I met Gerel Bermundo, a 15-year-old first-year high school sponsored youth from Barangay Padang, Legazpi City, at a local government center where he received an anti-tetanus shot. He was referred there by the health coordinator of our Legazpi office.

He was sitting on a concrete bench in front of the center looking blankly at people walking before him. He was there but it was as if he was somewhere else. His eldest sister, Anabel, was standing beside him while her husband was seated beside Gerel. From afar, I could see how badly covered he was with bruises, abrasions and cuts. He just nodded when we introduced ourselves as staff of Children International, letting him know we were there to pick him up and take him to a temporary shelter.

Gerel was not saying a word while his sister was almost in tears when I tried to ask them how they were doing. "I don't want to cry again," she said, holding back her tears - but her voice was filled with emotion. "I've cried a bucket already and I don't want to start crying again here!" On our way to see where their house once stood, Gerel started to tell what happened on that fateful day of December 1, 2006: "We heard that a strong storm was coming that afternoon so we decided to vacate our house on a hill. I went ahead to go to my grandmother's house that is in a lower area of the barangay. My mom and two other brothers followed after. I thought that we were just going to spend a night in my grandmother's house and we would be back home tomorrow. The storm would be just one of those that came and went! "There were boulders rolling on and on. Then something hit me and I don't know what happened next. When I woke up, I saw this really big rock coming towards me and I thought that was my end. Thank God it suddenly changed its course. I was alive. "A man found me in between boulders still clinging on to the mango tree. I was swept at least a kilometer away from home. He brought me to a nearby house where I spent the night. The next day, I could not make sense of what happened. It was all so fast. In an instant, I lost them all. Mom is gone." Gerel seemed devoid of emotion the entire time he told his story of survival. It was like telling a story which did not happen to him. He did not shed a tear and his voice was monotone. My knees were trembling as I listened to how horrible his experience was and I just patted him on the back. I didn't say a word. What could I say? To date, they have not found Gerel's mother or brothers. I asked him if he is still hoping that his mom and his brothers would still be alive. "I don't think so and I don't want to hope. They've already recovered my grandmother's body." About a kilometer away from their house, Gerel asked us to stop. This area is called Padang and is now a no man's land. It was literally wiped out. From there, I could see Mount Mayon, still towering and proud with its almost perfectly shaped cone. Its vast surroundings were all covered with sand and boulders. I could still see some roofs and almost entirely drowned houses apparently filled with rocks and sand. There are a few trees but none have leaves. The lower half of their trunks are covered with sand. Gerel pointed to where he was found, sitting atop the boulders

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