‘Our efforts cannot suffice’: Church: ‘Continue helping survivors’

CEBU, Philippines - It has been two years since super typhoon Yolanda hit the Visayas and Mindanao regions but the survivors have not fully recovered yet, the Catholic Church says.

National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA)-Caritas Philippines executive secretary Fr. Edwin Gariguez said the typhoon victims still need help especially in terms of shelter and livelihood.

“When you talk to the people, ang dami pa rin ng kanilang mga panganga-ilangan. Malaki pa rin iyong need,” he said.

The Catholic Church, through NASSA-Caritas Philippines as its social arm, has started the second phase of its ongoing three-year rehabilitation program dubbed as #REACHPhilippines, in partnership with the nine worst-hit dioceses in the country.

These dioceses are in Cebu, Leyte, Western Samar, Eastern Samar, Palawan, Antique, Aklan, Capiz and Iloilo.

Gariguez said for the second stage of the rehab program, which covers April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016, they are currently geared towards sustaining resilient communities through livelihood programs.

“Kung may bahay nga ang mga tao pero wala silang kabuhayan, wala rin,” he said.

The Church was able to construct more than 3,000 houses for typhoon survivors during the first year of the program implementation. Gariguez said they are still consolidating the recent figures for the second year.

Gariguez said that the NASSA-Caritas Philippines and Caritas Internationalis member organizations have reached out to at least 1.8 people or 20 percent of the total affected population in the nine worst-hit provinces.   The Catholic Church has spent up to P3.29 billion to fund the overall Caritas response for the span of two years.

“We want to reach out to the poorest of the poor, to the most needy na hindi pa naabutan ng tulong. Hanapin ang mga nangangailangan na hindi pa napupuntahan,” Gariguez said, adding that their local dioceses specifically know the situation of their respective communities.

The Archdiocese of Cebu has spent P39,836,730 for the second year of the rehab program in the communities in northern Cebu.

However, despite the worldwide effort of the Church to implement their programs, Gariguez said they still need more to sustain the recovery of the typhoon survivors.

“’Yan ang nakakapanghinayang. Eto lang kayang ibigay ng simbahan. Maliit lang ang kaya naming suportahan,” he said.

Gariguez then called on to the government to continue helping the typhoon survivors even if two years have already passed.

“Hindi pa tapos. Sana hindi sila kalimutan. Kailangan pa rin nila ang ating tulong,” he said.

Gariguez further urged government officials to use the public funds wisely and not to use the act of helping the typhoon victims as a political strategy to win more votes for the 2016 elections.

With the theme “Faith, Hope and Caritas,” the Catholic Church commemorated the super typhoon through a series of activities yesterday until today in Cebu.

“We treasure our faith as the power source of Filipino resiliency. This is the reason why we chose Cebu to host this year’s commemoration. Aside from being one of the areas worst-hit by the typhoon, it is also the seat of Christianity in the country,” Gariguez said.

The activities include the Community-Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR) Summit with the Archdiocese of Palo-Relief and Rehabilitation Unit sharing how its communities are actively involved in various disaster mitigation measures.

Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo said that through the summit, they can come up with a template of the best practices and lessons in disaster risk management and relief efforts which communities can use when calamity strikes.

“We don’t have to wait for the calamity to strike. On a daily basis, we exercise faith, hope and love,” he said.

Villarojo recalled how typhoon survivors did not lose the sense of hope and humor despite what they have experienced during Yolanda.

The summit was attended by typhoon survivors, the nine dioceses, and representatives from Caritas Internationalis member organizations, government agencies, civil society organizations, and other non-government organizations.

A photo gallery exhibit which runs until November 8 at the Ayala Center Cebu also showcases the faces of Yolanda survivors and the various phases of the reconstruction.

This year’s commemoration also served as a venue for the government and other NGOs to renew and sustain their commitment to typhoon survivors.

NASSA-Caritas Philippines, which is currently headed by Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, represents the country to the Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based umbrella organization of 165 Catholic charity organizations worldwide.

The Caritas networks include  Caritas Española, Caritas New Zealand, Caritas Germany, Caritas Denmark, Caritas Luxemburg, Caritas Korea, Caritas France, Caritas Seoul, Caritas Indonesia, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, Caritas Poland, Catholic fund for Overseas Development, Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, CordAid Netherlands, Caritas Ireland, Caritas Italiana, Marianisti CG, Caritas Monaco, Caritas Belgium, Caritas Japan, Caritas Lebanon, Caritas Slovenia, Caritas Australia, Caritas Sweden, Caritas Canada, Caritas Thailand, Caritas Vietnam, Caritas Austria, Caritas Humanitarian Aid and Relief Initiatives Singapore, Caritas Czech, Emergency Response Support Team  of Caritas Internationalis and the Knights of Colombos. — Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento/NSA (FREEMAN)