Lottie the volunteer's BLOG

Tacloban City Two months from now the 2 nd year anniversary for typhoon Yolanda will be commemorated. Maybe a majority of the Yolanda survivors have just started picking up the pieces of their lives back. A stranger might see the road repairs, building new classrooms, hospitals and all along the national highway wherever he may be as he steps into the soil of this province. He/she might wonder why people still demand fo help in repairing their homes when in fact he/she has seen a lot of changes by way of new constructions. It is because the reason that the government has abandoned us early last year when the people needed the help and hope from his government.  Think about this: Vietnam and Thailand government through the DSWD Region 8 have donated a thousand sacks of rice according to the Philippine Ports Authority, but nothing have been given to the survivors of typhoon Yolanda. What has been given instead is NFA rice? Where are the imported sacks of ric...

Roberta Tismo, 71 years old, of Brgy Camansihay, Tacloban City lives in a makeshift almost two years after Yolanda. The senior citizen is one of the most neglected sectors in the society. Under the Philippine laws, this sector has given priorities for the program intended for the welfare of all senior citizens especially those who are poorest of the poor. Republic Act 9994 laid down the rules on how the senior citizens through an organized association will able to avail the .5% of the 1% budget from the IRA of their City, municipality or brgy. There were also laws that provide 20% discounts for their transportation, food when they eat at restaurants, medicines, hospitalization, groceries and others. But most of these privileges were only availed of those who have the capacity of eating in big restaurants and other services that most of the poorest of the poor cannot be able to avail. I meet Roberta Tismo, 71 years old of Brgy Camansihay, Tacloban City. She has...

Days after the State of the Nation Address of President Aquino, UN special rapporteur Chaloka Beyani made a remarks that the government had done not enough for the homeless Haiyan survivors in Visayas. Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez was not surprised by the UN report. He said that it is because the priorities are not there and he based his assessment on what has been happening in the past. After almost two years, the situation of the people especially those who were still living in the bunkhouses and temporary shelters are not okay. “That was confirmed by the observers coming from the different pa rts of the world who have no ulterior motive but just report on what they see. So it’s not a question of a blame game to anyone, it’s a question of doing about it, ” said Romualdez . Earlier, the National government through the DPWH released a project plan for the construction of 27.3-kilometer stretch steel and concrete wall in Tacloban, Palo and Tanauan. The project...

The moon and the sun The two shines in their own way at their own time. They come from the east and west. The sun is happy shining at its brightest. But he feels incomplete because he wants to shine together with Moon. He frowned, but he continued his life for the people who need him. On the other hand, the moon also wishes to be with Sun. She was excited in every morning that comes. But when Sun was rising, she eventually disappears. They were born apart. They never meet in their entire lives. Soon the moon and the sun realized that they were never meant to be.

It was raining hard, the wind was blowing to the east and west, the night was dark, little floods in the streets were already forming, when local and national officials conducted a DRR meeting at the function hall of the Police Regional Office 8 on November 7, 2013. We, from the media, headed to the same location to cover the event. Our mobile patrol was then shaking because of the strong winds that were blowing. The rain entered the vehicle that made us all wet. We arrived at the meeting around 7:00 in the evening. The meeting has started and I saw the Mayor of Tacloban, Governor of Leyte, the heads of the AFP, PNP, BFP,  DND Sec. Gazmin and DILG Roxas. At that meeting, the representative coming from PAGASA (Regional Office) was not present. Mar Roxas called the representative twice, but there was none. The meeting proceeded without any weather update from the authority. That was the last time that I saw Roxas here in Tacloban City. He even ordered for a fin...