Legaspi City, Albay

Thursday, February 1, 2007

The Bicol Regions of Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon were hit with a 1-2-3-4-5 punch of Typhoon Milenyo (Sept 27, 2006), relocation due to Mayon eruption, Typhoon Reming (Nov. 30, 2006), Seniang (December 7-12, 2006), and the Mayon landslide. The needs were great and FTH tried to put together 3 teams and CFO had 2 teams to meet the challenge. This is the 5th leg of a 9-town tour of FtH in the Bicol Region.

Thursday, February 1, 2007- After bidding Mayor Sally Ante-Lee of Sorsogon City good-bye, we proceeded to the next FtH mission in Legaspi City. Mayor Sally provided us with the local transportation to Legaspi City. Unknown to us, with 2 security guards trailing in a motorcycle; Carl, Jeanette, Tess and Pablito with CFO’s Ivy and Edwin, we checked in at the Pepperland Hotel in Legaspi City. We were met at the Hotel by the Mayor’s aide and were escorted to the Municipal Hall to pay courtesy call on Mayor Noel Rosal. FtH has been to Legaspi City giving relief for relocation of the Mayon victims in 2006, headed by Solita.

With the Vice Mayor serving as guide, we had lunch in a local restaurant and proceeded to Barangay 17, Ilawod, where the residents were not yet reached by any relief assistance from the private sector. Carl addressed the 100 families eager to receive the food assistance. FtH was assisted by the local Jaycee Chapter headed by the wife of the Vice Mayor and together with their 3 year old daughter.

After the gift giving, we were given a tour of the devastated area especially the Barangay Padang where it was declared a ‘no man’s land’ and the whole village was evacuated to a relocation center. We saw rocks bigger than a car; houses half buried in lahar, not fit for habitation anymore; coconut trees with no leaves standing up like toothpicks; I noticed a 2 classroom building almost 50% complete but had to be abandoned because it is in the path of the Mayon Volcano eruption. We then went to Pag-Asa National High School, Arimbay Extension, where they need replacement of the damaged classrooms, whose roof was blown about 10 meters away. We were driven to the top of the hill of Taysan where you can see a panoramic view of the path of the devastation along the widened river, unto the sea. We then went to the relocation center, MMDA Village, run by Gawad Kalinga, where several hundred families from Barangay Padang were relocated.

It was free-time after the tour and we had special halo-halo in this very famous restaurant across a shopping mall. This special treat is part of the benefits of a FtH volunteer.

NOTES: The preparation done by the CFO staff in coordinating the procurement and packing of the gifts, arrangement for the hotels and transportation for the volunteers, scheduling the gift giving with the local government units (LGU) and non-government officials (NGO) is incredible! And the bits and pieces of the puzzle all fall into its places. There were some delays and breakdowns but all were manageable and we were able to carry out the missions.

It was a fun trip of nine days. After 2 bottles of Robitussin DM, 30 capsules of anti-biotic provided by Nurse Malu in Bulan, a bottle of Listerine to gargle my sore throat, living in a hand carry luggage and a back pack of video camera, flashlight, camera, bottled water and TP; using one shoes and a pair of slippers; sleeping in 6 hotels with somebody snoring like me and me coughing all the time; practicing my ballrooms moves in 2 nights and after one breakfast; having a night swim in a hot spring in Irosin; having my $50 shoes repaired expertly by a child labor for $1 using his agile hands and crude tools; seeing the smiles of about 2,050 recipients having Christmas gifts in January; being able to locate the sites of eight (8) classrooms to be donated through FtH, I will do it again for FEED THE HUNGRY and the poor people of Bicol. If there’s a will, HE will show the way!

Pablito
Sunday, February 25, 2007