Laguna Lake's beauty and serenity

A traffic sign in Pakil, Laguna; tells motorists what to expect during rainy days.

Together with the Gabriela Women’s Party, the TASK FORCE CHILDREN OF THE STORM jointly conducted a psycho-social activity to more than 100 children in Pakil, Laguna last January 30, 2010.  The activity was held in Barangay Kasinsinan, a lakeside area, thus perennially flooded during rainy season.  Relief packs to more than 300 families who were victims of last year’s typhoons Ondoy and Santi were also distributed.

The SERVE THE PEOPLE CORPS (composed of different people’s organization) based in Southern Tagalog also invited a speaker from the Citizen’s Disaster Response Center  (CDRC) to give a lecture on  Disaster Management.  The lecture focused on the effects of climate change, vulnerabilities of depressed communities and the need to strengthen people’s unity through organizing to address the adverse effects of incoming calamities like typhoons.

Residents warmly welcomed the members of the Task Force and the Gabriela Women's Party staff.

PSYCHO-SOCIAL ACTIVITY

Children eagerly await the start of children's activity.

Warm-up and rapport building activity.

Community mapping. Children shared their experiences during the calamity through community mapping.

The children also drew their individual experiences during and after the calamity.

Children aged 4-6 years old joined the play group.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT ORIENTATION

Disaster Management Orientation was given by Mr. Carlos Padolina, deputy director of CDRC.

A leader from the Serve the People Brigade-Southern Tagalog, reiterated to the residents the need to unify as a community to address the worsening environmental situation.

RELIEF DISTIRBUTION

]]> http://tfchildrenofthestorm.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/psycho-social-activity-and-relief-distribution-held-in-pakil-laguna/feed/ 0 tfchildrenofthestorm DSCN4694 DSCN4696 DSCN4700 DSCN4708 DSCN4710 DSCN4720 DSCN4721 DSCN4725 DSCN4731 DSCN4783 DSCN4785 DSCN4795 DSCN4803 DSCN4805 DSCN4837 DSCN4840 adult dmo2 adults dmo3 adults adults3 adult dmo1 adults2 relief goods relief relief line2 relief line1 DSCN4898 rdo3 relief line4 rdo4 rdo8 rdo5 rdo6 rdo9 rdo7 on the way home http://tfchildrenofthestorm.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/task-force-children-of-the-storm-spreads-christmas-cheer-in-sitio-jubilee-bgy-bagong-silangan-gives-christmas-gifts/ http://tfchildrenofthestorm.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/task-force-children-of-the-storm-spreads-christmas-cheer-in-sitio-jubilee-bgy-bagong-silangan-gives-christmas-gifts/#comments Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:48:39 +0000 tfchildrenofthestorm http://tfchildrenofthestorm.wordpress.com/?p=538 Continue reading →]]> On Christmas day (December 25), the Task Force Children of the Storm visited once again Brgy. Bagong Silangan; the community was one of the heavily devastated community when typhoon Ondoy hit Metro Manila.  Mr. Joel and Ms. Gigi Disini, a long time benefactor of Children’s Rehabilitation Center, spread Christmas cheers to a hundred children from Sitio Jubilee by sponsoring their Christmas party and giving gifts to the children and their families.  Sitio Jubilee was one of the communities severely affected by the typhoon last September and visited by the Task Force two months ago.

The documentation team visited Sitios Jubilee and Binhi ni Abraham, Brgy Bagong Silangan one week after typhoon Ondoy.

Sitio Jubilee, Brgy. Bagong Silangan, where the christmas and gift giving party was held.

Games for kids were held…

The Disini family also brough the kids  Jollibee packs, a special treat that brought smiles to the kids’ faces.

Christmas grocery packs for 100 families and gifts for the children were also distributed.

The Task Force Children of the Storm and the local organizers from Samakana-Gabriela thanks the Disini family for their kind-hearted  support for the families of Sitio Jubilee.

