BAROG San Miguel volunteers

rebuild storm-wrecked houses

In the aftermath of the disaster that hit Bohol exactly nine days before Christmas, San Miguel town simply could not just stare at the devastation, arms akimbo, and breast-beat.

While the pandemic already strained several local government unit’s resources, the typhoon’s swath of destruction was enough to send them sulking in helplessness, San Miguel simply could not just pout and hop into the helplessness bandwagon, without even giving out a fight.

In this town, super typhoon Odette left a massive trail of devastation measured in 3,783 houses totally destroyed and another 2,859 houses partially damaged, according to Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council’s Shelter Cluster in their post Odette damage assessment report.

“When our people lived in tents and makeshift houses, they are vulnerable to rain and heat, more so with diseases. With their farms and livelihood severely impacted by the devastating winds and rain, without income, it is beyond their means to rebuild their houses, with food and other life essentials suddenly getting into their top priority,” San Miguel Mayor Virgilio Mendez shared.

While other local government units ran out of ideas, Mayor Mendez, whose term as town chief executive has been marked by a sterling performance of innovations in leadership, community empowerment and altering the townscapes with critical infrastructure that fuels sustainable development, said “we cannot simply close our eyes and ignore the situation.”

With funds practically scraped from rock bottom, San Miguel partnered with the local catholic church the Sint Michael the Archangel parish through Fr. Enrico Cortes, Balay sa Gugma apostolate along with kind-hearted individuals and local and international help groups.

“The plan was to provide immediate temporary but progressive shelters to families who are currently living in makeshift houses,” the mayor who used to head the country’s leading investigation agency summed.

Not just relying on foreign and bigtime local donors for help, San Miguel, along with the local church launched BAlay Reconstruction from Odette’s Ground Zero (BAROG) San Miguel, and counted on the goodwill of the local residents who, even when they are poor, still tried to help.

Beginning on day one, which incidentally was a day after the storm when some LGUs still gathered their thoughts on their rehabilitation plans, San Miguel was already recruiting local carpenters to form the local pool of workers for the restoration.

“It is hard, because we know the carpenters too are victims, but local authorities convinced them that standing together is much better than working alone,” LGU officials added.

And to make sure that they come up with something tangible for a period of time, the town adopted a foolproof scheme.

“We grouped the carpenters into teams and asked them if they could render their services so we could build a good number of new houses every month,” Analyn Estella, who works and coordinates the town’s outreach works pointed out.

The LGU accordingly asked concerned national government agencies if they could keep the storm-ravaged and fallen trees to be sawn into lumber for local house repair and construction.

“We purchased 8 chain saw machines and started convincing owners to give their fallen trees so we could cut them for the lumber needs of our rehabilitation,” Mayor Mendez excitedly shared. That way, we were able to clear road obstructions fast and we had enough lumber to start our rehabilitation,” the mayor intoned.

The local chief executive said as long as “we do not transport the salvaged lumber, we utilized fallen trees for our rehabilitation needs, we never had problems with lumber for our needs.”

“All chain saw operators are given free meals, if for them to work fulltime, and salvage coconut trees that could pose a potential risk for nesting beetles which can attack remaining coconut population,” an emergency responder of the town added.

And then came Balay sa Gugma, and the Philippine Relief and Disaster Services, which came with the local church, we started an ambitious plan to build as much as 2,000 transitionary dwellings.

We had a very good data management system and anyone who would come in to help, we can readily provide the areas for cooperation and possible partnership, considering that the LGU have scarce funds to finance all, the mayor said.

In fact, to raise more funds, the project BAROG ventured into t-shirts, where from every P300.00 t-shirt purchased, huge part of the amount goes to but more materials like galvanized iron roofing, Estella said.

Last week, we were able to hit the 750 houses built and are to complete another 250 houses anytime soon, thanks to our carpenters and well-meaning citizens, local and international donors, Estella added.

Everyone who comes in is welcome, and we have the list of priority barangays where the most damage happened, so they will know how they can help.

Be part of this once-in-your-lifetime project, our people badly need you, anything form cash or kind like lumber, nails, galvanized iron, amakan, sawn rejects and other construction logistics and supplies.

For their transparent and forward-looking project, lately San Miguel hosted national and international organizations which gave us construction materials, GI sheets and even construction kits, Mayor Mendez shared.

Still a long way from providing every totally damaged home-owners their new homes to keep them dry from the rains, local volunteers said they just might be able to get the attention of the different charity institutions, both local and international, who could speed up their project and help them attain their vision of a San Miguel Standing as One.

With the people now with houses, then they just could start working anew, to regain their dignity levelled off and blown away by the in-dignifying wrath of life’s rotten deal.

Barog San Miguel is at Barog San Miguel on facebook. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

BAROG BALAY SA GUGMA SAN MIGUEL. San Miguel mayor Virgilio Mendez stands with parish priest Rev Fr. Enrico Cortes, and other well-meaning groups to build transitory houses for victims of typhoon Odette. Both urged local carpenters to join in the rebuilding, rendering free service, to help locals who have lost their houses. (PIABohol)

CARPENTERS ARE VICTIMS TOO. Even volunteer carpenters whose houses were also destroyed by Odette, have to get their share of the GI sheets they need to provide a dry and safe refuge for their families.

