IN THE LATE afternoon of March 4, 2003, it was an ordinary yet busy sighting at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao International Airport) in its former location in Barangay Sasa. The sightings were mixed. People outside the airport either welcome or bid their goodbyes to relatives or acquaintances.
It was almost night time, but people were still waiting outside as a plane was about to land all the way from Manila.
Joana Marie Fe Gabaton, who was four years old at that time, was with her grandmother and two more relatives while waiting for her grandpa, who is arriving from Manila.
At around 5:25pm, bodies would later on scattered on the ground, covered with blood caused by an explosion that shattered objects and shrapnel that flew all over the area. The explosion was trigged by an unattended backpack abandoned at the airport's waiting shed.
Joana remembered that things went dark after the explosion. She was one of the youngest victims among the 145 innocent civilians who were injured.
Unaware that it would be their last, 18 lives were already claimed on the spot. Three more also didn't survived the blast after being rushed to the hospital.
Reina Fideliz Juan, a one-year-old girl who was with her grandmother, Adela Fugata, 64, was the youngest casualty during the tragic event.
It was, by far, the most tragic bombing incident in the history of Davao City, in terms of combined deaths and injury figures.
On Tuesday, March 3, 2020, 17 years since the incident, family members and friends whose loved ones died or were injured during that fateful day gathered at the ground zero of the blast site.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who led commemoration of the Davao International Airport bombing, they would work hard to ensure that such atrocities would never happen. She also sought their cooperation in protecting the city by being vigilant.
Candles were lighted in memory of those who died, in solidarity with the survivors, and to the whole Dabawenyo community, with conviction in its commitment towards peace and hope.
Joana, now 21, was among those victims who attended the ceremony for the first time.
While lighting the candle in the exact spot she collapsed, she cannot imagine how she was able to survive the deadly blast.
"I was actually mistaken as a dead kid, who was brought in the ambulance along with other people,” Joana narrated.
"It was like a fountain of blood,” she described how her body was covered with blood flowing from her neck, as described by his relative who was thrown at the farther side of the blast sight.
She regained consciousness, but she was totally numbed and deaf, because of the blast.
She survived but with a reminder of what happened on that day.
Shrapnel from the blast has cut a vein on her leg making it difficult for her to walk properly.
After being discharged, she rested for a year after several operations, before she was enrolled to a school at five years old.
Flashbacks were occurring once in a while, she admitted.
She said her mother became strict after the blast, especially when she leaves the house.
"I tried to understand her since she almost lost me," she said with conviction. Throughout her whole life, she tried to live normally.
Joana was among those beneficiaries of the city scholarship grant worth P10,000 per semester. She was thankful with the scholarship, which had helped her finish high school.
However, she had to quit and work as a full-time call center agent to sustain her financial needs.
"I had to stop since the financial assistance was not enough to fully support me in my studies because my parent's earning cannot cope with the expenses," Joana said.
The victims of the bombings continue to receive education assistance from the city government, through the City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) and the Educational Benefit System Unit (EBSU).
CSSDO social welfare assistant Maria Luz Farañal said the city had allocated P5.7 million educational assistance to a total number of 223 dependents from 73 families. This is on top of the P50, 000 hospitalization and burial assistance that were given right away after the bombing incident.
As of 2018, the assistance already produced 31 graduates who have been working in various professions.
Farañal, however, did not directly answer Joana's financial woes. But she said other families had aired sentiments regarding the city's financial assistant.
"Mostly, during the commemoration, families would approach us seeking for employment in the government. We, however, have to refer the matter to the Mayor since it is out of our discretion," she told Sunstar Davao.
Overall, Farañal said the assistance had come a long way.
Another beneficiary, Jesfer Angelo Mamon, 19, is currently taking up Bachelor of Science in Forestry at Central Mindanao University in Bukidnon.
At first, he did not understand why his mom would scold him as a child when playing with friends or doing strenuous activities.
When Jesfer started school at a young age, he would always complain that his knees, and other parts are sore. That was when his mom showed him a photo of a newspaper depicting two children on a stretcher.
Jesfer soon found out he was one of the youngest victim during the bomb blast, at only two years old.
"My right foot, in the metatarsal, incurred severe injury brought about the debris during the explosion," he shared, adding that some parts of his body were also buried with shrapnel caused by the explosion.
He was fortunate to have sustained a "minor" injury, as compared to others, who were even amputated after the incident.
It was a different case for Jesfer's mom, who was with him when the explosion happened.
"We already left the airport actually," he said. But they had to head back to pick up an unclaimed baggage.
His mom was already heading outside the airport when the explosion happened. The incident dislocated her jaw and punctured her lungs.
Fortunately, his mother is better now.
His fracture, according to him, made him isolated and limited, missing out physical activities such as sports.
He, however, did not allow his pain from stopping him to live life to the fullest.
Jesfer, for a starter, joined hiking with friends. When he noticed his feet did not manifest any signs of pain, he pushed himself to the limit. He went on to try running until he made it from a routinary exercise to a sport.
"I chose running since it embodied everything I had to experience in life," he said. “The pain is just a part of the journey. Your achievement is what counts the most.”
Admittedly, Jesfer has not visited the old airport since then. But he said, he is ready to return and face the past that gave new meaning to his life.
"You learn to carry the weight of your burdens, or you learn to let them go," he ended.
Joana and Jester may have been unfortunate to bear the trauma at a very young age. But as day passes by, they try to appreciate every day as a blessing and having a strong faith. RGL