Editor’s note: Names have been changed to preserve anonymity.
There were just 35 miles between Robert and the sheer destruction that crumbled Bohol in the Philippines. In the early morning hours of Oct. 15, a 7.2 earthquake rocked the province.
Robert and his family lived across the strait in Cebu City. But, they were not spared from the natural disaster’s effects. They constantly felt the incessant aftershocks.
The ground didn’t shake like other earthquakes. Robert lifted his hand, moving it in a circular motion. The quake had set their world into swirling vertigo.
“It was horrible,” Robert said. “There were so many (aftershocks.) You kept thinking, ‘Oh boy,it’s not over yet.’”
Then, Typhoon Haiyan nailed the already tattered province.
Robert heard stories of panic. Of looting and devastation. Even on his own island, he saw his neighbors’ fear.
“When something like this happens on an island like Negros, it changes the attitudes of the people,” Robert said. “And there’s no escaping.
“You feel totally helpless; There is no plan,” he said. “There is no infrastructure.”
Help was slow to come.
He knew what he had to do. Robert’s only thought was to get his 9-year-old adopted daughter, Sarah, out of the country.
But, he didn’t know how — until a friend in the United States contacted him. The friend was living in Plant City and offered to open his home.
With the help of Sen. Marco Rubio, Robert was able to get Sarah a B-2 visa. Father and daughter arrived two weeks ago. Robert felt a sense of relief.
Still, Sarah’s future is unknown.
“It’s very important for me to get her her citizenship,” Robert said.
PARADISE LOST
Robert had been going back and forth between the Philippines and the U.S. for 12 years. A general contractor by trade, Robert had gotten in a work-related accident and broke his neck. He didn’t get on disability until 10 years after the accident. But, he had found a more affordable way to live in the Philippines.
At first, he enjoyed the country. He met and married a native. But underneath, the polished image of the dream the tourism industry painted was a tarnished underworld.
Robert saw dingy children scavenging for plastic. Men were slumped in the streets with the sweet taste of rum on their lips. Prostitution and sex trafficking were rampant.
After about three years of living in the Philippines, Robert learned his wife’s 13-year-old niece had been raped and was pregnant. He had met her before. She took care of many of the family’s children. Her family wanted an abortion. She came to Robert for help.
“I made sure she could have as good of a pregnancy as she could have here,” Robert said. “I don’t think a mother could ever get over an abortion.”
She had a baby girl, Sarah. Robert adopted her.
But Robert’s wife wasn’t happy. She rejected her, because Sarah was not a full-blooded family member. When Sarah was 2, Robert’s wife left. She sold her property, leaving Robert and Sarah homeless. She also took Robert’s life savings.
Life went on.
Robert tried to get an annulment. But the courts told him it could take up to 10 years.
Then, a bright spot came into his life. Robert met a woman at the market. When he learned she was unemployed, he asked her to be Sarah’s yaya. In the Philippines, it is common for affluent families to have a yaya, or nanny.
Over time, the two fell in love. Along with her daughter, the four became a family.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
The family’s world was torn apart in the wake of the disasters. Yaya and her daughter could not secure visas to come to the U.S. And although he loved Yaya and her daughter, his main concern was Sarah. So, Robert and Sarah left the other part of their family behind.
“I pray every night that she’s safe,” Robert said. “I’m the man of the house. I’m supposed to protect her.
“We just want to be a family,” Robert said. “We don’t want to take advantage of the system.”
Until then, Robert hopes a new life blossoms for Sarah.
He has been researching vigorously how to secure her citizenship. He also wants to find his wife to secure a divorce.
Through it all, Sarah has remained a resilient and happy child. She loves to play the xylophone and piano. She also likes to play with a large gray dog at the family’s new home, laughing and romping alongside him in the yard.
Sarah had just gotten home from field day at Walden Lake Elementary, where she’s in third grade.
“I like it,” she said about school.
“She’s already got friends,” Robert said. “I like Plant City. I think it’s a good place to raise and child.”
Robert lifted Sarah up in the lush back yard. She plucked a purple flower from a twisting vine. Her tiny hands held the delicate bloom.
Then, she went on to play in her newfound freedom.
“That’s why I’m here,” Robert said, looking toward his daughter. “And I’m not going back.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
HOW TO HELP
Robert has been looking for ways to secure Sarah’s citizenship. But the legal process can be a maze.
If you know of a way to help the family with legal services, information or advice, contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.