Together with MIGRANTE INTERNATIONAL, the TASK FORCE Children of the Storm held a gift giving activity to the victims of typhoons Ondoy (Ketsana) and Santi (Lupit) in the coastal municipality of Bay (pronounced as Ba-i), Laguna; last December 19, 2009.  The communities were home to many families of migrant workers.

Part of Laguna Lake that swelled during the typhoons Ondoy, Parma and Santi. This photo was taken right beside the elementary school in Brgy. Tagumpay

The municipality of Bay, Laguna is situated along the coast line of Laguna Lake, which swelled in the wake of four consecutive typhoons that hit the Philippines last September and October and to date, has not yet receded.   First stop of the group’s gift giving activity was in Brgy. Marianville, where 100 temporary shelters for typhoon victims were built by the Swiss Humanitarian Aid.  Majority of the at least 1000 individuals who currently reside here were from Brgy. Alfonso and Tagumpay, two of the Barangays situated near the lake.

The group distributed school supplies for children in pre-school and elementary level, while their parents received used clothing donated by different migrant groups, organizations and individuals all over the world.

The flood victims' temporary shelter in Brgy. Marianville, built by the Swiss Humanitarian Aid.

Children evacuees form a long line for the distribution of christmas gifts.

Volunteers from the Task Force Children of the Storm and Migrante distributed school supplies to the children-victims.

Used clothings donated by individuals and groups from abroad were distributed to the evacuees.

The second area that the group visited was Brgy. Tagumpay, the original community of the victims temporarily residing in Marianville.   The group distributed school supplies and used clothing to the victims who already returned to their community from Marianville.  Some of the purok or sitios of this barangay were totally washed away during the onslaught of typhoon Santi.  One of several buildings of an elementary school was completely crushed to the ground by rampaging waters from the lake coupled with the strong winds.  The school still houses seven families of evacuees.

The last stop of the gift-giving activity in Laguna was in Barangay Galvez, adjacent to Brgy. Tagumpay.

The road leading to Bgy. Tagumpay in Bay, Laguna remains flooded to date.

A boy sheepishly smiles as he showed his ticket for the gift-giving.

Volunteers from Australia hand out relief good to evacuees.

GIFT-GIVING IN SITIO TALANAY

The Task Force also facilitated the gift-giving activity of the KAIBIGAN Foundation to the evacuees in Talanay evacuation center last December 22, 2009.  The group provided the evacuees with food packs and potable drinking water. 

The evacuees have been in the basketball court for almost 3 months now. They were not allowed to return to their homes situated under the San Mateo Bridge and yet no relocation site was identified for them.

The children in the evacuation center completed the psycho-social debriefing process facilitated by the Task force within six consecutive weeks. 

Evacuees patiently waited for the distribution of goods.

KAIBIGAN Foundation staff distributed to the evacuees the relief packs that also served as early Christmas gifts for them.

Children recieved relief packs for their family.

The Task Force also distributed the kits (comprised of toys and games, big plastic containers, materials for tents) for child friendly spaces for evacuation centers from UNICEF and boxes of used clothing from various donors from Singapore, HK, Canada and the US to the women’s organizations that are currently catering the need of evacuees in Bgy. Bagong Silangan, Sitio Talanay, Bgy. Tatalon and in Muntinlupa and Alabang evacuation centers.  The psycho-social processing activities were completed in the Bgy. Bagong Silangan and Sitio Talanay while activities in Bgy. Tatalon and in Muntinlupa and Alabang will start in January 2010. 

 MORE PHOTOS:

 Marianville Temporary Shelter

at Barangay Tagumpay

Brgy. Tagumpay's multi-purpose court remains submerged in water from the Laguna Lake. The court was rendered useless for months and was already covered with water lilies. This photo was taken a few steps from the distribution area during the gift giving activity.

Children play in the space that used to be the administration building of the elementary school. At the background is the main school building that serves as temporary housing for seven families.

