In town hit by ‘Yolanda,’ aid keeps pouring in

GIPORLOS, Eastern Samar—Almost three years after Eastern Visayas was pummeled by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan), help continued to pour in areas hit by the world’s strongest storm to make landfall, like this town.

A two-story building with four classrooms was turned over by Consuelo Foundation to officials and students of Giporlos National Trade School (GNTS) on June 15.

Student Diana Rose Pajarilla, 17, said the new school building would inspire her to study harder.

Better future

“It was donated to us by a group who hardly knew that our school exists,” said Pajarilla, a senior high school student.

“The best way we can repay them is for us to study hard and achieve whatever we want in life, for us to have a better future,” she said.

GNTS, the 44-year-old school, is considered one of the biggest public schools in Eastern Samar. It is at the town center of Giporlos and has 43 classrooms but still lacks nine classrooms.

When Yolanda barreled its way to Eastern Samar on Nov. 8, 2013, “90 percent of our school building was destroyed,” said the school principal, Benjamin Campomanes.

The donated school building would be used by 282 senior high school students. The school population this school year reached 1,147 students.

Construction of the building started in January and was finished this month.

The building could be used as evacuation center since it could withstand the onslaught of a supertyphoon, similar to that of Yolanda.