TESDA Caraga turns-over core houses to typhoon Pablo victims in Agusan del Sur

Despair…Fright…Hope - were the only things left in all families affected by typhoon Pablo. Despite the catastrophe, we have seen the Pilipino culture “bayanihan”. Individuals and organizations responded in the best way they can just to show they care and have given what they have just to ease the pain of the victims. TESDA has its own simple way of intervention. It cannot give any financial or monetary aid but has responded the best way it can do to help the families affected by typhoon Pablo in Agusan del Sur. TESDA Caraga fast tracked the implementation of the DSWD-TESDA Cash for Training Program through its Bangon Agusanon Training Cum Production Project. Eight (8) core houses, output of the Cash for Training Program (C4TP) at Angas, Sta. Josefa; Sinobong, Veruela; Cuevas, Trento; and Poblacion, Bunawan, Agusan del Sur were turned-over to the eight (8) pre-identified beneficiaries/rTESDA Caraga turns-over core houses to typhoon Pablo victims in Agusan del Surecipients by TESDA-Caraga Regional Director Florencio F. Sunico Jr. in a separate turn-over and awarding ceremonies on February 6, 2013 at Sta. Josefa; April 17, 2013 at Veruela; and June 7, 2013 at Cuevas, Trento and July 12, 2013 at Poblacion, Bunawan all towns of Agusan del Sur which were seriously affected by typhoon Pablo.

It can be noted that the guidelines of the Cash for Training Program (C4TP) were formulated midyear of 2012 and were finalized on the later part of the same year. The program is anchored on the famous Chinese Proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Instead of giving directly to the beneficiaries of the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) the cash incentive, a portion of its budget was transferred to TESDA for funding of the skills training of the beneficiaries or their dependents. It was just a coincidence when the program guidelines was finalized when typhoon Pablo devastated some parts of Mindanao and left some families homeless. In Agusan del Sur, four (4) municipalities were severely affected by the typhoon, namely: Veruela, Sta. Josefa, Trento and Bunawan.

The need for reconstruction is urgent and crucial. TESDAs intervention is necessary-skills training on site. Three (3) qualifications should be developed in the manpower for the reconstruction; these are Carpentry,

Masonry and Electrical Installation and Maintenance.

The skills trainings on these qualifications are conducted on site wherein trainees are given tool kits and training support fund and underwent a thirteen-day (13) rigid skills training on the construction of core houses to be awarded to two pre-identified recipients of each municipality. The trainees are advised to take the National Competency Assessment and become certified worker. Aside from the skills training, entrepreneurship training is also provided to them.

THE TRAINEES

A total of 164 trainees graduated from the three qualifications from Sta. Josefa, Veruela, Trento, and Bunawan, Agusan del Sur. A total of 21 female are attending the training.

“I am very proud that I have attended the training in electrical installation and maintenance, now I can install wirings and other electrical assembly. I have another means of earning. Thanks to TESDA and DSWD for this program. May skill na, may tool kit pa! Hayahay! Jeanie Castillo, a trainee in EIM, said.

In his testimony during the Turn-over and Awarding Ceremonies, Ernan Cole, a trainee in Carpenty at Cuevas, Trento said, “Nagpasalamat mi ug dako kang President Benigno Aquino sa pag approve sa MOA nga nagmugna aning proyektoha uban sa duha ka ahensya nga mao ang DSWD ug TESDA nga naghatag kalauman sa among mga pangandoy. Ingon pud sa LGU sa Trento nga naghatag katin-awan sa maong programa, labi na pud sa mga barangay officials nga naghatag koordinasyon sa maong

proyekto ug sa mga trainers nga gikan sa ASSAT. Dili kabayran og salapi kining inyong gipangtudlo sa amoa. Usa kini ka taming sa among kinabuhi. Kining among nakat-onan dad-on namo kini hangtod sa hangtod. Bisan sa mubong panahon nga nagkauban ta, among I treasure ang mga tawo involved aning proyekto. Parti na kamo sa among kinabuhi.”

