PHILIPPINES – Two and half months out, there are a number of differences I see on this trip, while many things remain unchanged, waiting endlessly for help to come. On this trip, my boss Wayne de Jong and his boss Andy Ryskamp came along, which you can read about their experiences in their own blogs.

In Tacloban…

The streets are so clear now of debris. It is hard to imagine you could hardly walk through them at one point, let alone now drive.

I saw kids back in school, in spite of the unstable structures of the buildings, but there are large UN tents donated for that purpose. As of Jan 6th, most of the schools which had been evacuation centres were cleared to allow classes to start up again. Children are going in two shifts as there are not enough secure locations.

I got to sit in on a community meeting in barangay # 89 where we are working. We started with prayer and the National Anthem. Singing is good therapy, it creates joy. There are a number of other NGOs helping within this barangay that we are coordinating with, but we want to get to know the community so there will be many meetings, many Focused Group Discussions. They talked about the businesses they lost, besides the fishing boats. Tricycle service, drivers, small sari sari retail shop, rice trader, carpenter, etc. We are here to share in the struggle with them.

The Barangay Capitana of #89, Chairwoman Melba Villalino did not seem as strained as last time, and there was laughter which was so great to see. She said how encouraged they have already been by our presence. She thanked us especially for the generator, that it was a very big help, especially at night. After 6 pm they had all been staying in their tents so scared. Although there is electricity in the downtown core of Tacloban, it is not throughout each of the 125 barangays.

In Dulag…

Many things are left the same, requiring years and many resources to make a change. When we visit the mayor’s office in the southerly municipality of Dulag, we were stepping gingerly on planks of wood walking through 2-3 inches of water from rain leaking though damaged roofs. There is much repair needed for infrastructure, not just individual residences. Same down at the barangay level. In Barangay Camote, one of the 3 barangays that I visited, the barangay hall is flooded again as it is raining, with no roof yet repaired.

There are miles to go, but people’s spirits are starting to lift.

Camote has an entirely new set of 7 local councilors since the election of Oct 28th. A number of the outgoing officers fled to Manila when the typhoon hit, gone to stay with relatives, leaving the barangay entirely in the hands of new leadership. There was no proper handovers of funds, records, keys, etc. It is a challenge for them yet they are smiling. They welcomed us and took the time to serve us tea and cookies. 

In Guiuan…

This is the one place we have not yet found an office. Our International Relief Manager travels the 4 hours from Tacloban and stays 2-3 days in the UN Compound there. While I was in our Tacloban office, his trip was cancelled because of a new storm to hit Guiuan, Tropical Storm Agaton. With winds expected at 100km per hour, the UN Compound was closing for a couple of days so he had no place to stay. The fear that it put in people’s minds again raised a good deal of stress, it has not been that long since Yolanda. I heard the next day that a small number of the UN tents had been ripped up and blown away. 

In Panay…

In the municipality of Estancia, there was much singing and laughter. In barangay Pa-On where we are focused, we were welcomed with a feast, pot-luck dishes prepared by each of the puroks in the barangay. There were prawns, chicken, fish, all kinds of rice, cooked vegetable, even paella, which descends from the Spanish colonization back in the 1600s.  If you saw the shacks that these women had rebuilt for themselves out of scrap you would wonder how they can be happy. But group activities are very healthy and the barangay captain and his wife know that so have organized a whole program.

Praise songs were heard over the sound system they had rented for the occasion; “One way, My Jesus My Saviour, Shine Jesus Shine”, and my new favourite that the mayor of Tacloban told me he was singing when he was stuck on the 2nd floor having broken through the roof to escape the storm surge: “Lord I Offer my Life to You” by Hillsongs United.

There was singing, and dancing. We even participated.

There are miles to go, but people’s spirits are starting to lift.  It rained the first 4 days I was in Tacloban and there was worry of another typhoon and it created such fear because it stirred up everything again when Yolanda survivors are told they might have to evacuate again. People are still fragile with the stress still just below the surface. That is why we will walk with them for a couple of years, to help restore and renew them. 

Blessings,

Grace Wiebe

Senior Project Manager
World Renew International Disaster Response