Bohol sets up 30-days

cordon against bird flu

CORTES, Bohol, March 12 (PIA) – Not really keen in accepting more challenges like the entry of more viral diseases like coronavirus disease (COVID) and African Swine Fever, Bohol is now rolling out the yellow tape to cordon off the entry of potential carriers of the dreaded bird flu.

On this, Bohol governor Arthur Yap issued an Executive Order mandating a temporary prohibition on the entry of domestic and captured wild birds, live poultry, poultry products and by-products to Bohol from mainland Luzon for 30 days.

Bohol Executive Order No. 12, series of 2022 red tags ducks, quails and native chickens, embryonated eggs or balut, which have a high probability of contamination, and declares a temporary prohibition for their entry to the island province, for 30 days.

By poultry products and by products, the EO means semen, table eggs, quail eggs, embryonated eggs or balut and manure.

The same EO specifically sets the ban to be effective from March 9, 2022 to April 8, 2022.

The local temporary ban for the entry of such came after the Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Animal Industry-Animal Disease Diagnostics and Reference Laboratory (ADDRL) found bird samples from Bulacan and Pampanga found to be of the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza subtype H5N1 or bird flu.

Avian influenza or bird flu is a highly contagious viral disease caused by Influenza A Virus affecting birds and poultry.

As authorities confirmed positive cases of bird flu in Bulacan and Pampanga, they have also found similar strains of the highly contagious fowl disease in the provinces of Laguna and Camarines Sur.

Information bared that the DA BAI ADDRL is also currently testing and spreading surveillance teams in other areas where the positive cases could have spilt already.

The ban is also a pro-active move to protect and insulate Bohol’s 1.8 billion poultry industry, which could be jeopardized by the simple entry of a single bird, which theoretically has the potential to wipe out the local industry, and which has the potential for the contamination to jump from birds and fowl to humans.

With this, the Bohol initiative came after the DA issued Memorandum No 5 series of 2022, dated March 7, 2022.

The aforesaid memorandum lays the additional guidelines on movement of domestic and captured wild birds, poultry products and by-products during this bird flu outbreak.

The Bohol EO makes sure DA memorandum is also set in place here and also mandates a massive information education and communication campaign about bird flu, mobilizing local government officials in the barangays, towns and poultry sector stakeholders.

The same EO also mandates local chief executives to strengthen and implement minimum biosecurity measures in their areas of responsibility particularly in poultry farms and facilities, slaughterhouses, livestock and poultry auction areas and display facilities including poultry dressing plants. (rahc/PIA_7/Bohol)

NHA proposes for more cash aid

to storm-ruined houses in Bohol

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 8 (PIA)—There is still hope for possible aid to Odette victims from the government through the National Housing Authority (NHA).

While the NHA has already turned over financial assistance to typhoon Odette victims in Bohol recently, the assistance was only for the typhoon victims whose houses were damaged during typhoon Odette, and would be for the victims from 27 towns of Bohol’s 47 towns and a city.

NHA-7 Bohol District manager Grace V. Solis said they have turned over the aid for the victims of 27 towns whose houses were either totally damaged or partially damaged, in simple ceremonies to the Provincial Government through Gov Arthur Yap.

The Provincial Government is supposed to manage and supervise the awarding of the financial assistance to the victims themselves.

Asked why there were only for the 27 towns, NHA said, when we asked the Local Government Units of the list of residents victims of the typhoon, not every town submitted a list.

Some others submitted late, but just the same, in the end there were only 27 towns with their lists that we submitted for financial assistance, district manager Solis said.

The NHA which is a member of the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council’s Shelter Cluster, said the initial list caused the national government to allocate the P55 million for Bohol.

As to their rough estimates, about 15,002 houses in the first district were totally damaged when the storm lashed last December 16.

Another 57,268 houses in the Second District were not as lucky, when the eye of the storm passed over them.

In the third district, around 12,534 houses were also totally damaged as the typhoon which packed winds of over 265 kilometers per hour blew roofs and snapped power lines like match sticks.

NHA said they estimated some 84,808 houses in Bohol which were totally laid in ruins after the storm.

Of those that were partially damaged, NHA estimates some 213,832 houses.

Now what about the victims from other towns which did not make it to the submission of the list?

To that, the NHA said they, along with the NDRRMC Shelter Cluster has proposed to the Office of the President another allocation from the additional financial assistance to be given to Odette Victims in Bohol and other affected provinces.

If the proposal is approved and funded, owners of totally damaged houses will receive P30,000 and those of partially damaged houses can get P10,000.

We are awaiting for the approval of the said proposal, Solis said. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)

PARTIALLY UNDERSTOOD. Typhoon victims whose houses were ruined by Odette claimed that there was no clear guidelines on determining which house is partially or totally damaged, springing yet another controversy. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)