The Ministry Years: Chapter 20: North Iloilo Relief & Rehab Project in 14 Villages w/ Typhoon Undang Victims

Chapter 20

North Iloilo Relief & Rehab Project in 14 Villages w/ Typhoon Undang Victims

We started implementing North Iloilo Relief & Rehab Project in 14 villages from 4 municipalities - Batad, Estancia, Balasan and Carles.

Other international organizations, world churches and NG0’s from most part of the country and around the world came and assisted other towns and villages in Panay. Countries came and worked together to assist victims of the grave calamity. It was the first time in my Christian ministry that I saw such disaster, and the united efforts of different organizations from provinces in the countries and agencies from many parts of the world assisting victims of disasters.

After I received the telegram from Rev. Olof Lindstrom of the coming assistance, I talked to the General Secretary, Dr. Domingo Diel, Jr. and Atty. Angel Lobaton, President. I discussed with them the implementing plans. We looked into the possible staffs who will be involved for 3 years – their trainings, experiences, organizing skills and proximities to the coverage areas. All staff we called were members of the churches in the Convention.

The primary efforts will gave some rice and food and helped rebuild homes that were destroyed by the typhoon. Our assistance will be for totally destroyed and partially destroyed homes.

First, we negotiated to buy rice, a thousand sacks rice from rice owners in Balasan and San Dionisio.

We negotiated to by bamboos, from municipalities in Central and Southern Iloilo. We got 2 big truck that can carry at least 250 bamboos per trip. We bought bamboos from Maasin, Janinay,

Badiangan, Calinog, Lambunao, Tapaz, Leon, San Miguel and Alimodian. We provided 10 pieces, and 15 pieces per family. We need about 10,000 bamboos for the area. Other organizations were also buying bamboos from other parts of Iloilo and Capiz. In a few weeks, bamboos became scars in Panay.

We ordered nails, of different sizes that will be used and the thousands kilos that will beneeded. There were times when stocks of nails were not available for days, after we ordered. We wait for a few days more.

We saw the thousands of fallen coconuts trees in Northern Iloilo. We decided to make use of the fallen coconut trees. We negotiated with the owners of the fallen trees. We bought 4 Electric Chain Saws Machines to make coco lumbers of the fallen coconut trees. We priorities, coco lumbers, sizes of 2” thick and 5” width of coco lumbers for the major portions of the house– “sentas” and “sukogs” and “balayans”. The lengths depending on the lengths needed for the house.

We identified 8 experts Chain Saw operators, two persons in charged of each Chain Saw. They will work 8 hours a day. They need to have a little time, for the chain saws to cool down, every two hours to minimize possible damages to the equipments.

Assisting me in planning, were Pastor Rex Abanilla, Pastor Raffy Lamputi, Ms. Betty Solacito, Social Worker, Ms. Susan Panes, an agriculturist, Pastor Delfin Domingo and Ms. Lorna Lapido, a nurse.

Handling the finances, relief assistance in cash, operational costs, staff salaries were the Business Office of the Convention, headed by the Treasurer, assisted by the Assistant Treasurer, in charge for releasing of cash and other funds.

After reporting the situations and needs with the General Secretary, we decided the assistance and scope of services for relief and rehabilitation assistance for each family affected by the typhoon. Some, 2,400 families were listed in our areas of operations in North Iloilo.

The project has a component of 8 full time staff—Betty Solacito, Social Worker, Pastor Jessie Albestor, Susan Panes, an agriculture technician, Lorna Lapido, a Nurse, Evelyn Saavedra, Social Worker, Melinda de la Cruz, Teacher, Pastor Rex Abanilla and Ms.Fras Ortiz. Partime Staffs were Ptr. Delfin Domingo, Pastor Anting Coloso and Ptr. Raffy Lamputi and Ernest Carvajal.

The project provide half sack of clean rice per family. Also some amount cash for other needs

There were educational programs for the head of the family and their wives. Their were training on small business progjects. There were trainings on home made foods. There were training for Herbal Gardening, to help families on herbs that could be used for some sickness. These were intended as alternative methods to imprve lives in the villages.

The Relief Project succeeded to organize the victims. We organized them into a kind of village associations. There were 14 village associations organized and trained. Each village associations has lists of members. villages, each village with the members. They have their officers, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Auditor. The President, Vice President and Treasurer were the Signatories for Release of Funds and signatories in the Bank.

The implementations of the major part of the project – assistance for the building of homes. The family provided for labor. The Project provided the Coco lumbers, 20 kilo nails of different kinds, bamboos and some other needs. The building of homes were fast, with families providing for labor.

There were liblihood trainings for families – chicken raising, goat raising, pig raising. They were also trained to build their Herbal Gardens in the village which were duplicated in their homes. We believed lots of sickness and diseases in the villages can be cured with herbs, if the people were trained to plant and make use of it for their sickness and diseases. Many homes have responded and build their own Herbal Gardens at home.

Each member, were provided P500, with amounts deposited in Associations’ Bank Accounts with the name of the their association. The amounts were deposited in the Rural Bank of Balasan, Iloilo. The amount could be used as individual or group loan assistance. There was a program for repaymen to their association.

The Rehabilation Aspect, with the funds of P500 per family for their livelihood projects could have worked, but for the CPBC leadership under Rev. Penuelito Sacapano, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of General Secretary, Mrs. Sampaguita Juarez, Project Director got / or borrowed the Passbooks of the 14 associations. They did not return the Bank Books to the 14 association officers.

The CPBC leaders kept the Bank Books of the Association at CPBC Business Office. The fund of P500 for some 2,500 members, allocated for rehabilitation and income generating projects capitalizations were never used during the next 4 years. It was not released to the members. I heard, it remained in the CPBC Treasurer’s Office for 4 years.

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Part of the series The Ministry Years (chapter 20 of 48)

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