Mark Bumgarner Helps Victims of Typhoon Odette in Bohol

It seems Mark Bumgarner's Bohol trip was far from what was originally in his mind. Read on to find out:

Several posts on Mark Bumgarner's Instagram caught our attention during the start of this year. Hanging on to the back of a truck, he was out on the field doing much-needed relief work in the typhoon stricken lands of Bohol. In the last few days of 2021, Bumgarner joined the local government of Panglao to visit the coastal towns of Tubignon and Ubay and got straight to work. Hands-on and extremely emotional Bumgarner was determined to do his best to fundraise, collect supplies, distribute goods, and travelling throughout the devastated and most affected areas hit by Typhoon Odette. The celebrated fashion designer, who did not grow up or live in Bohol, has developed an emotional attachment to the area during several vacations and could not bear to watch a place he had become so fond of feel so much pain. As soon as he could, Bumgarner sprung into action, finding ways to help the people he made friends with and the community he grew to love.

Here, Bumgarner shares his firsthand account of the events when Typhoon Odette wreaked havoc and how he rallied for immediate support and assistance to the victims.

Above The chocolate hills in Bohol. (Photo: Ninia Rose Nava / Pexels)

Why did you want to help Bohol? What about it is special to you?

I fell in love with Bohol when we got invited last year to its first-ever Panglao Dive Festival. We went with a group of dive enthusiasts. It was one of those fun memories of getting together with old and meeting new friends, after more than a year of no travel. I have always loved diving, but it was my first time visiting Panglao in Bohol for diving.

During our stay, we were taken care of by the LGU of Panglao. We met up with Mayor Leonila Montero, and her daughter Aya Montero, who is also a councilor of Panglao. We became really good friends. They are the most accommodating people, like everyone else in Panglao. This is what made me fall in love with this town, aside from the beaches, food, and dive sites, are the people. From acquaintances, we became good friends after the trip and are in constant communication. We even went back to Panglao a few more times to visit them and see more of Bohol.

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How did you help? What did you do in your outreach? How did you make sure your donations go to the right people?

During the day of Odette, through chat groups, we were updated by Councilor Aya Montero regarding the situation on the ground. We all thought it was just going to be a “normal” typhoon and not a super typhoon as it turned out. She would send us photos and videos of the impending typhoon as it happened. The night went by and then communication stopped as all mobile signals and electricity were apparently cut off as Odette ravaged on. The morning after, we saw the devastation and it was heartbreaking.

I was originally planning to spend my New Year’s in Panglao. I contemplated whether to push or not because hotels were closing down, flights were cancelled, there was no electricity, water was scarce, etc. After Christmas, I decided to still go to Panglao to visit my friends and also join the LGU in its reach out. On the second day after my arrival, I tagged along Panglao LGU to visit heavily damaged towns around Bohol. We started at 9 am and visited the towns of Tubigon and Ubay. These towns were totally flattened. Houses were partially, if not totally, destroyed, while domestic animals were running around. We went house to house to distribute food packs and water, and we were told it was their first time to receive relief packs after almost 15 days since Odette. By 5 pm it was starting to get dark so we went back on the road. It was the most draining day, but also the most eye-opening experience. One can only hope to help more.

After 3 days I came back to Manila, and I had prepared more relief packs for the families in Bohol. I decided to use reusable water jugs as containers for canned food, rice, medicine, and water for 300 families. It was a real challenge sending the relief goods to Bohol. A long-time friend was able to connect me to the right people from the AFP for the C130 cargo plane. These packs were eventually shipped to Panglao and were received by its LGU. They eventually distributed these items from different parts of Bohol. They would send me photos as they distribute the goods to the families.

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What was the devastation like? What did you see firsthand?

The devastation was quite nothing like I've ever seen in my life. It felt like going to a war zone. I got there 15 days after Odette and the damage is still unimaginable. People lining up for kilometres for food, water, gasoline. House without roofs and walls, if not completely flat. Trees on the ground, buildings without windows/doors, electric poles hanging overhead. It was total and complete chaos, but I was told roads have already been cleared to be passable. I couldn't imagine it right after Odette. There was no phone or internet signal as well so communication was a huge problem with the mobilization. Anywhere in Bohol by dusk is completely dark. Although you would see a lot of people outside their homes by the road, maybe it's cooler to stay outside than inside their homes. In the town of Ubay, we drove for hours where everything was flattened. Aside from the damage to humans, I can't imagine the devastation as well to animals. Overall, properties were damaged in unimaginable ways and it just made me think about how they are able to survive in the next coming days.

How did you feel when seeing a place that means so much to you affected by the typhoon?

Bohol was a teeming tourism hub and to see it get damaged was just heartbreaking. I have friends who own dive centres and all their boats were destroyed, including their hotels. Visiting depressed towns was even more heart-wrenching since these houses were made of light materials so most of the properties were in ruins.

What are your hopes for the future of Bohol?

My hope for Bohol is for the province to be able to bounce back from this calamity. The govt should’ve fast-tracked the relief efforts so people are able to survive. I also wish for businesses to be back on track. Hotels, boats, roads were damaged. These must be prioritised to help the province recover its tourism industry. I wish Bohol and other provinces that got hit by Odette a fast economic recovery

This interview was conducted in February 2022.

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Tatler Asia

Mark Bumgarner's Unforgettable Bohol Trip: Helping Odette Victims in Their Time of Need