Remembering Ondoy: The Untold Story of a Red Cross Staff Member in the Midst of Typhoon Ondoy Rescue Operation

Behind the stories of those Philippine Red Cross (PRC) staff members who unselfishly offered themselves for the benefit of others in the midst of Typhoon Ondoy's wrath are stories of victims themselves—tales that have long remained unexplored, given the overwhelming selflessness that they themselves displayed. Somehow, one would actually consider it surprising how one person could actually put aside his or her personal interest for the benefit of those deemed vulnerable; but as surprising as it may initially seem, one will actually be caught in wonder how could someone find enough strength as such to uncompromisingly put aside his or her own sentiments in times of a devastating tragedy.

During the onset of Typhoon Ondoy, PRC Rizal Chapter's Assistant Chapter Administrator Butch D. Sison, 33, was at the comfort of his home in Mandaluyong, mindlessly enjoying his day off from work. Initially, he had thought that September 26, 2009 was just another rainy Saturday morning, up until he realized that floodwater was already gushing in their house—a rather unlikely occurrence in their place.

"It took only around 30 minutes for the floodwater to rise up to chest-level" Sison related in line with his memory of the dreadful experience. And though it didn't completely submerge their house in muddy water, the sudden gush of flood had actually drenched most of their possessions—and worse, caused the death of his younger brother, Ben Brian Sison.

"It was in fact a terrible loss for my whole family," said Sison upon recalling the bitter memory of the said event. He added, "I can still remember the looks on our faces when we first heard of the news. It was as if someone threw a very bad joke. We didn't immediately believe them; we didn't believe them up until we ourselves saw my brother's lifeless body floating near the gate of our house."

But despite this predicament, Sison decided to report to work after the devastating event. While making the necessary arrangement for his brother's funeral, he was in constant communication with his colleagues to check on the general damage caused by the tragedy that had hit the Philippines off guard; and soon after, he was back on the muddy streets to check on the actual damage the flashflood had caused and be of aid to others who also suffered its fatal wrath.

"Of course, it was painful on my part to miss the first few days with my family in the midst of this tragic event in our lives, but since my duty has called for it, I had to surmount the said dilemma one way or another," Sison uttered in explanation to the decision that even his closest friends found difficult to understand. To further elaborate, he added, "I voluntarily committed myself into this kind of vocation, and the least I could do is to stand by its primary cause as a humanitarian organization, aimed to be of service to the greater public in need of its assistance… Also, I believe that my younger brother would understand why I had to make the said decision, most especially after I learned from one of our neighbors that he actually spent the last minutes of his life trying to help her and her newborn out of their sinking house."

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