Outpouring Of Support

Friday, December 24, 2011 - Cebu

Day 5/5

Total Transcriptions Solutions, Inc./Cybersoft (TTSI) could only commit for two days. Understandably, this is the nature of volunteerism, and based on my experience they are always time-bound. Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. of Iligan (CCIFII) president, Emily Pascua, sent me a message asking if we could get more encoding companies to help. There were still some 10,000 records that needed encoding.

On December 21, in the middle of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections’ (Namfrel) get-together, the staff were encoding corrections on some of the previously entered data by the volunteers at the Iligan Institute of Technology. Edgar Camenting, Josefa Aportadera, Edward Torcuato, and visitor Jane Arsenio worked on the records and emailed back the files to us the following day. They, too, could not stay on.

Once again Gigi Virata responded to my SMS saying, “Okay, I will ask the Philippine Software Industry Association again and also the National Information and Communications Technology Confederation of the Philippines.” “Very happy to help. We'll look for more volunteers,” Gigi added. After a few minutes, she asked me to call Ayhee Campos of PacificHub and Wit Holganza, who Gigi said has companies that can help encode.

TTSI/Cybersoft’s Myla Reyes, too, had also engaged fellow members of the Healthcare Information Management Outsourcing Association of the Philippines (HIMOAP). Before the day’s end they had brought in MX Secure, Medicall, Digital Communications and Technological College (Digitech) and Transkripsyo. Also on board and directly coordinating with CCIFII were PacificHub Corporation, Legaspi city-based Southern Luzon Technological College Foundation, Inc. (SLTCFI), and Syntactics, Inc.

Gusto ko motabang mag-encode, I want to help. "My name is Myrna Padilla at dati akong overseas Filipino worker, I used to work abroad. Now, I am based in Davao and I can gather volunteers," Myrna said in our telephone conversation.  Soon after they had hooked up with Emily and her team.  Myrna herself had earlier gone to Iligan to provide relief goods from the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), her company MyndConsulting, the non-profit OFW Watch, and other organizations in her network.

Department of Education secretary, Bro. Armin Luistro FSC, SMSed, “Hi Telibert. We'll try to find volunteer encoders. Can you send me more details on how we can help? You can email to….” The following day, Michael Lagcao, of the Iligan Bloggers Society and working with Emily, was in communication with the De La Salle University team of Bro. Armin.

Just before the new year, Accenture’s Gil Pinga got in touch and after providing him a brief orientation on the on-going work, I sent Emily a message about Accenture’s support.

The outpouring of generosity was simply inspiring and amazing, don’t you think? I thank God for putting all of us in this privileged position of being able to help His people.

Mabuhi ang nasud nga nagtinabangay! Long live the nation that is helping one another!

The Power Of The Ask

Thursday/Friday, December 22/23, 2011 - Day 4/5

Emily Dell Pascua chairs the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc, of Iligan and Michael Lagcao is with the Iligan Bloggers Society.* We met at 8 o’clock in the evening and took-off from the discussions with Roy Pamitalan the night before. Michael and the Chamber team were just at the San Lorenzo Parish evacuation center to scan the evacuee forms.  They were  going to the Iligan Institute of Technology evacuation center that same evening.

With the city badly needing the digital data, the challenge was how to speed up the encoding process.  Lornito Mahinay, Jr. and his team were leaving for the Christmas break the following day. While I was told that there will be a new set of volunteers to take over from them, neither the group leadership nor the hand-off was clear to me.  I, too, could not remain in Iligan because my mother had called and asked that I spend Christmas with them in Cebu.

During our discussion with Emily and Michael, it was apparent that we needed outside help.  I SMSed a good friend, Clare Amador, now assistant secretary of the Department of Budget Management, for the name and contact information of the president of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP). In no time, she sent back the number of Gillian “Gigi” Virata.  Immediately after that, Gigi SMSed to say that she was expecting my call.

With haste Gigi responded to my request for BPAP to shout out to its members for pro bono help in encoding the scanned records.  She passed the number of Myla Reyes of Total Transcriptions Solutions, Inc. (TTSI)/Cybersoft, a medical transcription company, and asked that I call her.  Without hesitation Myla offered to help and pretty soon they had set up a file transfer facility for the records that the Iligan team had scanned.  Myla’s team kicked-off encoding with a throughput of 1,000 records in a single day.

The power of the ask — if you don’t ask no one will give — that’s what I’ve been taught from three decades of volunteer work with the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel).  Good-hearted individuals such as Clare, Gigi and Myla were not a hard ask — they welcomed the opportunity to help and they did so with their core competence and the resources they already had.


* The following phrase "which put up the relief support website OneforIligan support" is deleted after a correction made by Lisa Marie Mirasol of the Iligan Bloggers Society, Inc.

