Field visit to disaster-affected areas in Leyte ( Part 2)

After visiting a school and certain disaster-affected communities along the sea and upland mountain barangays in Daan Bantayan and Bogo, we proceeded to Leyte, stayed the whole day of February 19 in Ormoc and travelled the next day for Palo and Tacloban and returned to Cebu in the evening. Next day, we left for Bohol and stayed there till February 22 afternoon.

We observed a very busy Ormoc - commercial streets filled with people, the port with incoming/outgoing boats, business as usual.  The remnants of the deadly typhoon were still evident, of course. Those from Ormoc describe their "de colores" roofs referring to whatever material they could harness after the disaster to replace their previous roofs. Makeshift tents or donated tents were also observed. Walls awaiting repairs or whole houses or buildings needing to be replaced and rebuilt were also seen here and there. There is an upbeat atmosphere in Ormoc, however, that one can feel. So much ongoing activities beyond the tragedy - so much strong will and determination to move forward and start anew.

And let us mention the sense of humor and genuine smiles among those in Ormoc!

When we interacted with those in the local government and in the communities that we passed through, we were amazed at the ability of those in Ormoc to point out the humorous aspects of their typhoon experiences, even if the memory and sounds of the fury of the winds and rains are still very clear in their minds and in their hearts. Let us share with you an example. Ormoc City agriculturist- Dr. Joseph Cortes- and CDRRM Sir Ciriaco " Coloy" Tolibao told us that a turn-over ceremony for the Bagsakan Project was truly and literally "turned over" by the strong winds and rains of Yolanda!

The smiles and hope we saw also among the children and faculty of  Linao National High School in Ormoc, in Granja National High School in Jaro, Leyte and Pastrana Central High School, Pastrana, Leyte! Roofs and walls may have been blown away by the furious typhoon Yolanda but faith and hope and smiles were all over among the people of Ormoc, Jaro, and Pastrana. Praise the Lord for all these survivors who are teaching and showing us and the whole world about the spirit of BANGON ( RISE UP!) Leyte.

Mr. Masahiro Nakamura, our friend with us who hails from Fukuoka, Japan was in tears as he was greeted and surrounded by very happy, active children who were temporarily having their classes in a very hot donated plastic tent. He expected gloom and despair among the disaster survivors but instead he was met with so much love and warmth by the children- it was certainly a very memorable, unforgettable experience for him.

Now he is busy writing and sharing about his experiences with the disaster survivors for possible future assistance for them from Japan.

Entering Palo and continuing on to Tacloban was an entirely solemn, sad, sobering experience. Traces of entire communities wiped out by the deadly typhoon are all over still. The sight and smell of death and the tragedy still linger.

The seaside urban poor areas in Tacloban are still in serious need of immediate assistance. Despite the hype about so much international and local assistance for Tacloban, 4 months after typhoon Yolanda, we join all those in these areas pray that relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts for all will be faster, more systematic, and effectively coordinated. (To be continued)

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