Philippine society really proves that politics is the main ingredient in its progress that sans the blessings of the powers that be development would be more challenging to come by. This is what comes up now in Tanauan, one of the municipalities in Leyte hardly hit by supertyphoon Yolanda on November 8, 2013. From being metaphorically planed by the monstrous storm, this quaint town located about twenty kilometres south of Tacloban, is fast recovering with an identity as “build back better” affected town in Leyte.
Tanauan Mayor Pel Tecson’s 9-minuter Tanauan Rehabilitation Plan report is a concrete manifestation of how public-private partnership could build back a community momentarily laid back by a typhoon worst ever to hit the globe in recent scores. Underlining the cooperation among the government, private sector and the citizens involved in the undertaking for the build-back-better efforts, the municipal government of Tanauan has all the reasons to arise and make progress take place sooner than in other localities not well blessed. The people of Tanauan is truly blessed.
In his discourse, Tecson underscored the realization of a promise of national government’s help assured him by Pres. Noynoy Aquino when he met the latter at the destroyed DZR Airport few days after the Yolanda onslaught. He declared during the simple program held at the Tanauan public plaza on February 25 that since the moment of PNoy’s verbal pledge help kept coming in.
Enumerating them, Tanauan’s dad emphasized the aids came in few days after the disaster. The locality received assistance by way of relief goods, medicines, security augmentation, temporary shelters and classrooms, restoration of power lines in the main streets as early as week two, construction materials like GI sheets for damaged houses within the build zone.
On the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution, PNoy inspected the permanent relocation site in Brgy. Pago in Tanauan, Leyte where 366 units will be erected. Another permanent relocation site is in Brgy. Maribi where 456 emergency housing residences will be built jointly through the efforts of the national government through the National Housing Authority, the Dept. Public Works and Highways, the Gawad Kalinga and the Tanauan government. Shelter along with livelihood and infrastructure are the focus of the LGU’s build-back-better endeavors according to the new mayor of Tanauan, who nevertheless is not a neophyte in politics.
To prove this pro-active stance of the LGU in keeping with the build-back better program of the Aquino government for the affected towns and cities, the local government’s rehabilitation and reconstruction plan, which as aforementioned focused on shelter, livelihood and infrastructure, is the blueprint that propels the town’s fast rising from the Yolanda devastating effect. “Since the start our bias has always been on how to fasttrack on building permanent housing and relocation site on displaced families in the no-build zone,” he declared in a program attended by a huge crowd of Tanauanons.
Another proof of the Tanauan government’s positive outlook is the rehabilitation of the town’s public plaza through the auspices of Double Dragon Properties Corp represented by its president and chief operating officer Ferdinand Sia. The soon-to-be-rehabilitated plaza, which partly was used as mass grave for more than 900 victims of sty Yolanda, will have a memorial in honor of the Tanauanons who perished in the Yolanda onslaught and of the war veterans. Soon, the same company, which still owns 30% of Mang Inasal chain of food store (70% belonging to the Jollibee Corporation), will help the local government construct a modern public market. Sia further disclosed in an interview with news men at the Tanauan Municipal Hall that company mulls on putting up a city mall in Tanauan in the coming years.
It is noteworthy that the cooperation was forged through the initiative of Dept. of Interior and Local Government Sec. Mar Roxas, who introduced Double Dragon’s big boss who is more popular by the nickname Injap to Mayor Tecson. Double Dragon at that time was eagerly locating a locality to help in its rehabilitation attempts after the Yolanda tragedy. Tecson, who is optimistic about the rehabilitation assistance that the company was offering, warmly accepted Double Dragon’s offer.
Sooner than we could imagine, Tanauan will be economic hub in Leyte, being at par to its adjacent town Palo, which is being talked of widely as the next economic center in the province and next city to rise. Nothing is impossible truly in Philippine political setting with the blessing of the country’s president, who now is PNoy.

Hello! Kumusta? (“Como esta?) (How are you?)
It’s been a long time now, since Yolanda made its second coming after 1912, that we haven’t had any contact with each other (QN and its readership from various parts of the world).
Since QN’s comeback may surprise readers/followers, the most appropriate thing to say is “hello”, or “how are you?”. QN says both, to all.
Typhoon Yolanda did its worst. As it submerged Tacloban highly urbanized (after that monster of a typhoon crushed many parts of Eastern Visayas, Philippines, the term took an anachronism: “ruba-nized”!!) city in killer floods caused by three violent tsunami-like storm surge waves (some said the waves rose to as high as 23 feet), Yolanda took away several lives of its own denizens, mostly God-fearing Catholics, including such valuable wealth as the local media outlets, although only temporarily in the case of a very small number of the latter.
For a few days, I was told much, much later, Leyte Samar Daily Express had been placed out of circulation but had then to stand up, although not on a daily basis as its usual frequency, but weekly, to continue fulfilling its commitment in chronicling and interpreting the news and events. LSDE staff writer Joey Gabieta, whom I accidentally met in Tacloban’s downtown center, told me about the resumption of LSDE publication and that the LSDE is holding office just across the street from its editorial location at the Knights of Columbus along Padre Zamora street. Then, Alma Montallana Grafil, wife of LSDE publisher Massey Candido Grafil, told me to resume now writing for the LSDE. I was then outside the LVN internet café where I use to do my computer works (until the shop loses at 10 p.m.) when Alma walked out of the office next door which happens to be the temporary editorial office of LSDE. It was not until minutes earlier that I learned this newspaper is already back to its command right near me. It was when my better half, Cione, who uses to accompany me to the LVN (she never wanted to be left alone at home after Yolanda shattered many parts of our house at Panalaron, on the very site where flood is always highest than any part of downtown Tacloban), walked from my back and came back to tell me she had just been to the LSDE office. She brought me Coke from the LSDE which was already preparing to close the office for its next day’s work.
And here I am. QN is now back on this page.
How glad have I been to personally learn that the humble couple behind the LSDE and its sister newspapers (all published by Massey with Alma’s inspiration and untiring help) are very much alive. Massey and Alma battled the killer waters that swept into their home at PHHC (Housing) and, thanks God!, they were out safe on the rooftop. The couple suffered wounds. In due time, they were in Manila for hospital care. Weeks later, they were back to where Yolanda’s fiery had been, but since Massey’s extreme pains on his wounded leg kept him from leaving home and doing his erstwhile routine social and regular functions, Alma, despite her own painful feelings and chagrin, braved the challenges of managing the newspaper. Thru her sacrifice, thanks, too, to Joey Gabieta’s unwaring efforts, persistence and commitment to the cause of journalism (which in Region VIII was at its height immediately before and after Yolanda 2013!), this newspaper has resuscitated from the deathly mountains of post-Yolanda debris, and now, as always, there’s no stopping it from serving the news reading publics in Tacloban, the whole of Region VIII, the Philippines, and the world. Viva Leyte Samar Daily Express.
Husband and wife Massey and Alma being religious, devout Catholics and believers in the miracles of the Holy Child Jesus, rely prayerfully on Our Merciful Almighty God through His Son Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Because of that, I do believe without doubt that God took care of them during the deadly hours that swept over Tacloban and many other towns in Region VIII. Thanks be to God and Our Lord Jesus Christ for keeping them under Your Care. Your letting them be with us makes us aware that the important role that the spirit of the media plays in the lives of people, especially the young and old Warays, will also be here, like a guiding torch light, in almost the same way that Jesus is, has been and will be forever.