2016

PFD begins its work

PFD conducted its first workshop with the residents of 68 Anibong in March 2016. It was attended by 85 people aged 8 to 64 years old. Over half of the participants are women and young people.

An important part of the workshop is a focus group discussion that served as an assessment for PFD to understand the needs of the community.

“If the city mayor gives us the housing unit, then we’d be grateful to him and would not hesitate to vote for his family to remain in office forever. If they choose to not give us the housing unit, we can’t do anything about it,” one participant said in the local language. It was a sentiment shared by many. 

Hearing the residents’ lack of understanding of the Yolanda rehabilitation process and the funding sources has informed our succeeding workshops. We educated them on their entitlements under the law and the need for accountability in the management of disaster recovery funds. We eventually introduced human rights and climate change in our recurring workshops from 2016 to 2019.

PFD aimed to equip them with the skills to be able to press for government accountability over the pending housing projects.

We note, however, that human rights was a touchy issue to tackle during this period that coincided with former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs. Organisations like ours that receive international funding were especially vulnerable. Talking about human rights in the communities was fraught, particularly in the provinces of Leyte and Samar, which authorities also consider as hotbeds for the recruitment of the communist rebellion—another thorny domestic issue during Duterte’s time.

PFD had to carefully navigate the sensitivities of working within civic spaces for human rights along with the profile of its co-founders, who were working as full-time journalists and had to protect the integrity of their reporting away from potential perceptions of conflict of interest.

Barangay Anibong of Today

Photo by John Rey Dela Rosa

This is Barangay 68 Anibong, a danger zone. People are not supposed to build houses here. But a sprawling community of 552 families are living along this coastal barangay.

"We have no choice. Hindi pa naman ready ang relocation sites ng government. Hindi pa tapos ang mga permanent housing projects," barangay captain Ma. Rosario Bactol said. (The relocation sites of the government are not yet ready. The permanent housing projects are not yet completed.)

'Buho'

Photo by Ed Calaycay

Out of the 552 families living in Barangay 68 Anibong, only 157 households have their own sanitary toilets.

Seventy percent of the entire population of Anibong have limited access to sanitary toilets and are forced to resort to defecation in open spaces or in makeshift stilt toilets called “buho” that dump human waste directly into the seashore.

Perilous Playground

Photo By Emily Fe Aguelo

Out of the 2,160 residents of Barangay Anibong, Tacloban City, 619 are children. Lele dela Pena (leftmost) is now four years old. Lele is the seventh of the eight children of Sarah Dela Pena, a resident of Barangay Anibong. "Kumusta po silang lumalaki dito?" Sarah replied, "Ayan ganyan ganyan lang sila, laro laro. Langoy-langoy sila diyan sa dagat. Masaya naman kami dito." ("How are they growing up here?" Sarah replied, "Like that, just playing around. Sometimes, swimming and playing by the sea. We are happy here.")

"Hindi po ba kayo natatakot para sa kanila, eh danger zone po ito?" Sarah jokingly replied, "Lilikas na lang kami kapag may bagyo na." ("Aren't you afraid for them, since you are living in a danger zone?" Sarah jokingly replied, " We'll just evacuate when a typhoon is coming.")

'I Chose To Return'

Photo by Marianne Joy M. Nicer

Victoria Cahimat, 72, was among the thousands of Yolanda survivors who fled Tacloban City after the storm. She was rescued and brought to Manila by her daughter five days after the landfall.

But barely a year after staying with her daughter, Victoria chose to return to Tacloban City. Watching the news about the rehabilitation projects for Yolanda survivors, she was at first hopeful.

“Doon, nakadepende ako sa anak ko na may sakit din. Bumalik na lang kami dito para makahanap na ng pangkabuhayan. Sariling sikap na lang.” (I still depend on my daughter who also battles a sickness. I returned here, then built this shanty so we could move on to earning a living. We have to do it ourselves.)