Community Building

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 - Day 3

Yesterday afternoon DSWD provincial supervisor, Evelyn Madrio, endorsed me to CSWD's Joy Magumpara, so I could help out over at the Iligan Institute of Technology (IIT) evacuation center. Joy said she needed help in the evacuee database.

The day before, I was introduced to a group of students who were encoding data from the Disaster Intake Sheet. The city desperately needed these pieces of information from the 26 evacuation centers because a good number of residents are still unaccounted for for almost a week now. To help, the CSWD planned to compare their client data, like those in the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino (conditional cash transfer), with the evacuee lists.

For days classmates Lornito Mahinay, Jr. and Jayson Leigh Segovia, both from the Marawi campus of the Mindanao State University who came down to Iligan to volunteer, supervised a team of volunteer encoders and took part in the data entry. They started with IIT and soon the CSWD had asked them to encode those from San Lorenzo church, which also served as an evacuation center. IIT and San Lorenzo are the two biggest centers with a combined number of 1,200 families.

Later that night, I met with Roy Pamitalan who have teamed up with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. of Iligan to help digitize the evacuee data. Joy had informed me about their plan and asked that I meet with them. They wanted to help streamline the delivery of support to the evacuees and remove duplication. They also wanted to assist in the inventory of donations, and make their receipt and distribution more transparent. I shared that the database should first serve the needs of the CSWD, the DSWD, and the city government so that they can make better informed decisions. Even reports that would be generated from the database needed to be in the formats that the agencies are familiar with in order to get them to a level of comfort. Even with the enormous help from the private sector, it is still the government that is accountable to the efficacy and efficiency in dealing with the current crisis.

The digitization offered yet another ground on which the private sector and the government could collaborate — a “community building” opportunity. Not only will Iligan need to be a community to better address the current issues, but they also have to remain one moving forward when they relocate, rehabilitate, and prepare in case a similar crisis would confront them in the future. It, too, presented me with an opportunity to help out in a very specific way.

Community Action

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - Day 2

Joy Magumpara, City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) coordinator in-charge of the MSU-IIT evacuation center asked me to join today's meeting. The day-to-day operations of the center are discussed and tonight Iligan Institute of Technology (IIT) officials managing the center, representatives from the City Health Office, and officials from nongovernment organizations are present. Health and sanitation, food, security, and finance are on the agenda.

A number of donors who have pledged to ship portalets from Cebu have not yet come through. There were donations received of kiddie diapers and disinfectants, which were used to spray bathrooms and refuse areas in order to prevent a disease outbreak. The school offered their truck to ferry out refuse because regular collection had been spotty since the floods. Indeed, sanitation is a “pressing problem everyday,” as one of the participants expressed.

The Iligan Medical Society has an on-going medical mission in the center. The city health office reports to the mayor about conditions in the center and they promised to show the photos that they had taken from the center to the city council in order to expedite the reimbursement of funds advanced by the state-owned ITT, which it had used for evacuee services.

“The best cooks are the evacuees themselves,” says Joy. Schools have just closed and center’s volunteers have started leaving for home for the Christmas holidays. With its volunteer numbers decreasing, the Food Committee was already feeling the pressure of preparing three meals for a large group. Joy took the responsibility of securing breakfast the following morning, as the Committee would then prepare for lunch and turn over the cooking chores to the newly organized evacuee clusters. I found out later, that early the following morning, Joy went to the local market and bought as many cooking pots she could find and purchased 10 sacks of rice.*

The committee decided to impose a 10 p.m. curfew at the campus to better the management of people traffic and enhance security.

Daghan kaayong generous people today, there are quite a number today, says the lady who chairs the finance committee. IIT officials who themselves have been quite aggressive in tapping their networks for support were very happy to report a cash balance of over PhP100,000. They decide that whatever will be left of the donations after covering for some of the operating expenses will have to be divided among the evacuees.

(If you feel like giving Joy Magumpara some words of support and encouragement by calling her, please send your email address to telibert@gmail.com and I will send her contact information to you.)

More Stories

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - Day 2

Dili ta mag-ilog! Let's wait for our turn,! a city official yelled over the microphone when some evacuees broke the line and went for the bagged goods containing mats, blankets and food items. After president Aquino left, city officials went back to the auditorium of the Iligan City National High School to ceremonially receive an additional donation of PhP1.5 million from senator TG Guingona.  Entering the hall, they saw the brief scrimmage that had caused albeit minor injuries, but much dismay to the organizers and to many of the evacuees themselves.

Some 500 evacuees from a nearby evacuation center await the arrival of president Noynoy Aquino at the Iligan City National High School.