The ruins of the school building crushed by strong winds and flood surge from the Laguna Lake

An old man fixes his fishing net. Fishing is the main source of income for the residents of this barangay.

at  Barangay Galvez

at Talanay Evacuation Center

The road leading to Brgy. Maradodon, Cabugao, Ilocos Sur

The task force children of the storm composed of delegations from Metro Manila-based child rights organizations such as the Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC), Association for the Rights of Children in Southeast Asia (ARCSEA), SALINLAHI Alliance for Children’s Concerns together with the Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP) conducted relief and psycho-social  activities in  Ilocos Sur and La Union last  November 20-22, 2009.  The relief operation and children’s activities were made possible through the help of  the CRC-Ilocos outreach program, local leaders of Gabriela Women’s Party and the Ilocos Center for Research, Empowerment and Development (ICRED).

Members of the task force together with local leaders from Vigan, Ilocos Sur, atop a truck full of relief goods.

The first stop of the group’s relief distribution and psycho-social  activity was in Barangay, Maradodon, Cabugao, Ilocos Sur.  The community is located in the eastern mountainous part of Ilocos Sur, near the geographical boundary of Abra province in the eastern part and Ilocos Norte in the northern part.  The team was able to reach the area after a one hour ride in a long rough bumpy road.

Residents eagerly await the distribution of relief goods by staff' of ICRED

Brgy. Maradodon is composed of 5 sitios: Bio, Maradodon Proper, Kasilagan, Olayos and Caset  which was the most heavily devastated by tropical storm  Pepeng.  For one week, the sitio was isolated from the whole barangay.  Almost all rice fields were submerged in flood waters and the roads and bridge were destroyed.  Almost 300 household residents lost nearly 70% of their produce. The ICRED distributed 250 relief packs and the remaining relief packs was provided by the Gabriela Women’s Party.

Mother and child patiently wait for their turn during the relief distribution.

A representative from the local chapter of the Gabriela Women's Party and members of the Task Force distribute relief packs.

Assisted by student volunteers from Vigan, the psycho-social debriefing for children was a successful activity.  The psycho-social team trekked for almost one hour to get into another sitio where the Maradodon public elementary school, the venue for the debriefing activities, was located.  Children were able to express their feelings, thoughts and anxieties in the aftermath of typhoon Pepeng.  More than 100 children actively participated in activities which include group dynamics activities, games, drawing to express their experiences and community mapping.

Children patiently wait for the team's arrival in Maradodon Elementary School.

The Task Force’s second stop was in Barangay Sta. Cecilia, Aringay. La Union.  Five hours away from Vigan and 30 minutes ride from the main highway.  The team reached the place, a typical farming community; which was submerged in almost 20 feet high floodwaters when the Aringay River swelled at the height of typhoon Pepeng.

According to the local leaders of the community, at the height of Pepeng’s fury, the river swelled at a very fast rate and the worst part was, it happened at night time.  Noted casualties in Brgy. Sta.Cecilia were three  persons, two of them drowned and  the other one died due to depression.  Many houses particularly the ones near the river were swept away or destroyed by the raging flood waters.  Farm animals like cows and carabaos were also drowned and swept away to the seaside near the capital town of San Fernando.  The residents evacuated in houses that were more sturdy and had second floors.  Many of them evacuated from one house to another to escape the fast swelling of the river.  Many stayed in rooftops praying that they would survived the disaster.  Fortunately the floodwaters subsided after almost five hours, but their belongings and livelihood did not escape the storm’s fury.

Mudstains remain visible on the walls of the Sta. Cecilia Elementary School. The school building was submerged in flood waters during typhoon Pepeng's onslaught.

Results of the psycho-social therapy and counseling revealed that most children did not notice the calamity. The reason: it was night time when Pepeng came.  But  they clearly drew dark images of cramped houses, people in  the rooftops and rains.  These observations were evident in children who are old enough to comprehend what happen at that time.  Generally, children showed frustration upon seeing their family’s and community’s loss after the typhoon.  Such observation was clearly evident even in Ilocos Sur.   But children in both areas had high hopes and  showed positive coping mechanisms in the face of the calamity.

After the children’s activities, the Gabriela Womens Party distributed relief packs to almost 100 school children.

