twice". Save for the rising of Cagayan de Oro River,
'lightning struck harder the second time!" Floods were almost everywhere across the city. Iponan River and its nearby barangays were not spared. Zone 8 of Barangay Bulua sank waist to chest-deep. A landslide in Pagatpat tolled to one death. And several landslides incidents were heard of in different sloping spots of the city. A bridge in Opol, Misamis Oriental ,partially collapsed resulting to a paralysis in traffic along Western Misamis Oriental.
Came Wednesday, January 14, another non-stop rain stranded motorists for more than an hour. Coming into the city from the west was unlikely due to flooded Kauswagan Highway, Carmen along Patag Road, and Canitoan. A bittersweet consolation: the water went not as deep as it was the past Sunday. Mayor Constantino Jaraula told the press that the last time Cagayan de Oro went through such a hard rain was in 1957. But never this widespread and high!
Rain, Rain Go Away!
As the Sinulog Festival in Cebu came closing in, I got butterflies in my stomach over perennial bad weather. Uptown, Cagayan de Oro Airport showed low to zero visibility. Thus, most incoming flights were cancelled in the course of this cold front. Gale winds slapped the shores of Macajalar Bay destroying homes. One uncle of mine purportedly told me that a passenger ship bound for Cebu from the Port of Cagayan de Oro, routed back two hours after departure due to strong waves across the sea and that he already cancelled his trip to the Queen City. Gees! I, my sister and three friends already 
paid our return tickets to Cebu and what dismay would it lead us to if we wouldn't be able to make it to Cebu for the Sinulog 2009! Oh rain do go away!
Friday, January 16th, thank God, it was a misty morning. The sky was pale with light and I heard a roaring of jet engine toward the west. This was a promising day. Saturday would be our flight to Cebu. I had been looking forward to flying again to Cebu and joining this year's Sinulog. I could only imagine how smooth our trip would be as we even already booked for
our accomodation in downtown Cebu City. Last year, I joined the Sinulog for the first time and it was a total blast. We got short of preparation then but all that started well, ended well.
Raindrops Kept Falling on My Head :(
My cell phone's alarm clock reverberated sending me up to my feet and head for the showers. But... uh-oh! Did I hear raindrops on my roof? It was 4 in the morning, Saturday. Our flight to Cebu at 6:40. Please let the sunshine up! I said a little prayer while under the
shower. Hoping that a few hours by then, the sun would eventually rise. Unmistakeably, I heard a jet engine heading south for the airport. A spark of hope! We were on our way to Lumbia at a quarter before 6. No sign of the sun. Rain was persistent. As we neared Cagayan de Oro Airport, fogs were evident. It was a gloomy sight. As persistent as the rain, we checked in. Terminal's public address announced PAL's definite cancellation of all incoming flights from Manila. Our flight with Cebu Pacific Air was temporarily put on hold due to poor weather condition. The thing was, Cebu Pacific's airbus from Manila went hovering above the airport terminal and runway. No way it could touch down! Later it was announced that the flight was diverted to Mactan Airport in Cebu and that the already airborne flight from Cebu returned to port of origin and concerned passengers were requested to wait for further announcements. And freakin' finally, our flight was definitely canceled due to deteriorating weather condition. Awwwe...
Here Comes Back the Sun!
Sunday was a sunny day. There was a scent of bittersweet surrender as I rose and open my bedroom window. Regret overshadowed me but what a heck. Seeing clear blue skies for the first time in a week somehow gave me relief and renewed hope. After all, I am a Cagay-anon. Thankfully I was not affected by the rising water here in Cagayan de Oro. But still, the week-long gloom affected me in an odd manner. I've had my share of this year's unforgettable 'tail-end of a cold front' experience that left thousands of Cagay-anons crying out for help. We were all in this together. What matters now, here comes back the sun!
When I woke up the next day, it was a dark and cold
Sunday morning. The rain heavy. Bombo Radyo Cagayan de Oro recounted rising flood in various parts of the city. Of course, the ever-flooded areas of CM Recto Avenue - along LimKetKai Center and MUST (formerly MPSC), Kauswagan high-way and lower Carmen where among the first mentioned to have sunk.The rain that day lasted for more than 11 hours and never had it poured low to a drizzle. PAGASA said there was no sign of storm or tropical cyclone within the Philippine Area of Responsibility. Instead, the so called tail-end of a cold front was affecting the vast skies
across Bicol Region, eastern section of Visayas and Mindanao.Like Never Before...
