by Teresita Usapdin in Southern Leyte
At the age of 81, Gorgonio Maitim never expected he would one day have to roll up his sleeves again to build a home for his family.
Maitim is the oldest survivor of tragic landslides that swept away houses and buried the village of Punta, in San Francisco municipality in the Philippines province of Southern Leyte on 19 December 2003.
He is one of the beneficiaries of the 90 housing units provided by the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), and which he and his family built.
Now, Maitim and the rest of the displaced families in the disaster-stricken community are ready to move into their new homes at a relocation site in Sentral Village in San Francisco.
The housing project, which is in duplex-style with 30 square-metre units, is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Maitim, a carpenter whose 50-year marriage to Isabel has produced eight children and 30 grandchildren, said he built the first house for his family in l954. As chance would have it, the house was undergoing its first renovation to accommodate his growing family when the disaster struck just before Christmas, sweeping the home away in a single swift moment.
"It was a nightmare, the worst disaster I have ever experienced in my entire life. I thank God, though we are all alive," says Maitim.
Seven months after the disaster, he is still haunted by the chaos, the screaming of his neighbours and the crying of the children as the massive landslide rolled wildly into their village and wiped out the cluster of houses and trees in its path.
Almost simultaneously that afternoon, two more landslides slammed with all their might into the neighbouring municipalities of San Ricardo and Liloan.
When the roaring sound of the monster stopped hours later, a total of 154 persons were dead, 37 injured and 1,029 families left homeless.
The landslides, which were triggered by six days of continuous heavy rain, brought pandemonium to villagers, who were caught unprepared.
Of the 1,029 families affected, the Red Cross has identified a total of 230 families - 90 from San Francisco and 140 from San Ricardo - who were most severely affected and in need of long term rehabilitation. Red Cross help includes permanent shelter, agricultural tools, family starter kits and other non-food items.
"The disaster not only took away our properties. It shattered our future," says Maitim, adding,
"we are thankful that the Red Cross was there to provide us with immediate food assistance and now, new homes. When I was building the house, I felt strong as when I was 30 years old because I knew that it could bring my whole family together again, especially on weekends. This is where my family will build our new life, our new hope."
Eric Macabuhay, administrator of the Southern Leyte Red Cross chapter says the rehabilitation programme in San Francisco and San Ricardo is being done in coordination with local government, which identified and provided the safe relocation site for the new homes.
The Red Cross provides the construction materials, which cost US$1,000 per house. The beneficiaries themselves build their houses under a "food for work" scheme with the help of volunteers from nearby villages who were not affected by the disaster and under the supervision of a professional engineer and some skilled workers.
Food for work includes two kilos of rice, canned goods, noodles and biscuits per working day from 8am to 5pm.
"It is inspiring to see men, women, and even children working together to build a house. They seem to have forgotten the trauma of the tragedy when you see the joy in their faces," Macabuhay says. "This is the true spirit of bayanihan (cooperation) among Filipinos, especially in the rural areas."
Macabuhay said despite the cooperation of the community, it took almost seven months before the first batch of houses were completed in San Francisco. Delays were caused by elections, bad weather, terrible road conditions, uncertainty of land tenure and difficulty in identifying and getting a safe relocation site. A lack of construction materials also contributed to the slow start.
In San Ricardo, where the International Federation is appealing for 378,000 Swiss francs to help 140 homeless families, the project has been further delayed by even worse roads, which rain and landslides have made almost impassable, especially to heavy truckloads of construction materials and equipment.
San Ricardo is 168 km from Maasin, the capital town of Southern Leyte. It can take just five hours to travel the distance if the road is dry, although it is still bumpy. The trip takes eight hours on a wet and muddy road. Pump boat or ferry, which is another means of going to the area, can also be difficult and dangerous because of the strong waves.
Despite the delays, many beneficiaries and volunteers in San Ricardo are now starting the construction of their houses. They will have to be patient - depending on the weather, it may take several more months to complete the job.
Florencio Anajao, captain of Pinut-an village in San Ricardo and one of those who will benefit from the Red Cross housing project, says "we don't mind waiting for another three or four months. What is important is we have a new home to look forward to. We thank God and the Red Cross for that."
