Super typhoon Yolanda’s second anniversary

PBSP celebrates the resilience of survivors and the power of collective action

By PBSP
November 6, 2015

MANILA – Two years after super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) ravaged the Visayas region, many of the survivors are still picking up the pieces of their lives which were severely disrupted by one of the world’s strongest tropical cyclones.

But there are also a number of them that have recovered significantly through local and international aid. With the continuous assistance from development agencies and NGOs like Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), other survivors even feel that their situation is now better than before.

In A Better State

Take the case of Merle Tabornal and Gina Ciudad of Brgy. Tubogan in Ajuy, Iloilo, for instance, who used to walk seven kilometers (equivalent to three barangays) just to receive free pre-natal care at the only barangay health station (BHS) in the municipality. A BHS was built in Tubogan in 2008 but only to be damaged by the typhoon five years after. Months after the typhoon, their community of 739 rice and corn farmers continued to rely on the run-down BHS and struggled to make its operations normal despite the challenges.

Now, they are enjoying the benefits of improved healthcare services and a better health station which has a new roof, newly-painted walls, a sturdier ceiling, and a complete set of windows, gutters, and doors. Through this project of Asalus Corporation and PBSP, barangay health workers were also trained on Integrated Management of Childhood Illness which equipped them to better manage diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses of children. The community is now working together to upgrade their BHS into a birthing facility.

Panalaron Central Elementary School (PCES) was among the severely damaged schools in Tacloban City, Leyte which was badly hit by typhoon Yolanda on Nov. 8, 2013. Most of its students lost their drive to attend classes because they did not have classrooms, facilities and even school supplies. Grade 4 student Ranzelle Ann Sombrero could not attend her classes regularly because of poor health, family problems, and lack of food. Nine-year-old Marivic Balais also suffered the same problems.

Fortunately, their situation changed when Mondelez Philippines, together with PBSP, stepped in and chose PCES as its 6th adopted school under its Joy Schools Program. Mondelez Philippines improved the nutrition and academic performance of the students through the rehabilitation of 18 classrooms, playground and canteen, regular feeding sessions of 150 severely wasted students for one year, construction of library and reading corners, provision of school equipment such as overhead projectors, DVD players and speakers.

After a year under the feeding program, Sombrero has not only improved her health but is now an honor student. For Balais, the feeding program has helped contribute to her total development and resulted in her getting accelerated to the third grade. These interventions had a similar effect on many other students in PCES which is fast transforming into an ideal school for the Taclobanons.

Patrocinia Oftana of Sitio Matab-ang in Madridejos, Cebu, used to spend at least P50 a day just for water supply. She would pay a man to fetch her two 1.5 liters of water in the nearest dug well which was three kilometers from her home. She used the water for bathing, washing clothes and dishes, and for gardening. For her family’s drinking water, she pays the same man to purchase five gallons of water for their monthly consumption. Sometimes, she does not take a bath for days just to save water.

For years, this has been the situation of 6,000 families in 14 barangays on Bantayan island who relied on the 200 remote dug wells for their water usage. When the typhoon hit the island and made distribution from deep wells even scarcer, they had to go back to the man-made dug wells despite threats of water-borne diseases.

But their plight improved when Mercury Drug Foundation, in partnership with PBSP, installed level 2 and 3 potable water systems to 772 households. The project provided materials and labor needed by the barangays to connect the Madridejos Community Waterworks System’s main lines to three interior and waterless barangays.

Oftana and several of her fellow residents can now access water anytime they want through their own faucets, and only pay a monthly fee of P100 for 10 cubic meters of usage.

Farmer Romulo dela Peza has been depending on the coconut plantations in Brgy. Inangatan, Leyte to support his family. But when the farm where he worked was destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda, the now 66-year-old copra producer was left out of work and without a house.

Out of the 10,000 coconut trees on the plantation where dela Peza works, 7,000 were lost and the rest were left in an unproductive state. Some trees eventually died even after initially showing signs of recovery. It all seemed hopeless until Cargill Philippines and PBSP extended a helping hand to recover and rehabilitate the damaged coconut plantations.

