Written By Debbie Bataller, Junior Writer, CBN Asia

ORMOC CITY, Leyte – Argie Maloloy-on, a 24-year old security, was diligently guarding his post in an establishment in Tacloban when super typhoon Yolanda unleashed its fury in the Visayas.

His family—wife Jennifer, 24 and two kids Alvin Jay, 2 years old and Kyle Andrei, 8 months—were left in Ormoc, another city badly battered by the super storm.

Argie desperately wanted to rush back home to his family in Ormoc but the furious rains, the howling winds and the storm surge prevented him from doing so. His biggest fear was that his entire family was wiped out by the floods. He was despondent.

Back in Ormoc, his wife Jennifer was wrapped in fear. After Argie failed to come home for 2 days, Jennifer was slowly trying to accept the notion that her husband might be among the thousands of casualties of Yolanda. After all, the super typhoon pounded on Tacloban and from the trickle of news that has reached them, the devastation in Tacloban was something that the city has never seen before both in casualties and damage to properties.

Argie thought the same thing. He was trying to shake it off his head but the thought that he has no family anymore to come home to broke his heart.

Still, Argie started his 100-kilometer trek back home, by foot! And it took him two days before he reached Ormoc.
“Naglakad po ako mula Tacloban hanggang Ormoc dahil una, wala naman po talagang sasakyan at pangalawa, hindi na po ako makapaghintay na malaman kung ano ang nangyari sa pamilya ko,” Argie revealed.

He reached Ormoc, tired, famished and with his feet wrapped in blisters and saw that the home he shared with his family was transformed into a pile of debris.

Argie then proceeded to his parents’ home and who would welcome him there but his entire family!

“Nag-iyakan po talaga kami dahil isa’s isa inisip namin na baka namatay na dahil sa bangis ni Yolanda. Ang pangamba ko po talaga ay hindi na kami magkikita,” Argie said.

Argie’s family was among those treated by the medical mission of Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines, the humanitarian arm of CBN Asia, in the group’s visit to Ormoc.

The children were suffering from diarrhea and were quickly given medications by the Operation Blessing team.

Jennifer said that most of the survivors in the community were suffering from diarrhea and it was a good thing that the Operation Blessing team reached their city to do medical missions.

“Salamat at na-check up na ang mga anak ko. Salamat po sa Operation Blessing dahil sa pagpunta nila sa aming lugar dahil halos lahat po ng tao dito ay nagkasakit na dahil sa bagyo,” Jennifer tearfully said.

To date, Operation Blessing has already served over 127,000 individuals in their simultaneous relief and rehabilitation efforts, medical mission, trauma and prayer counseling in the areas worst-hit by Yolanda.

The team has set up four camp bases and continuously delivers the much-needed aid for the Yolanda victims.

Help Operation Blessing help more Typhoon Yolanda survivors. You too can be a part of this humanitarian effort.

Partner with Operation Blessing now by calling or texting these numbers: (+632) 477-7806/ 0939-9215543/ 0922-8036922/ 0917-5812603. You can also like and share Operation Blessing’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/obphil, or follow OB on Twitter, @obphil.