TACLOBAN CITY – More than three months after super typhoon Yolanda pounded Eastern Visayas, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) here is still unsure of the official death toll.
The OCD have been visiting hardly-hit villages, believing that names of dead persons were reported twice and some were kept from the knowledge of authorities.
Angelo Bacho, OCD regional assistant operations officer, said that for more than three weeks now, their office has been going around in the villages to exactly determine how many of the residents there perished during the November 8, 2013 storm.
The OCD’s pre-disaster assessment needs teams, have so far visited the towns of Palo, Tanauan and Tacloban City, considered to be the worst-hit areas of Yolanda’s fury.
“So far, we couldn’t say if the number will increase or decrease since we have to revisit all municipalities with reported casualties. We are just 95% done with our assessment of casualties in these three areas,” Bacho told Leyte Samar Daily Express.
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) has reported of 5,803 deaths in the region. In Tacloban, 2,606 persons were said to have died due to Yolanda.
The OCD is providing financial assistance to the member of the families of those who perished reason why they have to validate the number of those who were killed by Yolanda, Bacho said.
A financial aid of P10,000 would be given for each person who died due to Yolanda. Injured due to the typhoon is also to receive P5, 000.
Several companies like those which are engaged in insurance and lending have sought assistance with their office, Bacho said.
As of February 11, 69 applications for financial aid have been accepted by the OCD for 101 casualties in Tacloban City, Palo, Julita, and Pastrana in Leyte; and Basey, Samar.
In one community in San Jose district, one of the hardest-hit areas in Tacloban, there are about 200 deaths that were not reported by local officials to the local disaster and risk reduction management council (LDRRMC), Bacho said.
Based on the initial validated report of the OCD, at least 969 residents died in the area, nearly half of the 2,606 official count of death of the entire city.
Of the 2,606 casualties, 1,565 were validated by OCD as of February 11.
The death toll in the city could be higher, according to Bacho if non-Tacloban residents will all be included such as transient students and workers.
About 54 out of Tacloban’s 138 villages have reported casualties due to Yolanda. The city with more than 220,000 inhabitants is the regional capital of Eastern Visayas.
In the neighboring town of Palo, Bacho confirmed that there was a double entry of dead persons after checking the list with village officials and relatives of the victims.
“For Palo town alone, we found about 100 names counted as casualty twice,” he added.
In the last week of November, official death toll from Palo was 1,089. The figure was reduced to 902 last month. Of its 33 villages, 18 have casualty report.

By: SARWELL Q.MENIANO

TACLOBAN CITY- Losing five of children would not deter him to live and struggle for the sake of his wife and two other children who survived during the supertyphoon Yolanda.
Thus said Bonifacio Mabag, who said that while he still deeply mourn with the tragic death of his five children, he has to steel himself for his wife and children.
The 45-year old father said that he has to remain focus to continue to provide the needs of his family.
In his words, he has to work so that his family would not die due to hunger.
At the time Yolanda slammed this city on November 8, his wife Lorna was pregnant but has now delivered what was supposed to be their eight children.
Five of their children perished when their house at Costa Brava in San Jose was destroyed by the storm surge generated by Yolanda, the strongest typhoon to ever make a landfall in the world.
“I fight (to survive) and I am fighting for my three young children; that they would not die due to hunger,” Mabag said.
Since then he tried to live as normal as possible by returning to his old source of income-as a driver of a “pedicab” (a bicycle with a sidecar).
Mabag, standing among the twisted wreckage of his home while he was being interviewed by Leyte Samar Daily Express, could not contain himself as he was on the verge of crying as he was narrating their ordeal.
He said that on that day, they were inside their house when strong winds and the water surge generated by Yolanda hit their house, totally destroying it.
The wall of water reaching up to more than 20 feet caused them to separate from another.
“We thought we’d die. Corrugated sheets and debris started slamming on us,”Mabag, who was able to get hold on a log, said.
“I lost consciousness. I tried to look for my wife and children but I know they are just here somewhere,” fighting back tears, Mabag told Leyte Samar Daily Express.
He searched for his wife and children, finding them after two days of excruciating searched in San Jose area, considered to be the hardest-hit area in terms of lives loss.
“My heart goes to the parents who are still searching their missing children up to now,” Mabag said.
Despite of the massive tragedy that his family experienced, they remain thankful to the Lord for giving them new lease of life.

By: JAZMIN BONIFACIO

BASEY, Samar-Farmers severely hit by supertyphoon Yolanda are now counting on so-called loan sharks just to continue their farming.
In this town alone, several farmers have secured loans to private individuals with exorbitant payment for them to buy farm implements and palay seedlings.
Sabino Villanueva, 62 years old and a farmer from Barangay San Antonio, this town said that he and the rest of the farmers have no choice during this time of difficulties but to seek loans from these private individuals.
Villanueva, who lost four members of his family, said that planting rice at this time is “very costly.”
“We really need financial assistance from our national government this time,” he said.
The agriculture sector suffered extensive losses due to Yolanda with damages to it reached to more than P18 billion.
Studies showed that farmers mostly concerned about rising prices of fertilizer and pesticide, lower crop prices, rising fuel prices and higher debt.
The Department of Agriculture in the region has been distributing palay seedlings to affected farmers.
This town, more than 2,000 farmers were given palay seedlings with the assistance of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Basey sustained severe damage to its agriculture sector among the towns of Samar, with damage to it reached to P16.8 million covering 2,971 hectares.