Exactly a week before that, Cagayan de Oro River rose to extensive water levels after a downpour that lasted for hours. Leaving hundreds of homeless in its wake. This made me reaffirm that quote "Lightning Strikes Twice". Save for the rising of Cagayan de Oro River,
'lightning struck harder the second time!" Floods were almost everywhere across the city. Iponan River and its nearby barangays were not spared. Zone 8 of Barangay Bulua sank waist to chest-deep. A landslide in Pagatpat tolled to one death. And several landslides incidents were heard of in different sloping spots of the city. A bridge in Opol, Misamis Oriental ,partially collapsed resulting to a paralysis in traffic along Western Misamis Oriental.
Came Wednesday, January 14, another non-stop rain stranded motorists for more than an hour. Coming into the city from the west was unlikely due to flooded Kauswagan Highway, Carmen along Patag Road, and Canitoan. A bittersweet consolation: the water went not as deep as it was the past Sunday. Mayor Constantino Jaraula told the press that the last time Cagayan de Oro went through such a hard rain was in 1957. But never this widespread and high!Rain, Rain Go Away!
As the Sinulog Festival in Cebu came closing in, I got butterflies in my stomach over perennial bad weather. Uptown, Cagayan de Oro Airport showed low to zero visibility. Thus, most incoming flights were cancelled in the course of this cold front. Gale winds slapped the shores of Macajalar Bay destroying homes. One uncle of mine purportedly told me that a passenger ship bound for Cebu from the Port of Cagayan de Oro, routed back two hours after departure due to strong waves across the sea and that he already cancelled his trip to the Queen City. Gees! I, my sister and three friends already 
paid our return tickets to Cebu and what dismay would it lead us to if we wouldn't be able to make it to Cebu for the Sinulog 2009! Oh rain do go away!Friday, January 16th, thank God, it was a misty morning. The sky was pale with light and I heard a roaring of jet engine toward the west. This was a promising day. Saturday would be our flight to Cebu. I had been looking forward to flying again to Cebu and joining this year's Sinulog. I could only imagine how smooth our trip would be as we even already booked for
our accomodation in downtown Cebu City. Last year, I joined the Sinulog for the first time and it was a total blast. We got short of preparation then but all that started well, ended well.Raindrops Kept Falling on My Head :(
My cell phone's alarm clock reverberated sending me up to my feet and head for the showers. But... uh-oh! Did I hear raindrops on my roof? It was 4 in the morning, Saturday. Our flight to Cebu at 6:40. Please let the sunshine up! I said a little prayer while under the
shower. Hoping that a few hours by then, the sun would eventually rise. Unmistakeably, I heard a jet engine heading south for the airport. A spark of hope! We were on our way to Lumbia at a quarter before 6. No sign of the sun. Rain was persistent. As we neared Cagayan de Oro Airport, fogs were evident. It was a gloomy sight. As persistent as the rain, we checked in. Terminal's public address announced PAL's definite cancellation of all incoming flights from Manila. Our flight with Cebu Pacific Air was temporarily put on hold due to poor weather condition. The thing was, Cebu Pacific's airbus from Manila went hovering above the airport terminal and runway. No way it could touch down! Later it was announced that the flight was diverted to Mactan Airport in Cebu and that the already airborne flight from Cebu returned to port of origin and concerned passengers were requested to wait for further announcements. And freakin' finally, our flight was definitely canceled due to deteriorating weather condition. Awwwe...Here Comes Back the Sun!
Sunday was a sunny day. There was a scent of bittersweet surrender as I rose and open my bedroom window. Regret overshadowed me but what a heck. Seeing clear blue skies for the first time in a week somehow gave me relief and renewed hope. After all, I am a Cagay-anon. Thankfully I was not affected by the rising water here in Cagayan de Oro. But still, the week-long gloom affected me in an odd manner. I've had my share of this year's unforgettable 'tail-end of a cold front' experience that left thousands of Cagay-anons crying out for help. We were all in this together. What matters now, here comes back the sun!
Aww i like jollibee. lol.
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