Still in a Danger Zone

Photo by John Rey Dela Rosa

552 families are living in shanties, some in stilts, along the coastal barangay of 68 Anibong, a danger zone for tsunamis and storm surges.

"Yung pinanggawa ko ng bahay ko, pinulot ko po yang mga kahoy na yan galing sa tambak ng mga sirang bahay dito pagkatapos ng Yolanda," Sarah Dela Peña, one of the residents, told us. (All materials I used to build back my house were from the scraps of ruined houses after Yolanda.)

Communal Toilets

Photo by Julie Nealega

This is one of the two shared community toilets in Barangay Anibong.

Only 157 out of the 552 households have their own sanitary toilets.

The rest of the 395 families are sharing the two community toilets. Other households, especially those living along the coast, are resorting to makeshift stilt toilets called “buho” that dump human waste directly into the seashore.

Welcome back students!

Story by Vera Zennia Mojado

Photo by Brian Kevin Felix

According to the Education department, more than 17,000 classrooms in Leyte and Samar were destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

As of November 2015, 5,457 classroom were renovated and an additional 1,026 new classrooms were constructed. This is about 38 % only of the total number of classrooms needed in the provinces.

In Barangay Anibong, 1,539 elementary and high school students share 44 classrooms in shifting classes. Elementary students study in the morning, while high school students have classes in the evening.

Some of the classrooms in Anibong Elementary School have not been completely renovated yet. The temporary classroom shown in this photo is no longer usable after two years of service.

Waiting on a promise

By John Rey Dela Rosa

Ronny Froilan and his family have been waiting for a housing unit. Desperate to protect his family from another storm, Ronny took a high-interest loan to build a concrete house. “Pito ang anak ko. Tapos, ano? 'Pag bagyo na naman, [hayaan ko lang na] patay na kami?" (I have seven children. When a storm hits, then what? Do I just let my family get killed?)

Children of the storm

By Jacqueline Francisco

“I took this picture of my younger sister Lele and our other siblings. She was a little over two years old when Haiyan hit our village,” shares 13-year-old Jacqueline Francisco. “Last year lang, umalis si Mama sa bahay na hindi nagpapa-alam. Hindi namin alam kung nasaan na siya (Just last year, our mother left us without saying a word. We don’t know where she is),” she says, adding she and her siblings look after each other when their father goes to work.

'God Bless Our Home'

By Arnel Pablo

"Isang malaking barko ang umararo sa mga bahay dito noong Yolanda. Marami sa mga kapitbahay ko dito napatay. Pamilya ko lang po ang nakaligtas (A huge ship crashed into the houses in my village. Many of our neighbours got killed. Only my family survived),” recounts Marives Villarminta. She believes the inscription on their door protected and saved them during the disaster.

Nostalgia

By Marco dela Rosa

"I was born and raised here in Anibong. I initially did not want to leave. I have a lot of memories here. However, now that I am convinced to leave for my safety, we are still unable to transfer because the relocation sites are not even ready."

Rising from the Rubble

By John Rey Dela Rosa

Survivors rebuilt their houses from piles of rubble. About 540 families ended up living in shanties, some on stilts in the village of 68 Anibong, Tacloban City. “’Yung mga kapitbabahay po namin pinulot po nila yang mga kahoy galing sa tambak ng mga sirang bahay dito pagkatapos ng Yolanda (Our neighbors gathered scraps from ruined houses after Yolanda)," 17-year-old John Rey Dela Rosa says. The photographer took a similar photo of the houses from a year ago.

A Spoonful of Food

By Jacqueline Francisco

After the typhoon, children became severely underweight. Three-year-old John David Garido was one of them. Weighing only 12 kilograms, John is one of the 11 children, aged 0 to 6, identified as underweight.

The Expectant Mother

By Kaira Nicollete Ibañez

Twenty-eight-year old Jimalyn Tilingban was pregnant with her sixth child. She's expecting to give birth within the month. Tilingban shares her pregnancy has been high-risk. She said she does not regularly see a doctor. "I am anemic and I lost a lot of weight already." Tilingban was anxious about her baby. She said she is eager to move to the housing project when it's done.

