By Leony R. Garcia
DON’T be surprised when, one of these days, Bantayan Island would be named model island for its disaster-resilient houses and communities. At least two sites in the island—Madridejos and Sulangan—now form part of communities with concrete houses that can withstand 8-magnitude earthquakes and winds of up to 275 kilometers per hour. The houses are built in duplex and each homeowner has a 30-square-meter house to call their own.
Owners who were left homeless by Typhoon Haiyan (local code name Yolanda) were more than happy with their new houses. “We never thought to own a beautiful house like this in our lifetime. I don’t thank Yolanda for this, but I am really grateful for the sponsors and the people who made this possible for us,” said Merlinda Espinosa, one of the beneficiaries.
Prudence Foundation, the charitable arm of Pru Life UK’s regional head office Prudential Corp. Asia (PCA), held the fourth leg of its Regional PRUvolunteer Programme recently and the BusinessMirror was invited to witness the event.
Over 80 individuals from 12 countries in Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and Cambodia, arrived in the country and, together with their Filipino counterparts, traveled through the Bantayan Island with the sole purpose of building disaster-resilient homes for the super typhoon-ravaged community in this side of the Philippines.
The weeklong volunteer work aimed to help complete the remaining 62 houses committed by Prudence Foundation.
“We are keeping our commitment to continue supporting the rebuilding efforts in this island. Yolanda took away countless homes, jobs and lives, and even after more than two years, it is evident that much help is still needed,” Prudence Foundation Executive Director Marc Fancy said.
“This is the fourth leg and may not be the last leg. The foundation has a long-term and heartfelt commitment to support Asian communities, and nothing is more fulfilling for us than to help and see people stand firm again after an adversity,” he added.
On November 8, 2013, the Philippines was struck by Typhoon Haiyan, the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing at least 6,200 people and affecting over 14 million people. Immediately, PCA, via Prudence Foundation, committed $2 million to the relief and rebuilding efforts in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, focusing on Santa Fe in Bantayan Island. Under this program the foundation focused to rebuild 132 new homes, provided 183 new fishing boats and 140 pedicabs or cycle rickshaws, ensuring the affected community of Santa Fe not only have new safe homes, but also a means to a sustainable livelihood.
In 2014 and 2015, Prudence Foundation took three groups of regional volunteers to Bantayan Island to assist with the build of the first set of houses. By December 2015, all 70 of the 132 completed disaster-resilient homes were turned over to the home partners. At least one member of the family of the home partners were required to render 400 hours of help in the building project. At the time of our visit on June 20, several homeowners joined as volunteers in the new site to help new beneficiaries build their homes.
Along with Prudence, several groups, both local and international NGOs and organizations, have been building houses in the sites donated by the local government units and the private sector with the help of Habitat for Humanity.
Visiting Bantayan Island for the first time, this writer couldn’t believe that along with Tacloban City, the island was one that was greatly devastated by Haiyan. Bantayan Island reportedly suffered 90-percent housing destruction and the local economy was severely affected. The typhoon destroyed a vast majority of boats, leaving local communities out of work. All three towns in Bantayan Island—Santa Fe, Madridejos and Bantayan, were cut off from the city for days in the aftermath of Haiyan.
In Santa Fe alone, more than 6,400 families were displaced. The destruction was so complete that “the structure is totally zero. There was nothing to reconstruct with,” according to reports.
Before the wrath of Yolanda, Bantayan Island was one of the hidden gems that attracted tourists, both local and international, to Cebu. After all, with world-class accommodations and white-sand beaches reminiscent of Boracay, who would not want to pay the island a visit?
Today, Bantayan is as idyllic as ever with hardly any trace of the great havoc that was. The three hours of land travel from Cebu City to Hagnaya Port and another one-and-a-half hour ferry ride to the island was all worth it.