TACLOBAN CITY- Salamat. (Thank you).
Thus said Councilor Cristina G. Romualdez for all the entities and local government units that continue to provide help to this Yolanda ravaged-city.
Romualdez, wife of Mayor Alfred Romualdez, said the help that being extended to the city help hasten the rebuilding of facilities like schools damaged or destroyed by Yolanda.
The PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Com)-Smart donated two classrooms each at the Manlurip Elementary School and at the Dr. A.P.Banez Elementary School.
The turn-over of the donated classrooms was held on February 9, this year witnessed by PLDT-Smart officials to include popular actor Derek Ramsey.
Also, the Rotary Club of Kandaya Intramuros Chapter assisted by the Rotary Club of Kandaya Tacloban Chapter gave hundreds of school supplies to students of the Kapangian Elementary School on February 10, 2014.
Meanwhile, truckloads of brooms and packed rice were likewise donated by Lagonoy, Camarines Sur Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council headed by its Mayor Delfin Pilapil.
The donated items were personally received by Councilors Romualdez, Evangeline Esperas and Jose Mari Bagulaya also February 10, 2014 at the Kanhuraw City Hall grounds.
The KFHI, a Korean organization, donated 140 sets generators intended for the city’s barangays on Feb.7.
The 3,000 watts generator sets would ensure that all barangays of the city would be illuminated considering that much of Tacloban remain without power.

By: GAY B. GASPAY,TISAT

TACLOBAN CITY- Leyte Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla calls on government agencies and institutions, local and international organizations and other stakeholders to coordinate and synergize response for the immediate revival of the coconut industry in the province and the whole Eastern Visayas region.
The governor made this call as the Philippine Coconut Authority, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation, Oxfam and the German International Cooperation (GIZ) is slated to conduct a consultative meeting on livelihood recovery plans for coconut farmers in the region on February 17.
Gov. Petilla said that coconut industry is one of the main economic drivers for the province and the devastation brought by Yolanda to coconut communities in Leyte is so “overwhelming.”
“At the state of our coconut farmers now, there is an urgent need for a massive and coordinated response to enable coconut farming communities to recover and build resilience to future disasters. Given the major benefits the coconut industry gives to our economy, we need to institute rapid measures to revive the coconut sector in the region,” Petilla said.
The consultative meeting is slated to be held on February 17 at the Visayas State University in Baybay City to be participated by various government agencies, institutions, international and local organizations and NGOs to fast track the recovery of livelihoods of coconut farmers and communities affected by the typhoon.
The meeting will also inform other organizations and potential donors on how to better support, complement and fill any gap in the plans and current efforts of the government, particularly the PCA for early rehabilitation of coconut communities and become more prepared and resilient to disasters and climate change.
Before Yolanda struck, Eastern Visayas ranked third among the largest coconut producer in the country, with 46 million trees growing on over 420,000 hectare and almost 1.7 million people dependent on the industry.
Principal intercrops under coconuts also contributed significantly to the region’s economy, ranking second largest producers of abaca, 7th for banana and 1st for sweet potato. These crops traditionally protect farmers’ income from the highly fluctuating copra prices which are often low.
The typhoon had left 15 million coconuts damaged beyond recovery and another 20 million trees severely damaged, resulting to total losses of P16.6 billion. Coconut intercrops also suffered significant damages as reported by the agriculture department.
The inter-agency consultative meeting also underscores the urgent need for a massive and coordinated response to enable coconut farming communities to recover and build resilience to future disasters, given the “new normal” in the Philippines which is characterized by unpredictable and extreme weather conditions.

By: AHLETTE C. REYES

TACLOBAN CITY-Onlookers and even tourists still flocks to a commercial vessel that was washed inland in one of the depressed barangays of this city during the onslaught of the Supertyphoon Yolanda.
But their curiosity might just come to its end as the MV Eva Jocelyn would be removed from where it is now located.
Had they would know that the freak incident would result to visitors and even ordinary onlookers coming to their village just to see the ship, they would have put up a donor’s box, resident Luencia Menseza said in jest.
“Since that ship was washed inland, many people, even foreigners, came here to take its picture. We could have at least put up a donation box where they could drop some coins which we the villagers could use as part of our barangay funds,” the 42 year old mother of four said.
Menseza, however, turned serious by saying that she favors the ship be removed from their village saying it serves as a “grim reminder” of their experience of Yolanda.
Incidentally, her house was one of those hit by the MV Eva Jocelyn when it was washed inland at the height of Yolanda’s fury in the morning of November 8, 2013.
More than a dozen of houses were hit by the MV Eva Jocelyn when it reached to the streets due to strong waves and storm surge generated by Yolanda.
The more than 800 tonnage commercial ship, laden with 14,600 bags of cement at that time, was washed inland at Barangay 68, one of the five barangays located in Anibong District, a coastal area teeming with houses made of light materials.
More than 20 people were killed in their village by the supertyphoon. Among those killed were Menseza’s mother-in-law, Flocer and sister-in-law, Nerva.
The commercial ship, which departed from Cebu on Nov.2 and anchored at the middle portion of the Anibong Bay, was scheduled to depart Tacloban after it unloaded the bags of cement on November 5.
“But we were directed by the Philippine Coast Guard not to depart due to the Yolanda. So we just stay in the bay and just on a standby engine. But during the typhoon, the ship was battered with strong winds and the storm surge pushed it to the inland. Of course, we were shocked to see that we’re now in a community and in the street,” said its ship captain Randy Lucero. He was with 19 other crew members.
The ship was washed inland at more than 40 meters away from the Anibong Bay where it was anchored.
On Wednesday during the visit of the Inquirer, some foreigners and even locals coming from other places were seen taking picture of the commercial vessel.
When approached, a foreigner who belong to a humanitarian aid group, declined to be interviewed though he kept on taking pictures of the MV Eva Jocelyn.
But Divina Herrera, who is from Cavite but is now in Tacloban to provide assistance to storm victims representing their group, Filipino-American Association of Pensacola, Inc. based in Florida, said that she welcomed it to become a tourist attraction.
“While the ship will serve as a reminder to the people of the village of Yolanda, there could be a positive side of it. They could perhaps earn out of it,” she said.
She also said that the ship could also served as a living reminder that it was due to Yolanda that the peoples of the world showed their “humility and generosity” by providing assistance to the storm victims.
Earlier, a shipping company expressed its desire to turn it into a restaurant before the Philippine Coast Guard office based in Tacloban.
But this proposal of the Roble Shipping Company, which is based in Cebu, would not be realized as they want it remove from the area, says PCG station commander Lt. Junior Grade Paul Gonzales.
In fact, since January 13, men of the ship were seen slowly removing the ship using hydraulic jack and rollers to push the commercial back to the water.
During his January 24 visit, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez turned down any possibility of making the ship into tourist attraction.
“Out of respect to people affected, that should be removed. If we want to preserve it, just take photos of it,” he had said.
Aside from MV Eva Jocelyn, other ships were washed inland during the superstorm, MV Star Hilongos, MV Jaguar, MV Tomi Elegance, MV Gayle, MV David, MV Rosemar, MV RKK Trio, MV Lancer, MV Ligaya and a dredger of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

By: JOEY A. GABIETA