TACLOBAN CITY- A technical working group (TWG) is to be formed by the United Nations Development Assistance Framework to ensure that areas hit by a disaster could immediately respond and recover. The disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction (DP/DRR) TWG is a parallel measure of the United Nations to the government’s Recovery Assistance on Yolanda (RAY) where “risk reduction and building back better” is cited as top priority. Sudhir Kumar, a DRR specialist from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said that there are reasons why the TWG was formed. One of which is the vulnerability of the Philippines to typhoons, including the risk reconfigured by number of drivers like climate change and skewed development. Another potential threat is unplanned development in urban areas like Tacloban and its adjacent LGUs that are also bent on developing. Kumar emphasized the need for coordinated effort in DRR like what our neighboring countries like Vietnam and Myanmar have done to avert future disasters. The primary objectives for the TWG is to bring synergy on DP and DRR interventions by humanitarian and development actors and making the group act as a platform for knowledge exchange on DP and DRR. Kumar said that this can be achieved through periodic meeting of the working group members and if possible, pooling of resources. Another is to provide a 3W (who does; what and where) for all actors to avoid duplication and potential conflicts. Meanwhile, Blanche Gobenciong, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, said that international and local partners are most welcome to emphasize efforts in reaching out to the communities so that they may be aware of potential risks and how to avert it. “Let us help each other. You will learn a lot from the government and at the same time, the government will also learn a lot from you,” Gobenciong said while addressing UN personnel and international NGOs during one of the working group’s workshops. (REGIN OLIMBERIO, Communitere)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Northwestern Leyte District Hospital (NLDH) in Calubian, Leyte has a new emergency room which was constructed at a cost of P2.8 million. The construction of the new emergency room of the NLDH was made through the health facility enhancement program of the Department of Health (DOH), said its chief of hospital, Dr. Norberto Oja. The DOH has allocated more than P400 million for the upgrading or repair of health facilities in the region like that of the NLDH. The upgrading and rehabilitation of public health facilities is in line with the DOH’s goal of providing universal health care in partnership with the local government units. Quality healthcare and providing a better health service are expected with the upgrading of health facilities. It was learned from Oja that the new emergency room of the NLDH is also equipped with rabies vaccines. Thus, victims of animal bites, particularly from dogs, would no longer go to hospitals based in Naval, Biliran or in Tacloban for treatment. Calubian is located in the northwestern tip of Leyte and faces Biliran Island. Travel time to Tacloban City, the region’s capital, takes at least three hours ride. Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, who was present during the turn-over ceremony and inauguration of the new health facility for the NLDH, said the ER would provide great help for people living in northwestern part of the province. Other hospitals in Leyte which received financial assistance from the DOH under its health facility enhancement program are the Leyte Provincial Hospital, Tabango Community Hospital, Villaba Community Hospital, Baybay City Health Office, Tabango rural health unit, Carigara District Hospital, Dr. Manuel B. Veloso Memorial Hospital, Ormoc District Hospital, Isabel Medical Center, Abuyog District Hospital and Hilongos District Hospital. (AHLETTE C. REYES)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will carry out a $363 million recovery projects in areas hit by supertyphoon Yolanda. Gwendolyn Pang, PRC secretary general, said that responding to early recovery needs of Yolanda survivors is their biggest rehabilitation projects, which involves millions of Filipino and foreign volunteers. The project, with a funding support of 320 million Swiss Francs (US$363 million), will run for three years. It will primarily help survivors rebuild their shattered lives and enhance the PRC’s capacity to respond to future disasters through training for volunteers. “So far, this is the biggest work that we are going to do in terms of recovery. This is eight or 10 times bigger compared to other disasters in the country. We have put in a lot of preparatory work for that for us to be able to meet that magnitude work needed,” Pang told reporters. Specifically, recovery works would focus on restoring shelter, livelihoods, education, disaster risk reduction and access to health care, to help affected communities overcome the hardships of the past six months and restore self-reliance. For permanent housing alone, 40,000 homes will be built and 50,000 units will be repaired, according to Pang. “This response is very wide in terms of area affected. Many people come to work and help the Philippines. Red Cross is contributing not less than 25 % of full recovery in our country, making us the key player here. We are supported by the whole Red Cross with Crescent Movement internationally,” Pang said. Since the disaster struck, the PRC, together with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and over 50 national societies from around the world have been sending aid for all areas hit by Yolanda. These were emergency relief, including food, shelter items and cash to more than one million people. Thousands more received medical attention from Red Cross emergency facilities. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement distributed cash grants to 75,000 families and met 25% of the emergency shelter needs of survivors, providing tents, tarpaulins and other materials to almost 140,000 households. (SARWELL Q.MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY-Radio broadcaster Leo Ladan, 44, has no other words except to say thank you to Misereor, German Catholic Bishops’ Organisation for Development Cooperation, and the World Vision International for funding “Radyo Abante,” a humanitarian radio heard in the airwaves two months after Eastern Visayas was hit by Yolanda. Ladan said that he almost lost hope to return to radio work after Yolanda completely knocked down their radio station DyDw(Radyo Diwa), a Catholic-run station in the city, on November 8,2013. “In my mind, if there is no radio would mean no work for me and I will have no other place to go,” Ladan, who has been working in the radio for over a decade, said. “Working back on the radio gives me more confidence that I can rebuild our home and bring my family back on their feet,” he added. At present, Radyo Abante has eight reporters, all victims of Yolanda whose original media outlets ceased to operate after being damaged or destroyed by Yolanda. Ledrolen Manriquez, national coordinator for the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network (Pecojon), who initiated in looking for funds and donors for establishing “Radyo Abante” as a humanitarian media project “aims to provide two way communication between humanitarian agencies and the communities and to provide temporary livelihood to journalists affected by Yolanda.” “On the question of sustainability, since it is an emergency radio project, we are only meant to operate on a short-term basis. At the moment, we have plans to operate for six more months,” Manriquez said in an interview online. She said that the funding they got for the radio was P2 million, P1.2 million of it was for the equipment. It first went into the air last January 13, 2014. “But we’re tight in budget. For rent and utilities alone, it would reached P40,000 a month,” Manriquez said. The station does not accept any advertisers like an ordinary media outlet. Fred Padernos, the station manager, described Pecojon as their “angel”, saying they “not only regain our livelihood but also our hope amid the crises we are facing in.” “They saw the information gap and they found ways to solve it by tapping local media to operate a radio station,” Padernos said, adding that the Cebu-based group also extended financial assistance to several media workers in Tacloban affected by Yolanda. Incidentally, it was Padernos who coined the name of their radio station saying that Tacloban, after being devastated by Yolanda, has no other way but to move forward (abante). Padernos said that the concept of the program is to bridge the gap on the exchange of concerns and messages between various humanitarian agencies, local and national government and the general public affected by the storm. Listeners of the program have also the chance to “relax and be destressed” through a karaoke show on the radio. (RONALD O.REYES)

TABON-TABON, Leyte – Marivic Luban, 38, was busy assisting a mason putting red cement in the flooring of her soon-to-be home at Sitio Gubat, Mering village, this town. She happily welcomed her visitors, who paid her a surprise visit in a blazing hot summer. She excitedly shook the hands of guests who made it possible for her family to have a new house, six months after supertyphoon Yolanda decimated Eastern Visayas. “Damo na salamat ma’am, salamat sirs (Thank you very much ma’am, sirs),” were the only words that came from Luban’s mouth as she stood before her unexpected guests. Her guests happened to be Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang; International Federation of Red Cross head of delegation Leyte Operations Steve MacAndrew; PRC head of Task Force Yolanda Leyte Valdmor Aguilar; PRC shelter coordinator Allan Mosqueda and PRC staff and volunteers and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement head of delegation in the Philippines, Marcel Fortier who was impressed when told that the houses were constructed in just 10 days. “I am really grateful with the Philippine Red Cross. Without their help, we could not have this kind of house. This is really a big help to us,” Luban, a mother of six children, said. According to her, their house was totally damaged, save for their kitchen where her family hid on the onslaught of Yolanda. Prior to the repair of their house, tarpaulins distributed by the PRC saved their family from the elements, she said. They formally transferred to their new home last May 13. “This shelter program is a joint project of the societies of IFRC, PRC and the International Committee on Red Cross (ICRC). We plan to build more durable homes that can withstand 220kph winds, spacious and decent place for the survivors of the typhoon,” said Pang on the assistance the groups have for extended to the survivors of Yolanda in all the 47 affected municipalities in the country. “We are now geared in supporting the long-term recovery of survivors in terms of housing, livelihood, health, water networks and education,” she added. The shelter has a floor area of 24-square meters with a provision for toilet and kitchen. It is made of cement and plywood with GI sheets and roofing is pitched at 30-degrees to withstand strong winds. Roof will be painted with red color and the wall will be in white. “It will be the sweat equity of the beneficiaries in painting the house. We will provide the paint materials but they will be the one to paint their new shelter,” said Engr. Albert Bulagsac, senior project engineer of the shelter program of the organization. Aguilar said each unit cost P100, 000 as he said that the movement would construct 52 units in Barangay Mering. “We will duplicate this in all the 20 municipalities in Leyte. We target 1,000 permanent houses in each municipality while 5,000 houses for the resettlement in Tacloban City,” he added. The beneficiaries were selected by the Barangay Recovery Committee that the PRC had established in the barangays. It worked closely with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in choosing the beneficiaries to ensure that it really addresses the most vulnerable. About 16 million people were affected by Yolanda with thousands losing family members, homes and incomes. To date, one million people were reached through Red Cross emergency relief distributions including cooked meals, dry food rations, none-food household items, hygiene kits and emergency shelter materials. There were 138,435 total households that received emergency shelter support across affected region. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have covered 25 percent of the total emergency shelter needs across the affected region. PRC chairman Richard Gordon said that 50,000 households benefitted from the unconditional cash grant of up to P5, 000. The focus is now on the recovery phase which is expected to cost 320 million Swiss Francs over the next three years. Housing has always been a priority on the onset of the rainy season, leaving tens of thousands living in bunkhouses, tents and shanties as most vulnerable. The amount has empowered the beneficiaries to buy what the pressing needs in the family and it also helps revive the economy. “It is still a long road to recovery, but the resilience of the Taclobanons and the people from Eastern Visayas is really amazing. We are not only helping them meet their needs, but also help them in preparing for any disasters that will come their way,” said Pang. (VICKY C. ARNAIZ)