MANILA, Philippines - In 2004, a series of weather disturbances demolished their homes, forcing them to abandon their villages and their fishing grounds. A year later, with the help of Smart Communications Inc. and Gawad Kalinga (GK), they were able to build a new community on government-donated land, learn a new skill, sculpture, which became a source of livelihood.
The members of the Banglos Artists Community Group of General Nakar, Quezon, know only too well what the survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda have been through, and they are helping them rise from the devastation. They are sharing the training they got from Rey Contreras, the sculptor commissioned by Smart to teach them to turn the felled logs and driftwood that littered their barangay into art pieces.
The Banglos group, the Daambakal sculptors, and Smart recently conducted a two-day driftwood sculpture workshop for Yolanda survivors in Barangay Gabuc in Pontevedra, Capiz. The art pieces created during this workshop, along with sculptures from the Banglos group, are currently being sold in an exhibit at the Proscenium’s Kirov model unit inside Power Plant mall in Rockwell, Makati City.
Proceeds from this exhibit, which will run until Wednesday, will be used to expand the training of interested Yolanda-affected fishing communities, and to purchase tools and equipment for production.
“Who would have thought that we would someday be able to help fellow typhoon survivors?†Helen Lansangan, a member of the Banglos group, said in Filipino. “This is even more meaningful than recovering from the tragedy. I hope that someday, Yolanda survivors would also be able to help others in need.â€
In the nine years that the Banglos sculptors have been crafting art pieces out of driftwood and felled logs – materials that otherwise would have been turned into charcoal – they have sold millions of pesos’ worth of sculpture and have exhibited at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and other venues in Makati, Cebu, and Bacolod. They have used their income to improve their homes and to fund other livelihood efforts.
“We hope that the Yolanda survivors are inspired by our story. We were able to rebuild our lives, and so can they,†said Banglos sculptor Marichu Calzado.
One of the Capiz trainees, Ernesto Cebu, thanked the Banglos group and Smart for the livelihood opportunity.
“This is a big help for us. We never imagined that we could do something like this, we knew nothing about sculpting,†he said.
“I hope we sell all our works so we could earn money to buy food. It is difficult to find a job here,†he added.