BY: REY ANTHONY H. CHIU
BONBON Clarin, Bohol, March 25 (PIA) –“You may have money in aid, but information is more important.”
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AS IMPORTANT AS FOOD.
Information has kept evacuation residents of Bonbon Clarin glued to their seats
despite lunchtimes, as government and international humanitarian organizations
discuss the nature of aid and tells how residents can access them, during a
forum at the Piezas Compound in this town. (PIABOHOL/RAC).
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Gesita Infiesto voiced her appreciation as the post earthquake response communications team brings in Pulong-Pulong sa Komunidad to the Piezas Compound, a temporary settlement occupying a private lot in barangay Bonbon Clarin recently.
Infiesto, with 18 families or 79 individuals tucked in temporary tent shelters and makeshift dwellings in a fenced family lot planted with coconuts and pasture to livestock finally got the information they have been eager to know since the day they settled in the lot, a few days after the earthquake in October 15.
About five months after the quake, as food and emergency relief rations slowly dwindle, settlers in makeshift tents now begin to wonder what awaits them, asking what happens to them who were advises to evacuate from their old home-lots, being declared disaster areas.
Here in this town, if only to illustrate the damage of the tremor in October, the quake flattened the town church. The newly reinforced concrete church façade lends to it an image of a movie set; a false façade with nothing behind it.
The quake also toppled hundreds of houses here in a place where mangrove areas and tide flats render the land soft and mulchy, heightening the effects of a slight tremor.
Mayor Allen Rey Piezas told the people that the quake partially damaged around 3,000 houses here, a little over 500 houses totally destroyed.
Major camps in Clarin are the Piezas Compound in Bonbon and Zafra Compound in Tangaran, said Camp Control and Management cluster managers from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Since October however, IOM has conducted surveys on communication with communities especially in 19 temporary evacuation shelter sites, to be able to find long term solutions to the displacement and the information gap.
Of the 19 areas, 15 of them generally pinpoint government as the main source of information, while two pick family and friends as other reliable information sources.
Most of these information however are from word of mouth at 13, followed by radio (4) and cell phones (2) according to survey data.
Right after pitching camps, the most asked question is on aid, mostly food from 19 settlers in 19 sites, shelter relocation in 14 sites, health services and water, sanitation and hygiene in 6 sites, shelter materials in 4 and emergency livelihood and recovery in 3 sites.
As to shelter aid, the most asked question is on shelter relocation at 13 and then on shelter materials at 3.
Settlers also communicated livelihood concerns dealing with short term relief like cash for work, as well as long term livelihood recovery.
Seven sites also expressed health concerns like information on medical missions, pre natal care and check-ups as well as concerns on damaged rural health units. Another six sites mentioned WASH concerns primarily on sanitized water facilities, toilets and water capacity.
The biggest thing the survey provided was the univocal need for information dissemination on available help to internally displaced communities, PIA- Bohol noted.
Picked as top information needs that had to be addressed immediately were on aid and assistance, local government recovery plans as well as beneficiary selection process.
On this issue, IOM and PIA-Bohol crafted communication plans in response to the need.
The Pulongpulong sa Komunidad, an off-site Kapihan sa PIA opened avenues for local officials, international help groups and shelter residents to meet and exchange information relevant to the disaster response and recovery.
In Bonbon, clearly wanting to hear it from the right sources, evacuees here, who were set to break camp this March 31 were growing a bit impatient every day.
We wish to know if there really is a site where we can rebuild our homes, asked Ethyl Padayao, another evacuee.
To this and still several other hounding questions, Mayor Piezas dished out local recovery and resettlement plans, to the elation of residents here.
The town is arranging for two lots, one in barangay Buacao is now opened, while another is negotiated for acquisition in barangay Tangaran.
The town mayor said Tangaran property is set for sale and he has in fact put in his name as collateral to reassure lot-owners of the paying capacity of the people.
International help groups giving out shelter assistance would only need lots freed for their house packages, said IOM Christie Joy Bacal.
With the lot assurance, residents now agree, the information dished out at Pulongpulong was much settling than the fiscal aid groups have promised but have yet to come. (mbcn/rahc/PIA7-Bohol)