IN A GLANCE, no one would think that a family lives in a makeshift house in a hilly part of a community in Batan, Aklan. The dwelling is made of scrap galvanized iron sheets and walled with bamboo and nipa. The family was left homeless when Typhoon Yolanda hit the province in 2013.

Yet the household is not without hope. Slowly, the family is healing from the wound caused by the super typhoon as the matriarch worked as a storekeeper in the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) classroom project in the village.

Every day, Ethelda Iman is reminded of Yolanda’s fury as seen in what is left of their house. It has been a year after Yolanda ravaged the Visayas yet the images of devastations remain.

The 39-year-old Ethelda is a mother of five. Her husband, Erwin, gathers and shucks oysters for a living. She describes their source of income as “indi perfect” (not perfect), thus, she has also to find ways how she can help her husband support her family and at the same time rebuild their house.

At first, Ethelda was reluctant to accept the offer from the community to work as “bodegera” or storekeeper in the KC project. However, with the meager income she has and with her desire to help the community, she accepted the work.  The constant prodding of the village chief and the school principal also prompted her to work as storekeeper in the two-classroom project implemented by Kalahi-CIDSS. The agreement was made after few considerations.

WORKING AT THE PROJECT SITE

Ethelda had to bring her 11-month-old daughter at the project site.

“Amo na ang ginpangayo ko sa ila pwede ko dalhon ang akon anak (I asked them if I can bring my daughter to the project site).”

She laughingly narrates how she manages her time at the work site. She brought along with her the child’s playing pen.

“Dira ko lang ginabutang ang akon bata kag hatagan ko lang sa pagkaon kag indi palahibi akon bata (I place my daughter in her playpen and I give her food. She is not always crying).”

“Kon kaisa ginahambalan ko ang mga workers lantaw- lantawa ninyo anay bata ko kay ginatawag ako ni foreman o may ginaisip ako nga deliveries (Sometimes I request the laborers to watch over my child when I am called by the foreman or when I am checking the deliveries).”

She says it takes patience in working at the construction site. Ethelda admits that at times, she gets mad when the laborers failed to wash the construction tools they used.

There are times when she herself does the cleaning. “Kon kaisa nga makita ko sila nga kapoy na ako na lang gahugas kag gatago sang gamit (Sometimes I clean the tools since they are already tired).”

The work at the project site runs smoothly, with the full cooperation of the community volunteers, barangay officials and teachers of Cabugao Elementary School.

INCOME USED TO REBUILD HOUSE

Ethelda said her husband’s P150 daily income is only enough for the family’s food. So, her weekly wages from Kalahi-CIDSS is allotted for the construction materials needed to erect and complete the construction of her 14×16 meters house.

“Maayo lang kay nakaobra ako sa Kalahi-CIDSS kundi kabakal ako amat-amat sang mga materials (It is good that I was able to work in Kalahi-CIDSS, gradually I was able to buy the construction materials).”

She buys pieces of plywood, hollow blocks, and iron bars every week out of her more than P1,000 weekly wage.
The community never doubted Ethelda’s sincerity and honesty as the warehouse in-charge. She heard no accusations of any missing construction materials in the site.

“Wala gid sang nag duha-duha sa akon nga may nadula nga materials nga gin gamit ko samtang gapatindog man ako sang akon balay (No one suspected that I stole materials from Kalahi CIDSS to construct my house).”

As the warehouse in-charge, Ethelda should receive P220. But she gets P198 to buy her needs. The deduction from Ethelda’s wage and of the other workers was agreed during the barangay assembly.

With the meager income she has received, yet Ethelda still agreed to donate a portion of it as local cash contribution of the community for the classroom building project.

KAYA NATIN ANG PAGBABAGO KAPAG MAGKAKAPIT-BISIG TAYO

Ethelda possessed a strong determination to build her new house and at the same time to help her community.

“Kon gusto mag volunteer may paraan. May paraan kon paano mo obrahon imo ulobrahon. Kon gusto mo makabulig te mabulig ka eh (There are ways to become a volunteer. There are ways on how to do your work. If you want to help, you can help).”

She says a half-hearted person can never do what she did.
“Kon hapaw-hapaw lang pagbulig ay hindi mo gid maobra ang gin obra ko nga may bata, gabantay pa ako, gasulat may mag abot materials kag gabantay pa sang tawo (If your help is superficial, you can never do what I have done, watching my child, recording the deliveries and watching the laborers).”

People are also asking her on how she prioritized her work. And her only reply to them is determination and perseverance. She says her children will someday benefit in the KC project./Maricar Calubiran/dswd6