Meanwhile, the psycho-social team of the task force in Metro Manila, conducted its continuing debriefing session in Talanay evacuation center last November, 22, 2009.  The debriefing activities are already in the last phase of the  module, which is cognitive mastery.  This was after the completion of the meaning construction phase where the effects of climate change were explained.  It also pointed out the responsibility of the government and the people in protecting the environment from further degradation of unscrupulous individuals and  big businesses, like mining companies, logging and even dams that produces energy and irrigation supposedly for the benefit of the poor.

The last part of the module’s cognitive mastery encourages children to continue working towards a brighter and safer future.  The planned output for this will be lanterns that will symbolize their wishes for themselves, for their family, for the community or for the country, especially this coming Christmas.  The lanterns will be part of a lantern parade, as a culminating activity for psycho-social debriefing sessions come December 5, 2009.

Still, many children victims especially from the Ilocos region are wishing that their school belongings will be replaced as all of their school supplies were destroyed and washed away by the floods.  The task force will continue the relief distribution in Ilocos through the CRC-Ilocos Outreach Program until December.

A Christmas Party and gift-giving activity for the children-victims in Metro Manila is on the planning stage.  Meantime, psycho-social debriefing activities in other areas in Metro Manila and Ilocos Region (where relief distribution is still ongoing)  may continue even until the first quarter of 2010.

MORE PHOTOS….

Maradodon, Cabugao, Ilocos Sur

Sta.Cecilia, Aringay, La Union

Children power. Children carry a sack full of relief packs

Bahay, bagyo, bata, a game originally created by CRC in the early 90's

In front of OBELC, pre-schoolers eagerly await the opening of their class.

After being closed for almost two months after the destruction brought by Ondoy, at least two day care centers reopen their classes this week.  OBELC in Sitio Olandes, Marikina and the Busilak Learning Center in Sitio Talanay, Quezon City, opened their respective classes with a week-long psychosocial debriefing for the pre-school children.  The module designed by Children’s Rehabilitation Center for victims of typhoons and natural disasters will be implemented before their regular educational modules.

Combined class of Kinder 2 and Prep intently listen to teacher Libby, as she discusses the situation of their school and the whole community.

Children draw their experiences a part of the psycho-social therapy.

A Kinder 2 kid clearly draws his experience during the calamity.

The main objective of the psycho-social debriefing is to process the experiences the children encountered during the calamity, and help them cope with it.  Children as young as 4 years old, vividly recalled what happened to their community, their houses and even their schools.  When asked what are the reasons for the flooding, the children in unison shouts “there are no more trees in the mountains, the rivers were filled with garbage”,  and when the teachers asked who helped them during the calamity, the children mentioned their neighbors, parents and siblings.

Kinder 1 class during their therapy session, "draw your feelings".

OBELC underwent minor reconstruction two weeks before the opening. Parents of the children in the day care center took care of the electrical repairs and structural inspection. A group of volunteers from Center for Volunteerism in the Philipines (CERV-Philippines),  provided paints and together with parents took time in repainting the classroom, they also donated water purifier, electric fan and a boxful of medicine for the schoolchildren.  The CERV volunteers took the blocks and other wooden play set to their office for repainting.   Meanwhile, the community in sitio Talanay is rushing to finish the foot bridge in time for the regularization of their class on Monday.  The foot bridge was washed out during the typhoon.

CERV Philippines donated children's books and electric fan for OBELC children.

Mr. Raymund Villanueva of CERV Philippines explains CERV's mission to the parents of OBELC. He is also a member of KODAO Production.

Volunteers of CERV Philippines, Mr. Paul Olney of United Kingdom, Erik Johnson of United States and Mr. Raymund Villanueva.

For the psychosocial therapy activities, 3 consecutive weekends were devoted to the evacuation centers, in sitio Talanay and in Brgy. Bagong Silangan. In Alabang, Muntinlupa the scheduled psychosocial activities were postponed due to typhoon Ramil (international code name: Lupit) that struck the Philippines.  Many houses of the evacuees in still-flooded areas were destroyed due to Ramil’s strong winds.  The flood brought by typhoon Ondoy was aggravated by Ramil.