Ariel Bucane, a trainee in Masonry remarked, “swerte kaayon mi ka yang eskwelahan na jud ang nidool sa amo. Karon makatabang na jud ko sa akong ginikanan. Ang akong nahibaloan ani nga training dili jud mawala ug madala nako ni bisan asa man ko mo adto.” nindot nga balay sa akoa kay sa una payag ra man to, karon balay na jud.

Typhoon Pablo also left some residents of Poblacion, Bunawan, Agusan del Sur homeless. TESDA Agusan del Sur had spearheaded the launching of the Program on May 31, 2013 with 32 trainees. The core house is constructed on the barangay site and is intended to be awarded to two of its local residents.

NORA A. PRECIOSO & JOAQUINA CRUZADA

This eighty (80) year-old Lola, Nora A. Precioso, has only one (1) child and had depended on “pangguna” as source of living. Living with her is her grandchild. With her age and economic status, she felt difficult to recover from the typhoon. She could not dare to look at her future house while its construction is on-going. According to neighbors, Lola Nora would go to the construction site every afternoon after all trainees had left.

Another beneficiary of the core house is a seventy-six (76) year-old widow, from Barangay Poblacion, Bunawan. She has four (4) children who are all married so she is only one left in the house. Like her neighbor, Lola Nora, Nanay Quina also depended on “pangguna” as source of income so she cannot reconstruct her house after Pablo had destroyed it.

TESDA’s intervention has really made a difference in the lives of the eight beneficiaries from the four (4) municipalities of Agusan del Sur that even in their twilight years, they have an opportunity to live in a comfortable dwelling place which they can call their own and is freely given to them at the same it has caused a big difference on the lives of the trainees who would soon have a living of their own for a lifetime through the skills they learned out from the training provided with the tool kits given which they can use for their livelihood.

THE BENEFICIARIES

Typhoon Pablo left both of them homeless on December 4, 2012. They knew they have to start all over again out from what the typhoon had left behind… and that was almost nothing. Months after that terrifying morning, new houses are given to them freely.

Life’s been very good to these two old widows who are lucky to be identified as the first beneficiaries of the two core houses constructed at Angas, Sta. Josefa, Agusan del Sur.

LILIA B. SENDICO

Nanay Lilia happily remarked, “nalipay gayud ako bisan hanap-hanap na akong panan-aw apan klaro gayud nako nga nakabarog na ang akong balay “. She never thought that she could build a new house like this and as fast as this. When the event happened and her house collapsed, she knew it would take days, months and even years before she could rebuild her shanty. Nanay recalled, “Sa pagkahitabo wala gayod ako magdahum nga makapabarog ug usab sa akong balay. Kay ingon sa akong anak nga tua sa Cebu di nalang magtukod ug payag kay magbalhin balhin nalang ko sa balay sa mga anak pero dili gyud ko gusto moipon ug puyo sa ila kay gusto gayud nako nga naay akong kaugalingon bisan ug payag payag lang.”

Though she could only partly see, she is very happy to see that her new house is not a shanty which she wishes to build.

Widowed for 43 years now, she had tried give the best for her eight children. Seven (7) of her children graduated high school and one finished college. She wanted to give them good life through giving them proper education unlike her who is only elementary level. When her shanty collapsed because of Pablo, she knew that it will not be easy for her and her children who have their own families too, to reconstruct her shanty. It will take time before it will be realized.

Now that she has received her new house in a matter of two months, she joyfully says, “salamat gayud kang Pinoy, salamat sa TESDA, salamat sa DSWD ani nga programa kay natabanagan gayud ako.”

CRISTITA A. ALBIOR

She is 64 years old and became a widow on the year 2000 with 8 children who are all married. Despite their meager income as farmers, they managed to send their children to school even until high school only. According to her, she had no idea that they would experience strong typhoon like what Pablo had left them on December, 2012. The last time they experience typhoon was in 1979 but that was not as destructive as Pablo. When her house collapsed that dreadful morning, she was not sure if she could rebuild her house quickly. If she could rebuild it, it would take them months even years before she can finish her house because they have to start all over again since her farm is also damaged by Pablo.

After that disaster, her children offered to let her stay with them and fully abandon her house. But she really wants to reconstruct it out of what is left behind by Pablo because she has a residential lot intended for it and it is the only legacy of her late husband.

