Yes, we will build thousands of bancas

I heard stories, and I saw pictures. But the experience of actually seeing hectares and hectares of land ravaged, roofs of buildings torn away, houses demolished left me agape as I flew over the area in an ABS-CBN chopper. The highlight was when I talked to the fishermen in Dulag, Leyte and San Antonio in Basay and the barangay officials in Basay, Samar.

We have such an amazing race of people. Here were people that had suffered and survived a catastrophe, and they were still smiling. They were sad but their hearts were open and still hopeful. I told them, no matter how much money comes their way, if they don’t decide that they will make the most out of it, the money will just be wasted. I asked them, “Can they be models and examples to the rest of the country?” The reply was a resounding YES!

Senator Frank Drilon had suggested to my brother, Gabby, that what people needed were bancas. It made sense. The storm surge tore up the coastal barangays, affecting thousands of fishermen. Gabby said: “Gina, we have to build bancas!” But they needed thousands of bancas; if we had a few people build the bancas it would take time and money. What if they build their own bancas? A few months ago, my 17-year-old and his friends from International School built a banca for a fisherman in Novaliches. It took them one week. So it can be done. They cut the wood themselves and assembled the pieces together with the fisherman’s family. 

Kapamilya Build

Thus was born the idea of a Kapamilya Build. We will supply all the materials and tools. We will have expert supervisors to make sure the bancas are built properly. I have shown them the design and they liked it. A 21-foot banca built with Sta. Clara plywood and a 6.5 horsepower engine would cost P20,000. Not bad. No labor cost and no one making a profit. They build their own bancas. Three people needed for each banca. Ten days max. The key is supervision. 
The mayor would feed them while they build. I told them they have to sing while they build so that we can have happy bancas. In the final days — the assembly period — we would all come to help in the spirit of family. I jokingly told them since I have a problem with my eyes, I wouldn’t paint their bancas but I would come, Charo Santos-Concio would come, my brother, too; and at the same time there would be two representatives from the other fishing villages who would be trained so the next phase would be replicating the whole process in their barangays.
In a short span of time, we would be able to build thousands of bancas! My only condition is that they do not resort to any kind of dynamite fishing because that kills the coral reefs. Only a few benefit, and everyone else suffers. Data shows us that when there is dynamite fishing the fish catch significantly continues to decline. They kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

In the fish sanctuary in Kalibo where they followed the rules, the fish catch ballooned, and poverty went down. This is absolutely the way to go.

For Leyte, we are looking at Dulag. The first barangay we are going for is San Jose. For Samar, Basay is the target. We are looking at San Antonio, and maybe even Salvacion. Salvacion is this island where nearly everything was wiped out. We are also helping the farmers, but we will start with the fishermen.  My condition is that they attend seminars on the ecology and values. Eventually team building and even finance. Let a phoenix rise out of the ashes. We build a better country from the rubble. 

I came back from the trip elated and energized. I love going to the provinces and meeting people. It gets me on a high. It’s the promise of something better.

Third Eye Workshop

This went very well. Mark Lovell and his wife Fiona hit it off with the group. We had 21 attendees, as many had begged off due to the Christmas festivities. I was pleased because almost everyone had experiences. The challenge now is to practice, and be able to use the newfound abilities to improve daily living. Mark and Fiona are coming back to hold another session on Jan. 11-12 and Jan. 18-19 in Rockwell. If you are interested, please reserve now. We are giving it to students at a fifth of the cost and to the academe at a 20-percent discount. Call Rochelle at 0906-4800317 or e-mail at r.obleno@yahoo.com. CC me so I am in the loop. 

We have this life to live. It doesn’t last forever. We do service for the common good and we take on systematic, dynamic steps to develop our own potential. We make a difference for ourselves. We make a difference for others. It’s a very good way to go. 

* * *

Watch the video of my “Visit to Yolanda Victims” by typing this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR6O6aNjDT4&feature=youtu.be.

I can be reached at regina_lopez@abs-cbn.com.