Leyte village rises from mudslide tragedy with GK help

MANILA, Philippines – Two years after a tragic mudslide buried the whole of Barangay Ginsaugon, St. Bernard in Southern Leyte and killed 1,200 people, the town, which many feared was doomed, is on the mend and the survivors continue to rebuild their lives and live with hope – thanks in large part to the work of hoards of volunteers and donors from Gawad Kalinga (GK),the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the local government headed by St. Bernard Mayor Rey Rentuza, congressmen and governors, other organizations like the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), Habitat for Humanity (HFH), the Japanese government, the AIG USA and Shell, among others, who all pitched in to provide decent homes and livelihood to surviving families and rehabilitate the town.

Today, a total of 330 houses have been built for the Ginsaugon survivors in various safe relocation sites with livelihood and public facilities.

GK has built 100 landscaped and brightly colored homes in GK Federation village in Ginsaugon.

A total of 230 homes were built by Habitat for Humanity in partnership with the Japanese government and the Philippine National Red Cross. Different charitable institutions have donated other public facilities.

The day care center was donated by Magsaysay shipping and the Japanese government donated a basketball court.

The outpouring of support for St. Bernard continues to this day, said Mayor Rentuza.

GK, for its part, said benefactors from here and abroad continue to donate their resources to build more houses for the surviving families in safe locations, away from danger zones declared by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

“Two years after that fateful day, the building of houses never stopped. GK has now shifted from re-building the lives of calamity victims into moving communities out of harm’s way,” said GK -Southern Leyte head Jerome Paler.

But while other organizations have merely provided houses, GK and the LGU are stepping up efforts for the livelihood and productivity of the beneficiaries.

Paler said the Southern Leyte GK team and partner LGUs have responded to GK champion Tony Meloto’s dream of “developing grassroots economy through the GK villages.”

Many local officials are spearheading or contributing livelihood programs to help the residents stay self-sufficient.

For instance, Congressman Roger Mercado has provided 200,000 coffee seedlings, 50,000 jathropa seedlings and a thousand seedlings of assorted fruit trees like langka and mangoes for the residents.

Southern Leyte Gov. Damian Mercado has issued a permit on sand and gravel extraction and the use of equipment for the houses and provided Anglo-nubian bred goats. Bontoc Mayor Pete Pustanes donated his own two hectare lot to GK, now the site of the Jollibee-GK Village.

Mayors, governors and congressmen are also doing their share in GK’s massive landbanking project for the poor.

Mayor Rentuza is working for the acquisition of land for two more GK sites in St. Bernard, while Hinunangan Mayor Romeo Gomez is working for the deed of transfer of a 20-hectare land to the Kapitbahayan.

Maasin City Mayor Maloney Samaco is also helping in the acquisition of more lands.

Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) official Silverio Gempeson championed the memorandum of agreement between DAR and GK on the 16,000-hectare Southern Leyte Settlement Project.

Michael Nunez of the Department of Trade and Industry is pushing for the implementation of the Global Kusina concept project, a processing center that will produce globally competitive products within the GK villages.

Department of Science and Technology (DOST) official Dominador Clavejo is working for the GK Superstore concept that will showcase and market GK products in the village via the Integrated Technology Infused Farming concept.

Southern Leyte State University president Gloria Markines-Reyes, meantime, is working for technology assistance for the growing of giant fresh water prawns; product development on boneless dried tilapia or talanggit; carabao dispersal for milk production and the provision of 10,000 keels of señorita pineapples.

TESDA official Rolando Juanillo promised to provide masonry and carpentry skills training with NC1 certification for the GK kapitbahayan teams, while provincial Tourism Officer Nedgar Garvez will work for the inclusion of the GK villages in the tourism portfolio of the province.

On May 24, GK Southern Leyte will hold a “Pasiklaban sa Mayo: Festival of Abundance towards 10-10-10,” a productivity challenge where every GK village will showcase their own produce.

Though much work still remains, Mayor Rentuza expressed optimism that they can get back on their feet and be a prosperous town once again.

“The tragedy is an eye opener for us. It was a learning experience and a challenge. We can look at it as a curse or blessing. We look at it as a blessing. A lot of people are helping us now. We have the same thrust with GK, which is to really alleviate poverty. The GK village is a showcase that we can have a first class town, first class village in a rural setting,” Rentuza said.

Kudos to GK full time workers

Paler said they couldn’t have done the massive work in St. Bernard without “the growing flock of GK full time workers who make the work faster, consistent and systematic.”

He particularly commended Ed Mulig, a civil engineer who has been very dedicated in his job as a caretaker in the GK Federation village in St. Bernard.

Paler said Mulig is one of the moving forces on the ground, especially during the rehabilitation phase of the New Ginsaugon communities.

Mulig gave up lucrative offers to work abroad and here to devote his time to serving his fellow southern Leyteños.  

“At any given time, he is always there where he is needed, riding his reliable and equally ‘anointed’ motorbike, from Maasin to Silago at the northern tip of Southern Leyte to Pinut at the southern tip of Southern Leyte. No landslide, flooding and heavy rains can stop him every time he is called into action. The latest natural calamity that hit our province is the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that created havoc to the Municipality of Hinunangan. He was the first person to touch base and survey the mountain GK communities of brgy. Manlico and Libas,” Paler said.