Forty two-year old Wilbert Agote and Editha Casilagan, 75, are only two of the many locals in Tacloban City whose lives had been disrupted when super typhoon Yolanda struck parts of the country in November 2013.
Agote and Casilagan, just like other families in the area, have since then striving to restore normalcy in their lives.
Nearly five years since that fateful day, their hope to truly live a normal life was restored when they received their shelters donated by Shell, through its social arm, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc., as part of its Disaster Rehabilitation Program.
In order to provide homes to Yolanda-stricken families, Shell has partnered with Habitat for Humanity Philippines in support of the latter’s Rebuild Philippines campaign.
Shell donated close to P30 million to construct new permanent shelters for the families in the Province of Leyte whose homes were ravaged by the storm.
On April 11, Shell turned over the 5th and final batch of houses to the residents of Tacloban City. A total of 146 houses were awarded to their new owners since the program started.
The recent batch of beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to Shell for helping them rebuild their lives.
Agote said, “I am truly grateful to Shell and HABITAT for giving us this house because we can now relocate to a place that’s far from danger.”
“Fishing used to be our sole source of livelihood but now that we’ve transferred here, I can explore other modes of earning income for my family,” he added.
Casilagan echoed this sentiment. She enthused, “Thank you very much to Shell! This is a great help to us.”
More than just giving them homes, Shell ensured that the families relocate to a safe place as most of them were formerly residing in danger zones.
“The area where we used to live was located in a No Build Zone near the shoreline. It’s not safe there as something like Yolanda, which almost wiped us out, can happen again. We now feel safe here in our new home,” said Casilagan.
Committed to its role as a responsive and caring corporate neighbor, Shell has made strides in helping rebuild the lives of Typhoon Yolanda victims.