As tropical storm Ondoy ravaged Metro Manila and neighboring regions, Boto Patrollers got busy video clips, photographs and other content to ABS-CBN’s Boto Mo iPatrol Mo desk and to its various social networking pages.

Some submissions reflected the extent of the damage wrought by the storm.

For instance, Ryan Buaron & Scott Allford submitted videos taken outside Cityland Pasong Tamo on Calle Estacion on September 26 and another one taken a couple of hours after in Pasong Tamo across Don Bosco. 

Subdivisions not spared

The flood did not spare exclusive villages and subdivisions. At around 3 pm on Saturday, Multiply user Ellie posted images on botomoipatrolmo.multiply.com. She remarked, “This is the first time this happened in our place.” 

Ellie recalled that in the morning, the flood waters have already reached the main gate of Valle Verde 2, Kaimito St.  from the Jollibee branch and the Shell gas station along Julia Vargas Avenue. “Talagang umabot sa loob. Buti na lang mataas sa may amin. 

If you go out of the main gate, Ellie reported, you will see that the floodwaters in the front of McDonald's Frontera Verde near Alchemy is up to your knees.

By 3pm, Ellie said the flood waters have subsided a bit. “Yung C-5 na lang ang may baha pati sa loob ng basement ng SM Hypermarket Pasig, Eagle Street going to Maybunga - Pasig C-5 going to Libis and Katipunan, C-5 going to Bagong Ilog - Pasig and Kalayaan - Makati and IPI going to Cainta and Taytay. 

Ellie took photos near SM Pasig, Tiendesitas, Transcom and Valle Verde 2 and posted them on botomoipatrolmo.multiply.com. She said she was not able to take photos near Valle Verde 1 because “lakas ng agos nung Creek sa Lunuza Avenue going to St. Paul Pasig.”

 Cedric Sagun also posted photos taken from the Las Pinas area on BMPM’s Multiply site.

 On the other hand, Deepee Villareal sent a series of photographs on the situation in San Pedro, Laguna through the Facebook group page.

Bayanihan

Some reports highlighted how the spirit of Bayanihan manifested during the storm.

Kenneth de Leon, who submitted as a response to a callout for Patroller submissions, submitted a video of a flatbed truck picking up passengers in Tandang Sora along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City taken at past noon on Saturday.

De Leon wrote in his blog: “We were on our way to the airport when we got stranded near Philcoa because of the flood. It was like a river! Thank God our car did not bog down.”

De Leon said when they went home, he took photos in Tandang Sora, along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City. He said the photos show the Bayanihan spirit, “which has been part of our culture and consciousness,” in action. “I hope that we are always like this, not just in the face of disaster and tragedy but also day to day, whenever our fellowmen need us.”