Yolanda victims seeking jobs to rebuild lives

MANILA, Philippines - More than a month after Yolanda ravaged several regions in the country, typhoon victims have started to move on and are now clamoring for jobs.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) yesterday reported that typhoon victims from Leyte and other provinces in Eastern Visayas are demanding decent and permanent employment that could help them rebuild their lives.

ILO official Frances Fierst said thousands of victims from Ormoc and Tacloban have flocked to the job fair organized recently by Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) because they want immediate employment.

Despite the long lines, the typhoon survivors waited patiently to submit the necessary documents being required by local and foreign employers who participated in the job fairs, Fierst said.

“I am determined to get back on my feet as soon as possible, since I need to feed a family of nine,” Fierst quoted one of the applicants, Jenecis Soliva.

According to Fierst, the family of Soliva owns agricultural land in San Jose, Ormoc City, but the entire farm was wiped out by the typhoon.

Soliva said her family relied on relief goods for a month, but she now really needs to find a job, with a stable and reliable income.

During the job fair in Ormoc, 171 typhoon victims were hired on the spot while 970 were considered qualified, but their applications need to be processed further, Fierst said.

Due to the growing clamor of the people of Eastern Visayas for jobs, DOLE is holding another job fair in Tacloban in the first week of January.

Fierst said there has been a lot of focus on rebuilding livelihood for farmers and fisherfolk.

However, half of the workers affected by the typhoon were working in the service sector.

ILO data showed that about three million typhoon affected workers were working in the service sector when the typhoon struck. Over one-third of them, or roughly 1.9 million workers, were in agriculture, and around 16 percent in the industry sector.

Service sector includes people working in shops, public markets, restaurants, vendors, tricycle and jeepney drivers, mechanics, clerks and teachers.

Thus, a job fair is a great way for the Philippine government to reach out and assist the affected service workers, Fierst said.

ILO country officers for the Philippines said initiatives such as the job fair and efforts of local businesses to rebuild local employment and to restore livelihood complement the emergency employment programs.

Fierst said over 20,000 workers who lost their livelihood are already taking part in the emergency employment program which aims to rebuild typhoon-affected communities while providing work in decent and safe conditions.

More donations come in

More than one month after Yolanda hit the country, all kinds of donations continue to pour in for the victims.

Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Austere Panadero received from Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez a P1,763,920 donation from the city government and the private sector.

Panadero said the donations were immediately turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) also donated P2 billion to the Department of Education (DepEd) for the repair and reconstruction of classrooms damaged by Yolanda.

DepEd said about 5,900 classrooms in the Visayas region and Palawan were totally ruined while 14,508 were partially damaged by the typhoon.

The DepEd needs at least P12 billion for the replacement and repair of all the damaged classrooms.

Pagcor chairman and chief executive officer Cristino Naguiat Jr. said the funding would be used to construct approximately 2,000 classrooms.

Naguiat signed the memorandum of agreement with Education Secretary Armin Luistro yesterday for the implementation of the Silid Aralan project.

Former senator Panfilo Lacson, recently appointed as presidential assistant for rehabilitation and recovery, witnessed the MOA signing at the Pagcor head office in Manila.

Lacson said his agency would help coordinate the work of concerned government and non-governmental agencies tasked to implement the project.

Sen. Loren Legarda, for her part, hailed United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for visiting the typhoon ravaged areas.

Legarda said the UN official’s visit would help boost the country’s disaster resiliency initiatives, especially in light of the recent devastation of Yolanda.

She said the visit sends a strong message of hope for affected communities and highlights the need to build back better, stronger and wiser.

On the other hand, the death toll of Typhoon Yolanda has increased to 6,100 with close to 2,000 more still missing in the storm-ravaged Visayas, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported yesterday.

The number of people missing from the storm as officially reported since three weeks ago by the NDRRMC remains at 1,779.

The NDRRMC also reported 27,665 people were injured by the storm.

Estimated cost of damage left by Yolanda has been placed at P36.6 billion.

The Joint Task Force engaged in the recovery and collection of bodies in Tacloban City said they have yet to clear Barangay Anibong of bodies believed to be still buried underneath tons of debris.

Joint Task Force commander Senior Superintendent Pablito Cordeta said four cargo vessels were tossed inland in the village, making it difficult to retrieve the bodies under the debris.

The Joint Task Force has already recovered and accounted for 2,485 bodies in Tacloban, 1,252 bodies in Tanauan and 1,089 more from Palo town. All the recovered bodies remain unidentified. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Helen Flores, Christina Mendez, Jaime Laude