Na unsa man na ang imong ti-il?, what happened to your foot?, I asked a pregnant woman at the MSU-IIT evacuation center.  Siguro pag-languy nako naa ko'y na patiran nga ha-it o lansang, I must have kicked a nail or a sharp object a I swam, was her reply.  Mga patay naanod, many dead bodies where   washed away, she added. Akong papa naa pa sa puneraria, mahimo kaha namo kuhaon,? do you think we could retrieve my father's body from the funeral parlor?  I replied that I don't see any reason why that was not possible and advised that she inquire with the organizers at the evacuation center on the process.

Then came on the loudspeaker, kadtong tanan nga na-ay samad anhi na mo dinhi sa atubangan sa stage kay taga-an namo ug anti-tetanus shots, all those with open wounds, please gather before the stage as we will now be administering anti-tetanus shots.  After which she stood up, and I bid her well as she limped her way towards the stage.

The gymnasium of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) is home to some 2,500 individuals from 500 families.  The university opened its doors to residents who fled from the floods in the nearby village of Santiago early on December 17, Saturday.  MSU-IIT officers, volunteers and City Social Welfare and Development office personnel attend to the various services for the evacuees.

I met three City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) office workers, and one from the DSWD Region 10 office who have been severely affected by the floods.  But in spite their predicament, they have continued to serve others in need.  My utmost admiration go to CSWD Iligan city head, Grace Saguilabon, and district supervisors Joy Mangumpara and Precy Maghanoy.  The young male DSWD employee shared that he lost almost everything, except for some of the clothes that we could still wash.  I asked how he is coping. He said that he still have some personal effects in nearby Cagayan de Oro city,  and added with a smile that he goes through the stress debriefing process by himself.  And so far it was just turning out fine.

Stories

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - Day 2

Friends Gemma and Lorena were seated beside each other in the auditorium of the Iligan City National High School. They, along with 300 others who have evacuated to the Iligan Institute of Technology gymnasium, were bussed to the auditorium to be with the president.

Gemma relates that the flood waters came rushing in barangay, village of Pindugangan at one o’clock in the morning of December 17, Saturday. Gihapak sa troso ang among balay, a log struck the house! She tried to get out but the strong flow of the water had held the door shut tight. Napi-it sa aparador ug sa ref, trapped down by the dresser and the ref that were dislodged from their places, she had to push away and made her way out through the window. She swam until she was able to hold on to a coconut tree and mi kat-kat, climbed up to safety. One of her neighbors had a seven-month old child, another had a four-month old baby -- she wonders where they are now.

Manang, Ms Ludivina Fuertes lost all her belongings. Wa gyuy napupu, none could be retrieved. The rains started at 11 o’clock in the evening of Friday and at one o’clock, the floods came. If it were not nga gi-itsahan mi ug pisi, that someone threw us a line, we would not have made it. The current was so strong and there was no way to swim to safety unaided.

Gusto ko pa nag mabuhi ang akong anak, sir. I want my son to live. Rodel came out of the hospital just days before the flood. He had a low platelet count and needed plasma, according to manang Ludivina. We all survived the flood but because of the stress nabug-hat siya, he was so weakened. He longer wants to eat and her husband is caring for Rodel now. He needs 10 bags of blood, according to the doctor. Maayo unta nga matabangan ko, sir, I hope I’ll be able to get some help. Each bag costs PhP1,800 (10 would cost PhP18,000 or some USD414).*

Dili na mi makabalik kay natantanan naman ang yuta, I cannot return because the land where our house was was washed out. Dili na ko mobalik didto, sir, I don’t want to return to that place anymore.

The president arrived at 10 o’clock along with Dinky, Local Government secretary Jesse Robredo, House speaker Sonny Belmonte, and senator TG Guingona. Mayor Lawrence Cruz and other officials were also there. The president handed goods to some of the evacuees, expressed his commitment for support, and presented the city with PhP11 million for rehabilitation, and asked Congress to allocate another PhP60 million for the relocation and rehabilitation.

*If you want to help Ludivina Fuerte please contact Priscilla "Precy" Maghanoy of the Iligan City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) office at +63 63 221 2488. Her mobile phone number is +63 917 716 4761 She is the CSWD district representative who is familiar with the case. To help in the transparency of the transaction, please request for a record of your donation and receipts of the purchases from the blood bank. However, as of 1320h today, 22 December, I have contacted someone to check with the Red Cross for blood donation. In case they will provide the donation, I will update the information here in the blog.

Update: At 0950h today, 23 December 2011, Aileen Leycano called that she received word from Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon that they will provide and will directly contact manang Ludivina. Aileen SMS's "I also contacted Red Cross Governor Carissa Coscoluella about Rodel Fuertes. She happens to be in Iligan right now and said that she'll attend to it." I responded, "You are great, Aileen! Thanks to Senator Gordon and Governor Coscoluella!"