By: JAZMIN BONIFACIO

PALO, Leyte-Former Senator Manny Villar has donated a sizeable amount intended for the rehabilitation of the Philippine Science High School, based this town.
Villar personally made a visit to the school on January 29, this year to see for himself the extent of damage sustained by the region’s premier science school.
He was welcomed by the school’s administrator Reynaldo Garnace who said that the help extended to the school by the former Senate leader would help them hasten their rehabilitation work.
The school’s several buildings to include various facilities were damaged during the supertyphoon Yolanda with the damage cost placed at P105 million.
“Helping (damaged) schools is my priority. And I personally see the damage sustained by the school. The students here should be given assistance considering that they are the country’s scholars,” Villar said.
The former senator donated corrugated sheets to the school with an equivalent amount of P100,000.
Garnace said that the financial assistance of Villar helped increase the current P2.3 million that the school was able to raise from various donors.
He hopes to raise the needed amount so they could right away finish the repair of all the damaged buildings of the school, located along Barangay Pawing, this town.
The school has 248 students presently enrolled. Two of its students were confirmed to have died due to Yolanda.
The school started its operations in 1994 and has at present 85 staff to include 43 teachers.

By: JOEY A. GABIETA

TACLOBAN CITY- The Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) in coordination with the United Nations (UN) and World Food Program (WFP) continue its rice distribution in the province of Leyte.
In an interview, ACTED project manager and spokesperson Engr. Francis Lloyd Cinco said that the beneficiaries under their rice distribution were identified by the WFP.
The rice distribution of ACTED covers the town of Javier, San Miguel, Barugo, Carigara, Capoocan and Kananga in which each beneficiary whose age ranges five years onward will receive 10 kilos of rice.
Around 60,000 individuals have availed the rice donation of the ACTED.
“We always have a close coordination with the UN especially to the WFP because they are the ones who have data about those areas who have not been reached by other organizations who are also distributing rice,” Cinco said.
On the other hand, the WFP was tasked to identify areas that will be covered by food distribution of those organizations.
“Our rice distribution will continue as long as there are still families who are in need of rice,” Cinco said.
“The rice seeds planted by the farmers will not immediately grow, they still need to wait for 5 to 6 months before they can harvest those rice they planted,” he added.

By: RYAN GABRIEL L. ARCENAS

TACLOBAN CITY- Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala has appointed a new regional executive director for DA-Region 8,Bernadette San Juan, the first-ever lady director to assume as DA-8 Chief.
In a simple turnover ceremony which coincided with the First Regional Management Council (RMC) Meeting held January 29 at the Main RIARC, Babatngon, Leyte, Dir. San Juan humbly introduced herself as a former NGO worker; a foreign affairs director from 2000 to 2006; an OFW, having previously worked as director of Regent College in Cambodia; and an educator as she was then affiliated with the academe particularly with the University of Asia and the Pacific, Perpetual College of Las Piñas and the Miriam College.
However, a closer look at her resume would actually reveals that she have had an impressive educational background and record of service from her undergraduate course to her post-graduate studies, she was a consistent recipient of various scholarship grants and awards. A Grants-in-aid Awardee for her Bachelor of Science in Geography at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City; a Partial Tuition Fee Scholar for her Masters of Arts in Education at the Center for Research and Communication (now University of Asia and the Pacific), Pasig City, and an Aurelio Calderon Scholar for her Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies at the De La Salle University, Manila.
She first joined the government service as personal assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). She also used to hold various designations as a consultant, training specialist and part-time lecturer at the Center for Research and Communication from 1991-1998.
Subsequently, she got some consultancy jobs at the Bishops-Businessman Conference of the Philippines Livelihood Foundation, Inc. (BBCPLFI); Development Advocacy for Women’s Volunteerism, Incorporated (DAWW); National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, and as a researcher or training specialist for the Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of National Resources, Inc.
Her wide exposure to the different sectors had practically widen her horizon, honed her capabilities and talents to handle a bigger, more grounded and challenging job in the government service, particularly in the Department of Agriculture as Assistant Regional Technical Director/Special Assistant for Technical Concerns at the Office of the Secretary (OSec) from September 2010 to October 2012.
Her new assignment in the region is her second regional posting following a successful stint as the regional technical director for operations and extension in Region 11 from January 2, 2013 to January 28, 2014.

By: FRANCISCO C.ROSAROSO/PR