“This house which is build for me is an answered prayer”, said Nanay Titay. “Wala gayud nako damha nga sa ingon ani kadali makabaton ako ug bag-o nga balay’, she added. Nanay Titay continued, “Kung ako lang ug ang akong mga anak ang saligan, siguro dugay dugay pa jud matukod ug balik ang akong balay. Karon ingon ako sa akong mga silingan nga Doña na daw ko tungod kay dili lang payag ang gihimo kung dili balay gayud. Daghan kaayong salamat sa Ginoo sa paggamit sa DSWD ug sa TESDA aron kami matabangan.”

Sinobong is one of the seriously affected barangay in Veruela, Agusan del Sur. Many houses were totally destroyed. Several families lost their means of living as farmlands were heavily damaged. Many trees that were uprooted by typhoon Pablo and pre-cut logs that were carried by floodwaters smashed into this “clean and green” model barangay on December 4, shifting the river course and destroying farmlands. Strong winds blew off roofs and walls of houses and other structures and mud flowed quickly fortunately the lives of its residents were spared from danger.

Two of its residents affected by the typhoon were pre-identified by the barangay captain, Hon. Adela Matuod, received these two (2) core houses built under the training cum production project of C4TP.

MERLIE I. ECHAVEZ

She is 38 years old mother of seven children. Because of poverty, she cannot send all her children to school. Her eldest child stopped studying when in 2^nd year high school; the second is only grade 5 and the 3^rd child graduated high school.

Her family depends on farming as source of living. Now that typhoon Pablo has destroyed all their source of living, she cannot imagine what their life would be since they have to start all over again. The more she cannot send her children to school. Merlie is a native of Sinobong and it was the first time that their barangay experienced the disaster like Pablo had done. She recalled that on that morning most houses including hers submerged into waist-deep muddy floodwaters.

“Sa una, gikuyawan ko ngano gipatawag ko ni Kapitan. Apan pagkabalo nako nga usa ako sa napilian nga makadawat ug balay, dako kayo akong kalipay ug pagpasalamat sa TESDA. Salamat sa mga Trainees sa C4TP sa paghimo ninyo sa akong pamilya ug nindot nga balay”, Merlie said during the turn-over and awarding ceremonies. One of her child had also attended the training.

MARIO C. BALLON

“Salamat kaayo niiining dakong tabang kanako ug sa akong pamilya gikan sa TESDA ug DSWD”, declared this 32 year-old father of a 9-month old baby from P6, Sinobong, Veruela, Agusan del Sur whose house was totally damaged by typhoon Pablo.

Now, Mario and her pregnant wife are staying in a tent as temporary house after Pablo destroyed their house.

“Kung akong income lang jud ang saligan, di pa jud ko makapatukod ug balay nga sama ani labi na karon hapit na maduha akong anak” Mario further remarked. “Daghan kaayong salamat sa tanan nagmugna ani nga program labi na jud sa TESDA, DSWD, ug LGU”, Mario added.

Another municipality which was affected by typhoon Pablo is Trento, Agusan del Sur. The training cum production for Trento is located at barangay Cuevas which is greatly affected by the typhoon. The training was greatly supported by the barangay officials led by Hon. Efren R. Gabuya Sr., the barangay captain. The beneficiaries of the core houses are two widows, Mrs. Maria Cuevas Pelantes 76 years old with 9 children and Mrs. Condrada S. Cinco, 77 years old with 12 children.

MARIA C. PELANTES & CONDRADA S. CINCO

Teary-eyed Nanay Maria told me a story that last March, when she and Nanay Condrada gathered woods. While they rested beside the river, they had a conversation. Nanay Maria said to Nanay Condrada, “kanus-a pa kaha ta makatukod ug balik sa atong balay, Mare?” Nanay Maria remarked, “Mamatay nalang siguro ta ani, di na tingali ta makabalay!” “Ginoo nalang mag-igo sa ato ani Mare”, Nanay Maria replied. And truly God answered the cry of the widows.

Both of them expressed their thanks to all agencies who worked together and gave them a new house. Nanay Condrada said in her message, “salamat jud sa inyong gihatag"

with report: Meriam U. Cultura, HTIII