Yolanda aid: 15 families now have homes in Camotes

Makatog na mi og maayo (We can sleep soundly now).”

This was the reaction of 15 families in the Yolanda-stricken town of Pilar in Camotes Islands when they were awarded nipa huts under the Balik Bahay project of the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC), an official said.

The program, an off-shoot of CCTC’s Balik Cebu, began in 2014.

“Balik Bahay is an off-shoot of the good will of balikbayans who wanted to help right after the earthquake and Yolanda (in late 2013), CCTC chairperson Tetta Baad said during the opening of the Balik Cebu booth last Wednesday.

“They wanted to course their donations through the tourism commission and we thought that since it’s unsolicited and it’s coming, we might as well organize a program to channel the donations to a specific beneficiary,” she added.

Construction of 15 nipa huts, each costing around P35,000, began in June last year. The nipa huts were awarded to the families in Pilar last December 7.

Another 15 are being built and will be awarded to 15 other families by the end of 2016.

A community pavilion and a dorm-style native hut for backpackers will also be put up in the community as part of the CCTC’s grassroots tourism livelihood program, Baad said.

Under the program, the women will be taught housekeeping, while the men will be in charge of maintenance.

Families in Pilar were also taught other means of livelihood such as farming, as the typhoon had affected the families’ primary source of income, which is fishing.

“Ang mga bata malipay dinhi kay hayahay (The children are happy here because it is cool). Duna silay (They have) plot at the back of the house where they can plant vegetables for their own use,” Baad said.

“Opening the island to adventure-seekers also becomes an open invitation for investors to come in and develop the island as a destination further,” Baad added.

Passage to Pilar on Ponson Island, 30 to 40 minutes away from the islands of Pacijan and Poro in Camotes, is difficult, making it hard for aid to reach the area.

While overshadowed by the fame of the beaches in the other islands in Camotes, the little island also has its own beautiful beaches and clear waters.

Baad said Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, who graced the opening of Balik Cebu booth and is a member of Balik Cebu, has requested that the donated funds be used to help the families in Camotes, as non-government organizations (NGOs) and agencies found it too difficult to bring construction materials to Pilar.

Magpale thanked the CCTC for selecting Pilar as its beneficiary, despite the difficulties in traveling to the island.

Finalists of Miss Cebu 2016, who were present during the awarding of houses, said they were equally warmed by the sight of families being given houses.

They described the proceedings as silent for most part, but that it was apparent on the families’ faces that they were very grateful as they received their houses. They were even invited into the homes of the beneficiaries.

The finalists said travelling to the island was rough, but the heart warming smiles and open-handed hospitality of the people of Pilar were worth the trip.