Two years Leyte

By NOE PALAÑA
November 6, 2015

‘It was just like yesterday. When I close my eyes, I can see it all still.’ Jerome Ibañez, one of the Yolanda survivors vividly recalls.

Nearly two years after the wrath of one of the strongest storms in history, not all of Visayas has moved on. Survivors are still struggling, as the help they receive remains insufficient.

Tolosa, Jerome’s town was one of the severely hit places in Leyte. But unlike the hundreds of survivors still living in tents in over-crowded evacuation areas, Jerome and his family take shelter in their new home donated by Tindog Tolosa.

Tindog Tolosa

Tindog Tolosa (TITO) is a civil society group that continually helps Yolanda survivors of Tolosa, Leyte. It is run by Makati-based professionals inspired by Pope Francis’ call to help the poor, and the teachings of St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei. TITO aims to rebuild the coastal town of Tolosa and alleviate the lives of the Yolanda-stricken people.

TITO has three main projects: Construct One house, One Boat Afloat and Consumer Cooperative.

Construct One House

A number of storm-proof, earthquake-proof, and termite-free houses were already turned over by TITO to eight (8) beneficiary families whose houses were completely destroyed by Yolanda.

The Bayanihan spirit is evident during the construction of the houses as volunteers from all over the world helped skilled workers and the beneficiary family in building their new home. Promoting not only collaboration, but also cost-efficient construction.

One Boat Afloat

Like other livelihood in Leyte, Yolanda massively affected the fisheries. This left most of the town’s fishing equipment misplaced or destroyed. That is why One Boat Afloat intends to equip fishermen with new fishing boats. So far, eleven (11) 24-feet boats powered by 16 horsepower brand new engines were already entrusted to recipients.

In order to give the beneficiaries the feeling of ownership of their houses and boats, they are asked to pay half of its total cost. Their monthly amortization then goes to the educational assistance fund of their child who is a grantee of Iskolar ng Tolosa, another TITO project. Jerome, an Education sophomore at Visayas State University, is one of the TITO scholars.

“An important factor for selecting a beneficiary is that one of the children should attend and finish college or any TechVoc course, so they may later provide assistance to their own family,” Tindog Tolosa founder, Noe Palaña said.

He also emphasized that their system of helping was designed to create a more sustainable and later self-sufficient solution to aid the people.

Consumers Cooperative

Tindog Tolosa Consumers Cooperative (TTCC) brings the people of Tolosa together to help improve their lives. It does this in two ways: a savings association and a community store.

Joma Palaña, Noe’s brother and point person for TTCC, explained that “the savings association encourages people to save by providing a savings facility in an area where there are no banks. It is also a means for mutual help, letting people automatically pool contributions to aid families in case of deaths and emergencies.”

“On the other hand, the community store provides wholesale buying so that members can get basic goods at cheaper prices. The tax-exempt privilege of the cooperative further brings the price down,” he added.

TTCC assists in providing training and access to capital, so that members can have their own livelihood projects. It also facilitates the market demand for the goods produced.

Aside from lowering the members' expenses and increasing their income, TTCC aims to stimulate economic activity in Tolosa, fostering a cycle of economic progress. In the end, “TTCC hopes to give the people a sense of optimism and solidarity, to encourage them in their struggle of lifting themselves out of poverty,” according to Joma.

Be a “voluntourist”

Aside from monetary and in-kind donations, donors may also help by doing voluntourism.

You volunteer to construct the houses or repair classrooms and you get to tour some of Leyte’s most beautiful places like the San Juanico Bridge, the longest bridge in the Philippines, and Kalanggaman Island, known for its crystal blue water, white powdery sand and magnificent sandbars.

It’s a tour like no other. Because instead of just taking pictures and seeing places, you are able to take memories of genuine smiles and thanks from people you help. Giving you a unique and priceless kind of fulfillment.

Life-Opening Experience

Even as the volountourists enjoyed their stay in Tolosa, the overall experience left a great impact on them as what happened to William Xie, a Civil Engineering student from Sydney, Australia. He said, “it was one of the most influential and life-opening experiences I have had…and we could not believe how much these people trusted us in such a short period of time just from hearing that we were there to help them.”

“This work camp allowed me much time to reflect on the way of life. Here in Singapore and Malaysia, we are really fortunate to have no earthquakes and typhoons. And yet, we grumble for not having air-con, not having the latest accessories, fashion and gadgets. In rural places in the Philippines, however, although there is lack of the basic necessities such as electricity and easy access to clean water, the people are really optimistic in life, and put their trust in God entirely. We certainly have a lot to learn from them,” a Singaporean volunteer remarked.

An Actuarial Studies/Economics student from the University of New South Wales had a similar sentiment: “I was really impressed to witness what the people in a developing country have to do to get by. Seeing their struggle taught me not to take the things we have in my country for granted.”

Voluntourists from the Makati Central Business District realized the value of human relationship when Florencia, Jerome’s mother, tearfully thanked them not only for painting their permanent shelter, but more importantly, “for treating us as persons with dignity, not simply as typhoon victims.”

Help Tolosa

“We have been helping people and we want to continually help further. So we encourage more volunteers and more donations for Tolosa. We are committed to meet our target of giving 30 boats, and 20 houses to some of the most Yolanda affected families,” Noe added.

Noe Palaña can be reached for inquiries and donations via mobile at (+63) 999 883 48 46 or by visiting Tindog Tolosa’s Facebook account www.facebook.com/tindog.tolosa.community.