1027h: Just in from Aileen, "Governor Coscoluella has already talked to the Iligan Red Cross. They are already working on Rodel Fuerte's case." "Great! Merci Deux!," I replied.

As of this afternoon, 26 December 2011, Janice, Rodel's sister sent this SMS: Oo humana siya gidapatan ug dugo gahapon ug ipatransper siya sa Cagayan kay ipalantaw siya ug espesyalistang doctor kay concerned sa dugo ang iyang sakit. Blood has been administered yesterday. [His doctors] recommend transfer to Cagayan de Oro city for him to see a specialist for blood-related illnesses.

Preparing For The President's Visit

Monday, 19 December 2011 - Day 1 

“Ito yun sir (this is the place).”

With very little light in the December sky, I strained my eyes to pick up clues trying to connect the television images with the ones flashed before me as the truck’s headlights panned. Paul, one of the delivery truck hands broke the silence once we entered the village of Tambo, on the road into Iligan city that was hit by the flood waters.

Our two-truck convoy carrying mats and blankets entered Iligan city at six o’clock in the evening. Aided by light from oncoming vehicles, I first saw a pair of white taxi cabs heavily listing in the ditch by the road; after a few meters, a large red truck and a couple of cars lying on their sides. "This is the river that overflowed," Paul blurted out. The river must be 200 meters wide just before it connected with the sea. Refused to be tamed, the flood waters ignored the course and totally engulfed the terrain. A big log stayed lodged beside a broken bridge. Many of these that came from the nearby mountains have steamrolled anything that got in the way. A Humvee! (no kid!)..abandoned by the roadside with light mud splashed all over it. A few concrete houses were left standing.

We then approached San Lorenzo Parish church, which grounds served as one of the 16 evacuation centers for the residents of the 28 barangay/villages that were flooded.  There seemed to be a lot of people but the scene was so fleeting for scrutiny.  As of today, 11,400 families where displaced and 3,500 were in evacuation centers.

Our meeting with DSWD director Cely Solamillio was brief and very pleasant.  She looks indefatigable. She directed me to Iligan as what Dinky's message had indicated. She then referred me to Evelyn Madrio, their point-person. They talked and then handed the phone to me so Evelyn and I could set up rendezvous. "That's another bubbly person on the line," I thought.

I went with Evelyn to check the auditorium of the high school where president Aquino, who is scheduled to visit the next day, will meet some of the evacuees.  We checked the central warehouse as the food, mats and blankets were packed for the following day's event.  We chanced upon a city councilor who turned over a donation of a hundred sacks of rice.

A Very Different Christmas

Sunday, 18 December 2011 - Day 0

"Please go to Cagayan de Oro tomorrow and see our regional director. I want you to coordinate the volunteers...I think [Iligan] mayor Lawrence Cruz needs help. You might have to travel to Iligan. I'll SMS my director and cc you so that you could both link up."

The pictures on television of the aftermath of typhoon Sendong/Washi were gruesome -- furious nature -- of raging water reclaiming what used to be their free path, washing away anything and anyone that got in the way. As of last peep, the ticker on CNN showed 500 had perished. "How come that many?," I wondered. Far too many than the 300 during Ondoy/Ketsana in 2009. I need to do something. I asked myself, "How ready am I for this?"

After the phone instructions from department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) secretary, Dinky Soliman, I arranged a flight, and accommodation through an eager friend, Lou Tolod. Earlier, I had contacted Dinky's son, Dino, who passed on the message that I wanted to volunteer and am self-provisioned. Within the hour she called, thanked me, and gave the instructions. She and I go a bit back and our paths cross once in a while specially during her time in the nongovernment sector.

It is difficult to imagine what it could have been like out there, in deep sleep at two o'clock in the morning to be confused and rendered helpless by the crescendoing forceful rumble, rush of something -- debris. Christmas in the disaster-stricken areas will be very very different. So will mine.

I got myself some provisions and tried to visualize what the work and situation might be like. It was very much as the pre-dive technical briefings, where visualization is part preparation. Soon DSWD director, Araceli Solamillo, and I were in touch via SMS. I was to check with her as soon as I arrive. In the days when I managed election volunteers, a heads up on who will be on deck helps in programming the work and in assessing the capacities and deploying resources.

Praying as I was packing, I tried to check my intentions in volunteering. Then came the consolation, which is to heed the (subtle) call to serve the people of God. It is a privilege. And the anxiety then turned into gratitude.

The plane landed at the Lumbia airport at half-past two in the afternoon. It's Monday, Day 1.