When high tide hits: Floods take toll on livelihoods in Hagonoy

Christmas holidays in San Agustin, Hagonoy once sounded like the whir of a grandmother’s sewing machine and the rustle of toys wrapped for neighborhood children.

- MAICAH RACHEL EUGENIO

Celerina Eugenio, 65, has been sewing since she was 15 — dresses for festival dancers, curtains for neighbors and robes for saints — piecing together a modest livelihood that brought in around P20,000 a year. It was never much, but it was enough for her happiness, enough to keep her small tradition alive: giving children toys bought from Divisoria every December.

Last year, she still managed to give those toys even with water lapping at her doorstep. But this year, the tide rose faster than her savings.

“Nakaraang taon, kahit may tubig nakapagbigay pa rin ako kahit papaano. Pero ngayon, hindi na sigurado,” she recalled in an interview.

Even without rain, water now rises to the fourth step of her house. Streets, although paved with concrete, are like canals. Furniture has been given away or moved upstairs, sewing machines sit on beds and the narrow living space has become even tighter. What used to be yearlong income has disappeared into brown water that no longer recedes.

A microeconomy underwater

A few blocks away, Fely de Jesus keeps a small balut, penoy and animal feeds store in Hagonoy. It had never been flooded this badly before. One morning, she woke to the sound of water rushing past her doorstep.

"Nang nagising ako, rumaragasa na yung tubig," she recalled.

The flood came fast. Sacks of feeds softened and collapsed in the water. Trays of eggs toppled over. Their storage room, usually dry and orderly, was soaked through by noon.

Almost everything was damaged.

To keep the business running, she had to borrow again. "Daming nalubog kaya nangutang kami ulit," she said.

Nearby, tricycle driver Ronaldo Villanueva, 51, said survival now requires investment. He had his vehicle raised called "giant tricycles" so he could drive through deeper water. It cost him roughly P10,000. Fares change with tide levels, from P30 to as high as P80.