AMBO DELILAN
As Typhoon Tino’s first anniversary approaches on November 4, 115 families in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, still await what many displaced residents consider the most basic step toward recovery: a permanent home.
For mothers Anna Fernandez, 35, and Dorelyn Dagang, 32, both from Barangay Robles, the approaching anniversary is not just a reminder of the devastation wrought by the typhoon. It also marks nearly a year of living in cramped tents, enduring conditions far removed from the security and comfort of their former homes.
Their families are among 115 families, or 423 individuals, who remain in tents provided by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on the grounds of Colegio de La Castellana in Barangay Robles.
“Kainit, kaging-ot, kag tulo sang ulan ang amon gina-antus sa masami,” Fernandez said, describing the heat, stuffiness, and rainwater leaking into their shelter.
Even going to the bathroom has become a daily struggle.
A mother of two, Fernandez depends on her husband’s income from hauling cement and other daily-wage jobs to support their family.
For Dagang, however, living in a tent has taken on another dimension: raising a baby born months after the typhoon destroyed their home.
She was three months pregnant when Tino washed away their house and belongings. Last May, she gave birth to her youngest child while her family was still living in the evacuation site.
Now a mother of three, Dagang lives with her family while her husband remains unemployed. With no permanent home to return to, she can only hope that their situation will change soon.
“Diyos ko, san-o pa ayhan?” she asked. (My God, when will it be?)
With relocation site, but can’t be occupied
The municipal government has purchased a six-hectare property in Barangay Robles intended to become a relocation site for families displaced by Tino. But acquiring the land is only the first step.
The property still needs development, and the town must secure the necessary permits before families can be transferred, according to Vice Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan, who also heads the town’s Incident Management Team.
“We need time. We need money. We need help from the national government,” Mangilimutan said.
La Castellana recorded around 1,600 displaced families from different barangays during Tino’s onslaught. Of these, about 600 came from Barangay Robles, including the 115 families who remain in the tent community.
“Wala na gid sila sang pulian. Kaluluoy gid sila, actually,” the vice mayor said, referring to families who have no homes to return to.
While waiting for a longer-term solution, the municipal government continues to shoulder the daily needs of those in the tents.
Mangilimutan said the local government spends about P30,000 a day on meals alone for the displaced families.
“It’s financially draining, really,” she said. “But we have no choice; we have to face this as a daily challenge.”
To sustain assistance, the municipal government has realigned funds from its Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) budget to cover educational allowances for schoolchildren in the tent community, as well as burial and medical assistance for affected families.
Despite exhausting available avenues to secure national government support, Mangilimutan said the local government remains in a wait-and-see situation.
Proposal awaits funding
La Castellana is among the local government units hardest hit by Tino, with a P300-million recovery proposal included in the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) prepared by the OCD-Negros Island Region.
OCD-NIR Director Donato Sermeno III said the assessment had already been submitted to the agency’s central office in Manila for possible funding under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF).
Civil Defense Undersecretary Harold Cabreros has also vowed to prioritize endorsing the regional office’s assessment for funding from the OCD and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
The total proposed funding for the entire Negros Island Region (NIR) has yet to be disclosed.
Other local government units identified for possible assistance through the PDNA include Bago City, La Carlota City and Himamaylan City, as well as the towns of Moises Padilla, Isabela, Binalbagan, Hinigaran and Pontevedra in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.
For the 115 families still living in tents, however, the proposed funding and planned relocation have yet to translate into a definite date for moving into permanent homes.
As November 4 draws closer, Tino’s anniversary will bring back memories of the storm’s destruction. But for Fernandez, Dagang and hundreds of others in the tent community, the disaster remains part of their everyday lives.*
