Five years after Typhoon Yolanda, seven survivors from different walks of life share their stories of hope in a music video released by ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. (ALKFI). These survivors helped rebuild the communities devastated by the deadly super typhoon.
The individuals seen in the video – a baker, a tour guide, a teacher, a sanitation inspector, a midwife, a student, and a volunteer – rallied their communities to be stronger in the aftermath of the devastation. They were among those that took the lead in maximizing various new programs in tourism, agriculture, fisheries, bakeries, healthcare, health services, and more, which directly benefited more than 45,000 individuals across the region.
The video, which featured the song “Pagka’t Nariyan Ka” by Star Music artist Sam Mangubat, was posted on the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya YouTube page on Nov. 8, the anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda. Seen in the video are Imelda Padrigano, a baker from Salcedo, Eastern Samar; Fidelina Villagracia, a 70-year-old mother and tour guide in San Juan by the Bay, Sta. Rita, Samar; Rotchie Castil, a teacher and social media manager from Sabang, Daguitan, who helps his community by publicizing their various tourism efforts online, and Imelda Eusebio, a health and sanitation officer from Dagami, Leyte who worked to help provide clean and accessible water to her community.
Joining them are Fe Bantigue, a midwife from Jiabong Samar who walked three hours to and from work daily before new health centers were built in remote barangays; Susan Austero, a woman who achieved her dreams of working in the food industry thanks to new educational programs, and Susan Cadaro, a Typhoon Yolanda evacuee-turned -volunteer who found her vocation in helping fellow evacuees.
These survivors are the direct beneficiaries of the projects of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya. Through its program Operation Sagip (formerly known as Sagip Kapamilya), ALKFI has reached 3.6 million survivors through immediate relief assistance.
Operation Sagip also collaborated with Energy Development Corporation to build multi-purpose classrooms that can serve as evacuation centers during calamities. In collaboration with and through the free design and services provided by Cosculluela Architects, Casas Architects and Sy^2 Engineers, a total of 135 classrooms that can withstand 300 kph winds and 7.2 earthquake magnitude were constructed in the provinces of Eastern Samar, Samar, Northern Palawan and Panay Islands which consist of Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, and Capiz. These classrooms served 6,075 students.
A total of 52,246 students and 1,946 teachers also benefited through educational soft programs and provision of senior high equipment.
Meanwhile, a total of 45,203 individuals benefited from the different livelihood programs ofALKFI’s environment arm Bantay Kalikasan, such as distribution of fishing boats; funding the tikog weavers in Basey, Samar and; development of San Jose Skimboarding Camp, Sohoton Cave in Basey Samar, Tangke Lagoon and Bancal Fish Sanctuary in Carles Iloilo as ecotourism sites.
To officially conclude the intervention, ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya is set to launch four Yolanda Legacy Projects or the multi-purpose, typhoon and calamity-resilient buildings with eight classrooms in Ormoc and Tacloban, Leyte, Guiuan in Samar and in Concepcion, Iloilo that will directly benefit 24,292 individuals.
The various projects are funded through more than P1 billion in donations from various companies, organizations, and individuals following Typhoon Yolanda.
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Entertainment editors mark 3rd anniversary with elderlies
Members of the three-year-old editors’ organization, the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd) marked the founding of the organization with an outreach activity at the Anawim Home for the Abandoned and Rejected Elderlies in Barangay San Isidro in Rodriguez, Rizal Sunday.
Anawim has been established through the efforts of Catholic lay preacher and minister Bro. Bo Sanchez.
Former Manila Chronicle entertainment editor who also edited the paper’s tabloid publication Bongga before moving on to another career, the latest of which before he decided to join other elderlies in the facility was an editor at the Presidential Press Office during the term of Pres. Noynoy Aquino.
The one-time entertainment journalist’s eyes lighted up to see his fellow writers in the facility on a Sunday morning.
The group, with the help of friends like Claire de Leon Papa of UNILAB, Manila Water (donated bottled water – Healthy Family), Kamuning Bakery and Café’s Wilson Lee Flores (sent enough bread for the residents), Perci Intalan of IdeaFirst Company, Aileen Go of Megasoft, Rei Tan of BeauteDerm and her publicist Chuck Gomez – donated medicines and other stuff the residents need.
Lunch for the elderlies was also served. Before that, the editors engaged the elderlies in a sing-along and dancing to make their Sunday morning extraordinary.
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Things you learn in ‘I-Bilib’
Learning about science is fun in I-Bilib featuring Street Genius. This Sunday, learn and have fun together with award-winning host Chris Tiu, the wacky duo of James & Rodfil of Moymoy Palaboy, and Kapuso star Vaness Del Moral.
What will happen if a zinc-plated copper bracelet is exposed to the fire?
A Prince Rupert’s Drop is a tadpole-shaped piece of glass… what can shatter it to pieces?
Discover the amazing answers with the help of Street Genius in the Hot Bracelet Experiment and Prince Rupert’s Drop Experiment.
How much water can paper carry? Discover the answer in the Water Weight Experiment.
What can cause a t-shirt to show turn blue when exposed to ice? Find out in the Thermochromic T-Shirt Experiment.
Join James and Roadfill as they have fun with Kapuso stars to make a smoking big toy, The Bilibabol Megavortex.
For Huling Hirit, Vaness starts off the season if giving by showing us how to make a Pasta Christmas Card.
Remember, make your Sunday mornings more exciting and educational with I-Bilib.
