TACLOBAN CITY- After almost three months since Yolanda struck this city, its residents are still grappling its aftermath.
In Anibong district, one of the hardest-hit areas of the city, while several of its residents have chose to repair their houses, they are still apprehensive as to where they would be relocated by the city government.
Marvin Tabatana, 33, on his own built a new house located at the back of their previous house that was damaged by Yolanda.
Instead of getting somebody to build a new house, he decided to stop driving a motorcab- for- hire(MCH),his main source of income, to personally build his house hoping that in a month’s time, it will be finished. He has spent about P20,000 for the construction of the new house.
The money that he used for the construction of their house was from the P15,000 they received from the Tzu Chi Foundation, a Buddhist foundation that is based in Taiwan.
He and his wife also earned an additional income from the cash-for-work scheme initiated by the same foundation wherein they were paid P500 each for 15 days of work.
Despite the 40-meter no-build zone policy, Tabatana chose to build the house within the same area as he claimed that the city government has yet to inform them where they would be relocated.
Dionicia Yu, 54, also of the same area, also expressed her apprehension as to what kind of life they would have once they leave the village they considered as their home for 33 years.
She, however, said that her family would abide the government’s no build zone once it would be strictly enforced.
In San Jose, another hard-hit area, Marilyn Ocena 42, said that though they were among the thousands of residents of Tacloban who left the city during the first weeks after the storm on November 8, they chose to return to their old home located at the Fisherman’s Village together with their seven children.
The family now lives in a tent after their house was totally destroyed by Yolanda.
In Costa Brava, also in San Jose, Richard Padilla, 34,together with his wife and three children, expressed hope that he would be given help considering that he lost his car which he used for his rent-a-car business.
Now, his family together with other survivors depends on the rations being given to them by the government. Just like other those who lost their houses, the family now lives in a tent.
By: LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA
