By Shen R. Maglinte | Deputy Director
It's been months since rehabilitation and relief work went full gear despite difficulties for the communities to bounce back. It's still an on-going process. Fortunately, there are achievements already done. House structures built and victims have now new roofs over their heads and life for some is getting towards normalcy. For some it is still a work in progress.
The resiliency of Filipinos is well known characteristic traits that make them cope up when calamities strike them to the core. As soon as the damaged house is repaired, they settle back and resume productive work and go about their normal routines. Getting back their life speaks of unwavering hope and this what makes them go through the process of surviving.
Some have already resumed productive work in the farms planting rice and corn, vegetables for food and income. Others have resumed enterprise work like opening their sari-sari store ( a small convenient store) which is popular in the province especially in far-flung areas that needs a lot of time to go to the town center to buy their basic needs.
Aside from attending to the main island victims. Relief and Rehab has been also extended to Carlos P. Garcia (Pitogo Island). The community living there has makeshif houses but after typhoon Odette, they were ejected as the lot where their makeshifts stands will be taken away from them.
As of this writing,we are awaiting for updates as regards development in the area. Close coordination with the local government unit has been done to enjoin them in resolving the issues. It would be very difficult for our relief work to proceed given this dispute.
Aside from the current labelling of government forces that relief work operations have been influenced by rebel groups in the country side, land ownership is equally a problem for some of the victims. This is especially for those victims who occupied lands by force of circumstance who have to face the new situation. Some landowners took the opportunity to claim back their lands under the guise of clearing these after the typhoon but have other intents.
We will give more updates on this when we get a clearer picture of what transpired as regards these challenges in other areas.
Largely though and thanks for your help a good number of victims have already inched slowly towards normalcy
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