Dreaming of a New Home

By Marco Dela Rosa

Siblings Danica Anne and Jeffrey Malinao eat their lunch on a newly constructed makeshift extension of their house. Their mom explains their family is growing and the space of the old house could no longer accommodate all of them. Both Danica and Jeffrey hope they could transfer to the relocation site soon.

Life along the coast

By Philip Junilo Cabalo

In 2017, 119 families have moved to the relocation sites. Today 475 families remain in the community which was declared a danger zone for storm surges and tsunamis.

"Nakalipat na 'yan sila. Pero dito lang sila ngayon kasi malapit dito trabaho ng papa nila (Their family has moved to the relocation site. They are here because their father works nearby),” Philip, the photographer, talked about the kids in the photo.

Brgy. 68 chairperson Arlene Ibañez explains the residents living in houses along the coast are the priority. "Karamihan naman sa kanila d'yan sa gilid ng dagat nailipat na po (Most of the residents living along the coast have been relocated)," the village chairperson added.

I'd Rather Stay

By Jacqueline Francisco and Ma. Salvacion Francisco

68-year old Romeo Vibero is recovering from stroke. He is among the residents who still live in Brgy. 68. "Pag-punta mo roon, sobrang init (It's so warm there)," Romeo was talking about the relocation sites.

"Dalawa na sa kumpare ko ang na-stroke doon dahil sa init. Dito na lang ako siguro. Ayoko doon, baka magkasakit ako (Two of my friends there suffered from stroke due to the heat. I'd rather stay here. I might get sick there)." Like him, many residents complain about the permanent shelters, which mostly lack electricity and water connection.

Born after Yolanda

By Joebert Calinao

36-year old Sarah dela Peña gave birth to one-month old Shanalyn in their village. The baby is her second child born after Yolanda.

Sarah was pregnant with Danica (in pink) when the super typhoon hit Tacloban City. Danica was born four months after Yolanda. "Nasa evacuation center kami nang sumakit ang tiyan ko, pero dinala nila ako sa ospital kaya doon ko siya ipinanganak (We were in the evacuation center when I laboured. They rushed me to the hospital where I gave birth)," Sarah said.

They spent a few months in the evacuation center until they were able to build a house made from the debris.

Today’s Catch

By Ernilyn Francisco,

Roberto Villanueva has just returned home. He sailed out to fish a few hundred meters away from his house along the coast.

“Ito naman ang maganda dito sa amin na malapit sa dagat, kung walang ulam, and’yan lang, pwede na mangisda (This is what’s good about living near the sea, if you don’t have food, you can always fish),” Roberto said.

'Poverty is the cancer'

By John Rey Dela Rosa

67-year old Eufemia Eguia has breast cancer. "Emotional siya na nagkwento sa amin (She was emotional when she talked to us)," John Rey Dela Rosa, who took this photo, shared.

When Eufemia was diagnosed two years ago, she needed to purchase over Php 10,000 worth of medicines. However, she was able to buy only half of the needed medicines. She has not taken any medication since then. "Ipapa-opera daw sana niya. Kaya lang natatakot siya baka hindi maging successful, (She wants to undergo surgery, but says she's afraid it might not be successful)," John Rey added.

"Isa pa, wala rin silang pera. Kaya titiisin na lang daw niya. (Besides, they don't have the money to pay. So she says, she will have to endure [the occasional pain])."

My Playmate

By Jhanalyn dela Rosa

"Ayan, kalaro ko 'yan na si Kim Froilan. Ano po, nangingisda 'yan siya ng pang-ulam nila mamaya sa hapunan (That's my playmate Kim Froilan. He's catching fish so that they have food for dinner)," eight-year old Jhanalyn, who took this photo, explained.

Eight-year old Kim has caught six small fish when we took this photo.