Post disaster field visits

We were in Japan when the various disasters hit various places in our country. How we had wanted then to immediately rush to join the affected and share whatever we could. Thankfully, with God's grace and the assistance of partners, from February 18-22, we are able to finally reach certain affected areas in northern Cebu, Leyte, and Bohol. Allow us to share with you all initial highlights of our field visits in this column and subsequent articles.

Together with Toyo University Professor Gaku Manago, we would like to thank Cebu City Councilor Alvin Dizon and his staff Shyne and Ailee, and Estela Vasquez for facilitating our visit and meetings with officials and residents of disaster-affected areas in northern Cebu.

It was difficult not to feel sad and emotional seeing roofless houses, damaged schools, and other structures up close and personal. Mike Rodriquez who kindly offered to drive us from Cebu City commented that so many houses were no longer standing in many areas along the road to Daanbantayan and Bogo. And what about the residents?

We observed schoolchildren walking to what was left of their schools. At Lanao Elementary School in Daanbantayan, Grade 1 and Grade 6 students attended classes in temporary rooms as their former classrooms have been partially or completely destroyed by the very strong typhoon Yolanda. The nursery children held morning classes in a donated white tent. Teachers, themselves victims like thousands others in their town, continue to teach and guide the students to move on after the disasters.

The fishermen we met in a coastal barangay expressed their difficulty to return to the sea as their bancas have also been swept away or destroyed. Many residents in the sea community and in two other mountain communities mentioned their continuing efforts to rebuild their houses, find alternative sources of income, and go beyond fears and uncertainties. The women are proceeding to sustain their households while the men are busy restoring houses or offering their labor as carpenters and/or return to their farm work. Despite the challenges, it was touching to see them laugh and smile and determined to carry on.

It was heartwarming as well to see so many who shared their concern in various ways — through donations, through visits, through short-term or sustainable assistance projects and programs.

A more coordinated assistance network is certainly a task that local officials and the community residents have to develop together to ensure that all are assisted and appropriate response is extended to all, especially the most needy among the children, the women, the elderly, and the people with disabilities ( PWDs). Relief packages and kits have to be matched more appropriately to the needs of survivors who are also so diverse in terms of age, gender, and family circumstances.

Our visit made us realize how much have been done yet how much more have to be done to restore lives and communities. We realized from our dialogue and engagement with local officials like Daanbantayan mayor , Engineer Augusto Diaz Corro and vice mayor, Atty. Gilbert Arrabis, barangay officials, and health workers that despite sincere best efforts on their part and all else, still so much more assistance and partnerships and collaborative efforts have to be done to be able for all to carry on beyond the last disasters and to be able to be more prepared and resilient should future disasters strike anew. (To be continued ).

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