Through intercropping, his participation in the Cash for Work program, and his work as the lead in the rehabilitation of the coconut plantation, dela Peza does not only have a new house, he also earns as much as P8,000 a month – so much more than the meager P1,000 that he got before the storm. He is just among the 204 other household farmers who greatly benefited from the coconut recovery and rehabilitation project.

A Disaster of Huge Proportions

Typhoon Yolanda affected 14 million people in the Visayas region. Of this, 5.9 million workers lost their jobs, resulting to an income loss of up to 70 percent in the affected communities. According to the Department of Education, close to 4,600 classrooms were totally destroyed. Poultry and livestock perished. Agricultural lands were turned into wastelands as crops were heavily damaged. Basic necessities such as water and health services were also interrupted, leaving survivors helpless and hopeless.

PBSP raised an initial P18.3 million from its own network of corporations, individual sponsors and international funding groups for relief missions. It distributed relief goods, hygiene kits, comfort bundles, kitchen utensils, and shelter repair materials to more than 20,000 households in 14 municipalities in Cebu, Samar and Leyte.

Project New Dawn

But the damages wrought by the typhoon continued to pose bigger challenges for the affected communities. Hence, PBSP launched Project New Dawn in June 2014 to provide long-term rehabilitation interventions focused on health, education, environment and livelihood and enterprise development.

It raised P293 million from its member-companies, partners and donors for the implementation of many projects in the affected communities. Of this, P160 million had been spent for projects in the least assisted towns in Bantayan, Madridejos, Santa Fe, and Daanbantayan in Northern Cebu. After several months, PND expanded its assistance to Iloilo, Samar, and Leyte.

Asalus Corporation rebuilt three rural health stations in Ajuy, loilo and Daanbantayan, Cebu. PBSP had also built 31 disaster-resilient school buildings with help from the following donors: Ace Foundation International, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, CTBC Bank (Philippines) Corporation, Deloitte Philippines Outreach, Inc., Epson Precision Philippines, Inc., Insular Life Foundation, Intel Foundation, L’Oreal Philippines, Inc., Telus International Philippines, Inc. and Mondelez Philippines. The buildings now provide a better and safer learning haven for the children.

Mondelez Philippines, Fluor Daniel, Inc.-Philippines and Lear Corporation also conducted supplemental feeding programs and provided uniforms and starter kits for teachers.

Donors from online platform Global Giving with member-company Parity Values, Inc. helped plant 480,000 mangroves in 48 hectares in Northern Cebu. This project aims to secure a brighter future for fishermen in the coming years.

The potable water system projects of Mercury Drug Corporation and Dow Chemical through United Way Worldwide helped bring safe drinking water directly to 1,582 households in 17 barangays.

PBSP helped families regain their income and become more self-sufficient through livelihood projects. First, the basic tools were provided: boats and fishing gears for fishermen; farming tools, livestock and seeds for farmers; and loans and retail items for sari-sari store (small retail store) owners.

With the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), PBSP has helped establish sustainable ways of fishing in Panay and Iloilo by setting up 23 local fish-enhancing devices and installing 1,600 artificial reefs. Workers were hired in the various construction requirements of livelihood projects so they can earn more income. Mothers were provided with bio-intensive garden kits containing basic vegetables, fertilizers and tools so they can get additional food from their own backyards.

Local economies in Leyte were also revitalized. PBSP and Hapinoy’s Project Bagong Araw enabled 79 sari-sari store owners to receive capital loans, store makeovers and trainings on business skills.

Building Partnerships for Collective Action

While many have already rebuilt their lives, PBSP recognizes the urgent need to scale up its impact, especially in the least assisted communities.

It plans to continue providing complementary interventions for recovery, rehabilitation, and resiliency in the towns of San Remegio and Medellin in Northern Cebu in the next five years.

For livelihood, PBSP intends to promote inclusive business in seaweed and hybrid corn production and dried fish processing. Livelihood interventions on swine production and bio-intensive gardening will also continue. Livelihood champion stakeholders in government will also be tapped to push for the welfare of the people.

PBSP will also conduct Safe Motherhood Caravans (SMC) to educate 4,600 women on life-saving Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) practices and help them access these health services from local health providers. The SMC program supports the United Nation’s goal to reduce maternal mortalities in severely depressed areas.

It is also looking at improving the tourism industry of Bantayan island.