Mt. Pinatubo survivors give back aid to Cebu
DAANBANTAYAN, Cebu—“Lambay,” or crabs—8 kilos in all— were what Celso Estay caught one Saturday in this part of the Visayan Sea, easily earning him more than P1,200 that day.
It was not like this for Estay months after Super Typhoon “Yolanda” made its third landfall right on Daanbantayan town, located some 136 kilometers away from and at the northern tip of Cebu City, past 8 a.m. on Nov. 8, 2013.
The winds were so severe that they carried sea grasses that stuck on the walls of houses or the winds tasted like salt, the residents remembered.
After his banca was crushed by the winds, Estay, a 46-year-old fisherman, took on carpentry jobs for residents who had immediate cash to fix their roofs or rebuild their houses. Another resident, Pablo Daro, 74, described the disaster as the worst that ever struck the coastal community.
Donations
The situation improved for Estay and 57 others in Barangay (village) Talisay in August when Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PamCham) helped them resume fishing.
The aid it channeled to the village and nearby Barangay Maya came from the more than
P2 million donated by survivors of Mt. Pinatubo’s 1991 eruptions and the succeeding flows of “lahar,” or volcanic debris, until 1997.
At least 46 men in Talisay received 6.1-meter-long boats made of hardwood while 12 others got 4.6-meter-long “baroto,” or boats with paddles, said Ronilo Arsenal, president of Talisay Fishermen’s Association.
Estay said the motor engine he managed to bring to safety was his counterpart to the
PamCham project.
In Maya, Alexander Cuyos and seven men got the 6.1-meter-long boats while 11 more received the baroto, enabling them to fish again.
“I wish I could send PamCham lots of crabs in gratitude,” Estay said. “They managed to help us [even if] they were victims themselves.”
Talisay and Maya were more prepared for Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), resulting in zero casualty, but the economic destruction was all over.
Start-up capital
In both villages, 100 women received P3,000 each as start-up capital.
Victoria Conje, 49 and a single parent, used the money to start a “sari-sari” store. She also cooked for neighbors on occasion.
Maria Luz Marikit, 33, sell hot cakes and snacks, earning enough to feed her four children.
Those in dire need, like women who bought medicines for their sick family members, lost their capital, Conje said.
The good news is that the beneficiaries pitched in P300 each, pooling the funds to lend to other women, according to Maribel Grajo, president of a women’s group in Talisay.
Training
They were trained in hazard assessment and mapping, evacuation center management, basic accounting, leadership and organizational development.
The training was conducted by Visayas Disaster Response Network (VDRN), a PamCham partner and member of Center for Emergency Aid and Rehabilitation (CONCERN), one of the nongovernment organizations at the forefront of the Pinatubo response in Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales provinces.
CONCERN and its partners— We Effect-Radiohjalpen and Canada-based Center for International Studies and Cooperation—are helping out in Leyte and Samar provinces, and Tacloban City, which are also reeling from Yolanda’s devastation.
“Victim-to-victim partnership” was how Elver Ali Abucay, Maya barangay chairman, called the PamCham engagement.
Abucay learned that the aid came from Pinatubo survivors when PamCham president Jim Jimenez mentioned it in his visit on June 17.
Urgency of help
The June 1991 Pinatubo eruptions were the world’s second- worst in the 20th century, destroying more than P10 billion in property that month alone; killing over 1,000 people; burying farms, fishponds and entire communities; and altering the landscape of Central Luzon. The national government spent more than P50 billion to rebuild the region.
Maria Luisa Baguio, Talisay barangay chair, believed that the Pinatubo victims knew the urgency of helping and giving what was actually needed.
“Perhaps that’s why they prioritized livelihood support to help some of my people rise on their own feet at the soonest time,” Baguio said.
Levy Laus, PamCham chairman emeritus, said that on the same day Yolanda struck, the group was already consulting its members on how to respond to the calamity. It held a telethon on regional television station CLTV36.
Its first six container vans of relief items were sent to Coron town, northern Palawan province; to Iloilo and Leyte provinces; and to Daanbantayan town, Cebu province.
“The place (Daanbantayan) was chosen because we need to ensure that we have a reliable partner on the ground. We need to make sure that the aid would reach the victims directly and that [it would] have a long-term effect on the lives of the beneficiaries. We found the right partner in VDRN,” Laus related.
“Our Pinatubo experience taught us that it was time to pay it forward. We are very grateful for the aid the Kapampangans received in that period. Now that we are in a position to help, it is our turn to help our countrymen in the Visayas,” he said.
“We wanted them to feel that they can recover the way Pampanga did,” he added.
