A year after Yolanda: Iloilo roving team empowers community to build back safer

In Brgy. Batuan, Iloilo, a roving team composed of Katherine Boga, Edwin dela Cruz, and Nick Basong leads the rebuilding efforts and ensuring that houses are now more resilient to future storms after the devastation brought about by super typhoon Yolanda in November last year.

 

These roving teams are part of the Assistance and Cooperation for Community Resilience and Development Inc.'s (ACCORD) program to make sure that disaster risk reduction techniques are incorporated in all reconstructions.

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With only 8 of 176 houses in the area having withstood the storm's wrath, Batuan's roving team faced a tall order.

 

To address this, their roving team is composed of two skilled carpenters and a female community facilitator.

 

As their group's community facilitator, Boga is in charge of making sure everyone is doing their part in the rebuilding efforts.

 

But Boga, who is also a barangay health worker, shared that she never imagined she would be in this position before Yolanda struck. 

 

“My son had epilepsy. Since I could not afford hospital treatment in Manila, I thought the clean air here would help, and it did. What I did not count on was how strong typhoons here could be,” she said.

 

For carpenters Cruz and Basong, whose houses were heavily damaged by Yolanda, the struggle of rebuilding their barangay was something they gave their best in.

 

“Every Friday, we go around our barangay to check the quality of materials used by our neighbors, the progress of repairs, and compliance with the BBS (Building Back Safer) tips taught in trainings. The most important thing is to strengthen the roof, so that they don’t easily get blown away, and thus families could have protection from the elements,” Cruz explained.

 

“We also check if they use strong bracing, so that houses would not be easily pushed over or pulled apart by the wind,” Basong added.

 

Challenges

 

As if rebuilding a barangay wasn't enough, being part of the roving team had its own set of challenges.

 

“We also had other jobs to help provide for our families. We had to juggle our schedules well,” Cruz said. 

 

“We also have to be patient when some of our neighbors tell us that we should just leave them alone. We explain that we are all in this together, and we have to look out for each other,” Boga explained.

 

Another problem was that the community didn't earn enough to cover for purchases of additional materials vital to the reconstruction efforts.

 

“We make do and adjust. We get creative with the materials we use. We adjust on the number of nails but we never sacrifice the integrity of the structures,” Basong said.

 

Today, all 92 beneficiary houses in Batuan have been completed. Due to lack of resources some of these houses used tarpaulins and temporary materials for their ceilings. 

 

But through BBS training and ingenuity, the roving team is confident these houses can withstand storms better. 

 

“We can never be 100 percent sure, given that typhoons are becoming stronger, but unlike before, they won't be blown away as easily.” Basong said.

 

The roving team received an honorarium after their extraordinary feat but they all agree that money was never their motivation for helping.

 

“We are part of this barangay, and we wanted to finish rebuilding as soon as possible,” Cruz said.

 

Batuan's roving team is expecting big things from the livelihood and disaster risk reduction activities that will start soon in their barangay.

 

Meanwhile, Boga was promoted from her community facilitator duties to becoming a member of the committee that will select beneficiaries—but the things she learned with the roving team will always be close to her heart.

 

“It is better to be prepared for anything. When Yolanda came, we thought it was going to be like previous typhoons we experienced. We now know better. Whether it’s rebuilding houses or livelihoods, one thing is clear: we can’t leave things to chance,” Boga said. — Andrei Medina/VC, GMA News

 

ACCORD is supported by by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department and the Dutch Cooperating Aid Agencies which aim to help communities affected by Yolanda get back to their daily lives.