THOUGHTS ON THE OCTOBER 15, 2013 EARTHQUAKE AND THE REBUILD BOHOL FOUNDATION, INC. As we commemorate the first anniversary of the October 15 earthquake, many of us Bol-anons or those who are passionate about Bohol will surely remember where they were or what they were doing when news about the earthquake reached them. When the earthquake hit last year, the three congressmen of Bohol were in Manila because despite that day being a declared holiday for a Muslim Feast day, we were in session in Congress that week. Actually, it was my mother who called me that morning to alert me about the earthquake. She asked me if I had heard about the earthquake to which i answered: I did not. My first reaction was that it was a minor earthquake but as I turned on to ANC News, the picture on the TV screen was the destroyed belfry of the Loboc Church, my own hometowns church! Of course, what came next were pictures of devastation of many other parts of Bohol which truly sank my heart. In a few minutes, Congressmen Rene Relampagos and Aristotle Aumentado had called me and together, we all left for Bohol on the first flight the next day (actually, due to the mad rush to secure plane tickets, Cong. Relampagos paid for my ticket from the PAL counter in the airport). Of course, nothing prepared me for what I saw on the ground. The destruction, the stench, the blank look on the faces of our fellow province mates are images I will never forget. But my experience in having served in Government in the past, made me realize that emergency help in terms of food and water will be along shortly but the medium to long term concern will be the rebuilding and repair of homes for those whose houses were affected. This inspired me to immediately look into raising funds for donations for houses which I was sure, the Government will be hard pressed to address. Within a few days from the earthquake I helped in getting friends and associates to organize and put up the Rebuild Bohol Foundation and got the Foundation to post pictures in a website (courtesy of Charlie Yabut of Xavier School Batch 83) to humanise the tragedy and give the calamity a face and a voice. Within a week from the tragedy, a 22 square meter house, complete with two rooms, a small kitchen and receiving room, with a porch, was designed and built in Carmen (site of the original epicentre of the quake.) That house will eventually be named Balay Bol-anon and was inspired by the many native houses that withstood the earthquake. The design and execution of the house was done by local carpenters and has a cement flooring and foundation, with the columns of the house bolted and imbedded into the cement foundation for strength. The walls are a combination of cement hollow blocks and bamboo woven materials (amakan) with the roof made of Galvanized Iron sheets. The materials cost was in the vicinity of PHP 45,000.00 per house with the labor costs being the counterpart of the beneficiary or the local government units (LGUs) concerned, headed by the Municipal Mayors such as Mayor Norman Palacio of Bilar, Mayor Helen Alaba of Loboc, Mayor Francisco Pepito of Batuan, Mayor Rosemarie Imboy of Loay, former Mayor Juliet Dano and now Mayor Ernesita Digal of Sevilla. The design was modern-native which made it look uniquely Filipino, beautiful, resilient and very much cool and usable for our summer and wet weather cycles. As I went around Manila boardrooms, offices, restaurant meetings and homes to pitch the idea to friends and donors, the design struck a chord and the idea caught on. Most of all, nobody could believe that the materials costs per house just amounted to less than PHP 50,000 per house. The SM Foundation, Ms Tessie Coson of BDO, SGV, Mr. Ramon Ang and San Miguel Foundation, Ambassador Carlos Chan and the Liwayway Group of Companies, the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association (CREBA), MERALCO, Mr. Manny Pangilinan and the MVP Group of Companies and Mr. Lance Gokongwei and the Gokongwei Foundations, including the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Incorporated were quick to sign in on board. Their donations were matched by personal grants from the shareholders of these Companies. These donations do not even include the many personal donations given by individuals who gave as families, as barkadas, as Companies, as communities, and as organizations. Even the world famous Loboc Childrens Choir, under the baton of Madam Alma Ferdando-Taldo came to sing Christmas carols to raise funds for Loboc victims. The first house built and turned over to a victim belongs to Linda Quilario of Carmen, which was completed in just three weeks after the earthquake. Before that, she and her 80 year old mother had to live in a tent outside of their destroyed house. To date, out of more than 400 applicants, more than 70% of the houses are built and being used by the beneficiaries from the affected towns of Sevilla, Loboc, Bilar, Batuan, Carmen and Loay in the Third District. The balance is being built based on the ability of the beneficiaries to counterpart for the construction costs. Prioritization of availment is based on houses that were totally destroyed and are not being addressed by other aid programs of the Government or other private sector organizations or grants. Apart from the help to the victims, the project has also spurred livelihood opportunities for many amakan makers, and local carpenters who were tapped for the reconstruction. For many of the victims, the generous donations were life-line at a time when the total absence of savings left them literally, out in the cold with nothing over their heads as families, were reduced to living in tent colonies all over the Third District. Today, as we complete the houses, we are now extending assistance to people who continue to live in damaged structures and have no alternatives to fund a repair of their homes. We are also assisting in giving small shelter infrastructures based on our Balay-Bol-anon designs to needy baranggays taken from the excess of the funds that were collected for the original earthquake project. Donors are issued tax deductible receipts if they wish, from the BDO Foundation if they so desire and the funds are audited by Sycip Gorres and Velayo (SGV). I think the entire experience taught me a lot of how the private sector, upon the facilitation of government officials, can put up the resources and the contributions to directly aid victims in a calamity through a transparent and accountable way. Especially in this way, mayors and local DSWD units help in identifying those who are in most need and direct the aid towards that direction. There is also little red tape since decisions are done quickly by the Balay Bol-anon leadership in coordination with my office. Accountability is of course maintained by the partner Foundations who can issue tax deductible receipts and SGV for the books of the Rebuild Bohol Foundation. It shows us that we do not need to take things sitting down. We can stand up and proudly move friends and resources because nothing is more compelling than a project where people can see how their money is being used to directly help people who are victims in calamities and tragedies. Through social and other media outlets, once the image is uploaded or broadcast, and an infrastructure exists to account for donations, funds will be given and are given generously to help others. We just need to act quickly and together, in an organized way, in our belief that we, no matter how small or singular we are, can make a difference should we act together. Government cannot solve all out problems. Government is a partner for empowering the people, but we the people, must act first and foremost to push to Government to excel in their work of service and we the people, must take responsibility for the many things that affect us in our grass roots communities. I am proud to have given my time and efforts to the Balay Bol-anon Project of the Rebuild Bohol Foundation and I thank former Secretary Len Bautista-Horn of the SM Group of Companies and Ms Jay Jay Viray of Jobs DB Philippines and former Secretary Mike Toledo of Philex Mining and the MVP Group of Companies for their time, efforts and advice in running the Foundation. I am proud that my Congressional Office is the moving partner of the Foundation on the ground, and we commit to finish all the houses that have been committed and will continue to extend the impact of the funds that were generated in projects that will directly address the well being of communities in Bohol. I hope many can share this story which has for its author, none other than the inspiration of our Bol-anon brothers and sisters, and a prayer for its wings, and that many will continue to join us as we now encourage the Rebuild Bohol Foundation, to be a private engine of assistance and development, in partnership with our Office, not only in the Third District but in Bohol in general. This call take urgency today especially as we embark on our new project, to build a Music Hall for the Loboc Childrens Choir at the Loboc Central Elementary School, together with Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ, and the Bukas Palad Music Ministry, as well as National Artist Architect Francisco Mañosa and Engr. Yuchi Chua. Again, we hope that these worthy projects will give many well meaning and generous donors a chance to shine in 2015. Thank you to the many who are part of this effort. CONGRESSMAN ART YAP Third District of Bohol
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 07:37:39 +0000
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