Second Christmas in ruins for people of Tacloban City

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—Thousands of residents of the typhoon-weary city of Tacloban on Wednesday prepared to mark their second Christmas in ruins following two giant typhoons.

A huge streetside Christmas lantern was the sole sign of the nation’s most festive holiday in the city’s Magallanes district, where shanties have replaced a community flattened by tsunami-like waves whipped up 13 months ago by Supertyphoon “Yolanda’’ (international name: Haiyan).

Magallanes shopkeeper Aida Comendador, 46, lined up at the nearby local social welfare office to collect up to P10,000 in government subsidies for repairs on her severely damaged house in the city on the central island of Leyte.

“We’ve managed to put up a ramshackle shelter out of 20 pieces of roofing sheets donated by a Catholic charity, but we still don’t have a door and real beds,” the mother of three told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Yolanda, the strongest typhoon ever to hit land, left 7,350 people dead or missing, and the coastal neighborhood of Magallanes highlights the slow pace of reconstruction.

Roughly a million people need to be moved away from Magallanes and other coastal areas deemed vulnerable to the monster waves generated by Yolanda, according to a P160-billion government rebuilding plan.

Pope Francis is set to visit Tacloban next month during a four-day tour of the Philippines, Asia’s Catholic bastion.

This month Tacloban was hit again—this time by Typhoon “Ruby’’ (international name: Hagupit), the most powerful to hit the country this year, which destroyed more houses and tents provided by aid agencies to Yolanda survivors.

However, the prompt evacuation of nearly 1.7 million people living in vulnerable areas in several parts of the country prevented more deaths.

Ruby killed just 33 people elsewhere in the country, according to the Philippine Red Cross.

“We already feel a lot better compared to last year,” a Magallanes vegetable vendor, Maria Fe Cajara, told AFP as she planned her Christmas Eve dinner for her family of four, the year’s most eagerly awaited meal for Filipino families.

“My husband and I are planning to buy roast chicken. Last year, we had relief goods to celebrate Christmas,” added the 37-year-old Cajara.

In Manila, President Aquino urged Filipinos to observe Christmas as a day of thanksgiving for the limited damage caused by Ruby.

“Let us not forget to thank God, although (Ruby) caused some damage, more people were saved and now they have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with their loved ones,” he said in a televised message. AFP