Activity during the third week of therapy session in Talanay evacuation center.

A boy actively participates in one of the activity called "buhay pamilya, noon at ngayon" (family life, before and after). Behind him is a box ful of toys donated by the UNICEF.

A childs' work during the session clearly shows their situation, before when they lived in their house and now that they are living in a covered court.

Representative from Children's Rehabilitation Center turn over the donation of UNICEF to Busilak day care center in Sitio Talanay. The center needs to rebuild a sturdier structure. Currently, the center is made out of light materials like plywood which were soaked in flood waters during Ondoy.

Representative from Busilak-Veterans daycare center received the donated toys of UNICEF from a CRC staff.

Different images of children during the opening of class and psycho-social activity.

Aside from relief distribution in Ilocos Sur, one of the provinces heavily damaged by typhoon Pepeng (Parma)  the task force will also conduct a psychosocial help facilitation training for parents and volunteers on November 15-16, 2009 in preparation for the psychosocial first aid activity for the affected children in Ilocos Sur and La Union on November 21-22, 2009.

CRC Ilocos Outreach staff inspects the damages in agriculture caused by two typhoons (ondoy and pepeng)

The Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC)-Ilocos Outreach Program together with Ilocos Center for Research, Empowerment and Development (ICRED) and Ilocos Human Rights Alliance (IHRA) went to Brgy. Maradudon, Cabugao, Ilocos Sur to conduct a Damage, Needs, and Capacities Assessment on the effects of Tropical Storm Pepeng (Parma) after initial relief operation held last October 23. Similar activities were also conducted in the provinces of La Union and Ilocos Norte in preparation for the relief, rehabilitation and psychosocial mission to be held this November 2009.

During the assessment, the team had a hard time reaching the area because the river washed out the road to the communities. As of this writing, roads to Sitio Caset remain impassable.

The Team traversed the swollen river, part of which used to be ricefields and a road.

Several findings of the DNCA were:

1. Roads bound to the Sitios were washed out by the river.
2. Agriculture, being the main source of livelihood of the people, was gravely affected by the typhoon. 75% of their total production was lost as their crops were washed out by the overflowing of the river.
3. Food was scarce as more than 70% of the people were unable to prepare enough supply of food during the typhoon.
4. Residents were also unable to access the health facility because the roads were impassable. Some ten (10) residents showed signs of stress during the typhoon, while some one hundred (100) children manifested signs of trauma.

Even a tricycle can hardly pass the road leading to the barangay.

The Team had to walk from sitio to sitio to document the damages brought by the typhoons

Brgy. Mararudon is one of the areas affected by the typhoon last October 4-9, 2009. The residents are still appealing for support especially for rehabilitation.

One of the landslide along the road leading to Brgy. Mararudon, Cabugao, Ilocos Sur

According to one of the residents, it would take time for them to recover from the effects of the typhoon. Since almost 75% of their production has been lost, they expect that the crisis would worsen their conditions. Because the roads have been damaged, pupils will have to cross the rivers and pass through rough roads to reach their school as an aftermath of the overflowing of river. It has been a month, yet no concrete actions have been done except for the scarce relief goods given by the local government.

Part of rice fields ready for harvest, was flooded during Typoon Pepeng (Parma)

Farmers tried to salvage whatever harvests were left.

CRC-Ilocos Outreach Program and the Serve the People Brigade, a network of people’s organizations and service institutions, appeal for your support to Brgy. Maradudon, Cabugao, Ilocos Sur as well other towns in the Ilocos Region. The STP Brigade is geared at providing relief and rehabilitation services this November in this community to help them to be resilient as well as to rely on their own capacities to recover from the aftermath of the storm.

For its part, the Task Force Children of the Storm will join forces with the STP brigade in the Mission this November.

Approximately 500 familes are still cramped in the Alabang Elementary School, one of the three evacuation Centers in Muntinlupa

Aside from the 500 families in this evacuation Center, there are approximately 300 families in Cupang Elementary School and hundreds more in Tunasan Sports Complex

A two-storey school building in Alabang Elem. School is being used as an evacuation center.

Most of the evacuees came from the surrounding barangays near Laguna Lake (Tabing Aplaya, Cupang, Anahaw, Morning Breeze), which up to now are still flooded.

Despite the resumption of classes in Alabang Elementary School,  evacuees still stay in the school campus because the government has yet to respond to their needs.   The inaction of the authorities resulted to more problems.  Activities in the school are affected as some of the classrooms are still being occupied by the evacuees. On the other hand,  evacuees lose their sense of privacy and are even threatened to be displaced once again whenregular classes are eventually resumed.

Children evacuees played in school corridors.

Uncomfortable crib - A baby sleeps in one of the desk inside a classroom in Alabang Elementary School now doubling as a crib

Unnatural playground-children evacuees play around the cramped evacuation center

Home sweet home? - A girl eats her lunch after going home directly in the evacuation center after attending her class. School is now also home for this girl.

After the visit and data gathering in the evacuation center, the team proceeded to  Brgy. Ilaya where two adjacent sitios (Anahaw and 7A Extension) are still submerged in knee-deep floodwater.  Houses are interconnected with bamboo poles used as bridges,  making the communities highly vulnerable to leptospirosis and dengue.  Two deaths due to leptospirosis were already reported   here.

The entrance to sitio 7-A Extn., Brgy. Ilaya, Muntinlupa

An elderly woman stares blankly, as if thinking "when will our normal lives be back?"

As the team moved on to the adjacent Sitio Anahaw, the floodwater got deeper.

Next post:  ILOCOS RELIEF EFFORTS (1st batch)

Children evacuees from Brgy. Silangan played a group game called "leron,leron,sinta", to establish rapport among their peers and child psychologists.

After the relief and clean up activities in the areas affected by Ondoy and Pepeng in Marikina areas, TASK FORCE CHILDREN OF THE STORM is now conducting psychosocial activities with the children who are affected by the typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. The Psychosocial team within the Task Force conducted children’s activities last October 18, 2009 at the evacuation centers in Bgy. Bagong Silangan and Sitio Talanay, Bgy. Batasan Hills in Quezon City.

At Sitio Veterans, Brgy. Bagong Silangan, 69 children participated in the said activity. Most participants are still staying in basketball courts and shanties as temporary refuge. The activity aimed to help the children express and share their experiences during the storm and flood.

They enjoyed playing group games and drawing their experiences. According to their sharing, all of their belongings have been washed away. Some of the children seemed to be reserved during the sharing of their experiences.  Most of them willingly shared what they saw during the flood.  According to the children, some of their relatives are still missing including young children and neighbors who later on would be part of the increasing numbers of casualties in the barangay.

In Brgy. Talanay, 33 children actively participated in the activities conducted in the barangay covered court where 39

Children evacuees in sitio Talanay.

families have been trying to live decently by putting up tents out of blankets and wood after the typhoon. The children are also anxious because their families were prohibited to return to their place under the San Mateo bridge and the barangay is now pushing them to relocate immediately.

This is just the first of a series of activities conducted in the areas affected by Ondoy and Pepeng. It is part of a 4-day module which aims to help children cope with the trauma left by the recent typhoons. The module is divided into four parts. The first part consists of Rapport-building activities to facilitate rapport among the children, the facilitators and volunteers of the Psychosocial Team. Next is the Release/Diagnosis phase, the venue for the survivors to share their experiences as well as their views regarding the disaster that they faced. The third part is the Meaning Construction. In this part, their experiences are contextualized to help them identify the root causes. Last is the Cognitive Mastery which will focus on capacity-building, which involves knowing their capacities and encouraging them to act and contribute to the resolution of the causes of the trauma they experienced.

The module is based on the psychosocial phases of therapy culled from the 24 years of practice of the Children’s Rehabilitation Center.

Finger printing activity, this activity is intended for child profiling.

Different expeiences are shared in a big or small group, processing is usally done in a small group or individually.

A boy cried while sharing his experience.

parents of children studying in OBELC recieved relief goods from TFCS

Barely two week after tropical storm Ondoy came the super typhoon Pepeng.  The TFCS members barely had time to relax after grueling days of repacking, relief distribution and clean up.  Relief goods continue to pour, thanks to you, as we gear towards the rehabilitation phase.

• Relief Operations:

Relief of operations for Ondoy victims in Sitio Olandes, Marikina City were concentrated to 50 families of the Samahan para sa Maagang Pagkatuto ng mga Bata (SMPB) who were also parents of the pre-schoolers enrolled in the Olandes Batibot Early Learning Center.  Complete relief packs of rice, canned goods, noodles, water, biscuits, toiletries, candles and matches were distributed twice a week for two weeks to assist the families as they start rebuilding their homes.

A total of 300 relief packs were also distributed to other areas in Marikina City (Malanday, Tumana and Nangka) through the Gabriela Women’s Party.

We are also preparing relief packs for distribution in Ilocos and La Union for distribution by the CRC-Ilocos Outreach Program.  A team from the TFCS will join the relief and psycho-social efforts of the CRC in Ilocos on October 23.

The next set of relief packs will be brought to Central Luzon for the victims of Pepeng.

• Temporary shelter

After two weeks, the children and their families staying in the office returned to their homes as classes in public schools in Marikina were set to start.  Currently, only the families of the staff and teachers of the OBELC are staying in CRC pending the completion of the clean up of their homes.

• Clean up:

Volunteers and staff clean the schools premises

The clean up team finished the final mopping up of the OBELC after a week and went on to help the teachers and the staff members in their homes.  By the end of last week, a total of 5 households excluding the OBELC were assisted in the clean up.

The Community of Learners Foundation (COLF) helped in the clean up of OBELC by bringing to their school for washing all the salvaged materials.  The materials are set to be returned next week before the classes in the day care center starts.

Fortunately, water has been restored in the community and electricity in some parts has been reconnected.  Unfortunately, the area where OBELC is located remains in electricity-less.

• Psycho-social Processing

The children who underwent psycho-social processing in CRC made a trip to the community at the last day of their session.  The Olandes community is relatively back to normal except for some areas where there are still mounds of garbage, flooding and no electricity.

One of the children, Ana, was almost in tears when she saw that their house was destroyed by the typhoon ( http://pinoyweekly.org/new/children-traumatized-ondoy/2/).  While Ana stayed in CRC, the rest of her family chose to stay in their neighbor’s house and start the repairs.

A father warmly welcomes his daughter home after a week of temporary shelter in CRC’s office.

The common realization of the children was while they were sad that only a few of their things were salvageable, they were grateful to be alive and safe.

After winding up the Olandes relief efforts, the TFCS through the documentation team went to the other affected areas.  A member of the Task Force, the Concerned Mothers’ League, facilitated the visit to Sitio Talanay, Bgy. Batasan Hills and Sitio Binhi ni Abraham, Bgy. Bagong Silangan in Quezon City.

The visit to the two areas provided an insight on how devastated the other areas were.  The team visited the Busilak Day Care Center in Area B, Sitio Talanay, which was nearly swallowed up by the nearby creek.  Like OBELC, all the things in the school were washed out.  The wooden structure, having been submerged in more than 6 feet of flood currents, is now unstable.

Also in Sitio Talanay were the families living under the nearby San Mateo Bridge, who evacuated before the river overflowed.  About 39 families, with 104 children are now living in the basketball court.  The future of these families is now uncertain since the government has prevented them from returning to their homes under the bridge.  They are now petitioning the government for decent and humane relocation for them.

The situation in Bgy. Bagong Silangan was worse.  The basketball court and the Parish Church housed hundrerds of displaced families from several affected sitios.  One of the sitios most affected was Sitio Binhi ni Abraham.  The TFCS documentation team witnessed how the area was devastated by the raging flood.  Almost all of the houses in the area were destroyed, in some, only the toilets are left upright.  We were also shown what we know call the “Tree of Life”, the

"Tree of Life"

Dita tree where 7 families (34 individuals) sought refuge during the flood and were saved from the raging flood waters.

The surviving residents, who were surveying their homes for repairs, talked of how they climbed from roof to roof seeking higher grounds.  They recounted how they rescued a 2 month old baby on floating aluminum roofing.   They also told us how they saw their neighbors being carried by the current, whose dead bodies were found the next day in the next Sitio.  They also told us how they found the dead residents several days after, with rescuers and neighbors almost stepping on the bodies buried in mud and garbage.

The team also did initial interview on a few mothers who ventured to go back to their homes, on the effects of the disaster to their children.  The mothers observed that children, particularly the younger ones, wake up at night crying and flailing their arms as if drowning.  Some children have problems sleeping while others are afraid of water.

For the next weeks, the psycho-social team will implement their module on psycho-social first aid for the children-victims of disaster in the evacuation centers of Sitio Talanay and Bgy. Bagong Silangan.  A minimum of 50 children is initially targeted in Sitio Talanay and a minimum of 100 children for Bgy. Bagong Silangan.

• Volunteer-mobilization

Para-teachers from Center for Lumad Advocacy and Services (CLANS) in Sarangani Province in Mindanao, volunteer to repack relief goods for Central and Northern Luzon.

As classes resumed after a week, student volunteers were only available during their free time.  Several individual students sustained their volunteer work on weekends.

Day care teachers from the Konkokyo Peace Advocacy Center (KPAC), another member of the TFCS joined for the repacking of the relief goods.  A day care center in Cebu, the Child Learning Program, a member of the KPAC network sent 5 sacks of clothes through PAL Foundation.

A group of visiting day care teachers from the Center for Lumad Advocacy and Services (CLANS) in Sarangani Province, a network of ARCSEA, who were scheduled for “lakbay aral” integration in the OBELC, instead decided to help in the repacking of relief goods.

The tasks ahead

The medical mission in Olandes has not taken place for lack of medical professionals and medicines.  Many children and adults have already fallen ill due to leptospirosis and dengue.  Many residents also suffered from skin diseases such as alipunga (athlete’s foot) and eczema.  Hopefully the medical mission can take place by the end of October.

Residents in flooded areas suffer from wounds in their feet due to exposure in floods.

The rehabilitation of OBELC is now underway.  Children’s books, school materials and supplies are still needed to replace those that were washed out.  A parent helped facilitate a structural assessment of the center to determine whether the place is still safe for the children or major repairs need to be done.

We are also raising funds for the Busilak Day Care Center in Talanay.  The whole structure needs to be transferred to another location, a safer distance from the creek.  Meantime, classes will temporarily continue pending the replacement of books and materials.  TFCS also contributed to the rebuilding of the bridge connecting the day care center to the main community so that the school can be accessible again to the children.

As of this writing, another super typhoon is expected to hit northern Luzon within the next 24 hours.  Hopefully, with painful lessons learned, disaster preparedness measures will now be implemented and relief efforts will be minimal.

Acknowledgments part 2

The TFCS would like to thank the following for their support:

Donations in kind:

1. Mr. Basilio and Mrs. Mamerta Santiago – 10 sacks of rice
2. Mr. Winfred Tan – assorted groceries
3. Community of Learners Foundation – 100 relief packs and used clothing
4. UP Diliman Geology 151 class – school supplies, used clothing, groceries
5. UP Manila Gabriela Youth – school supplies
6. KPACIO – school supplies
7. Child Learning Program (Mandaue City) – used clothing
8. UP Diliman Stand UP – assorted groceries, toiletries, used clothing, school supplies
9. Pail and Shovel Learning Center – 95 relief packs, school supplies
10. c/o Ms. Lyn Francisco – school supplies
11. Joni Ferrer (Singapore) – assorted groceries and used clothing
12. c/o CLANS (General Santos) – used clothing

Financial donations:

1. OBELC parents (Libis area)
2. Ms. Sandra van Beek (The Netherlands)
3. Iligan Society (c/o Ms. Babeth Justiniano)
4. Mr. Ponciano Salvador