Boholanos show resilience amid the devastation

CEBU, Philippines - “Devastating. You are left at a loss for words.”

This was how Ma. Theresa Catipay, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. Micro-finance executive director, described what she saw upon their arri-val in Bohol Thursday.

She and several RAFI employees braved the odds and went to Bohol just to deliver packs of relief items the foundation purchased and sent right away along with donations it received.

Catipay said the sight and extent of damage left behind by last Tuesday’s killer quake would crush anyone’s heart.

She said the symbols of authority and institutions that people go to for help, the municipal halls and churches which are frequented by people, are either heavily damaged or lay in ruins.

She was not prepared for what she saw and was anxious what she would see she could barely sleep. It was a nightmare for her to see Bohol so devastated.

“You are left feeling helpless.  But you have to summon the strength and be strong for the people.  I’m feeling this way but I have a mission to do, which is to help ease their suffering,” Catipay said.

She and other RAFI employees were able to distribute relief items in Clarin, Sagbayan and Catigbian yesterday and were scheduled to enter other heavily-hit areas like Loon, Maribojoc, and Antiquera.

Using its own funds and donations from well-meaning Cebuanos, RAFI prepared over 3,000 relief packs Thursday and sent it quick to Bohol. This is not the first time that RAFI involved itself in relief operations during calamities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The latest prior to this one was when fighting broke out in Zamboanga City last month between separatist rebels and government forces.

Catipay said the Boholanos need all the help they can get, and fast.  One of the RAFI teams that sent to Bohol even came across a man displaying a placard begging that they be given water.

She said that if the developed and lowland towns are in need of food and water, those in the upland and mountain barangays are in more dire straits.

“Food is really hard to come by. The devastation is so great. But if food is scarce here, moreso didto sa bukid, wala gyoy pagkaon,” she said, quoting reports from staff of RAFI Micro-finance Bohol branches.

She added that it is a bitter reality that if people are hungry they would do anything, which is why even volunteers distributing relief goods are accompanied by soldiers for their safety.

The people, though, are not just there waiting for help.  They are picking themselves up to carry on with their lives.

“You might think they are simply there, waiting for help to come. But no, they are determined to pick the pieces and continue. We came here to bring hope, but hope is still there, in them, in their hearts,” Catipay said, narrating how she saw people in the early morning selling fish, puto, and other items. The Boholanos are earning a living amid the devastation.

“You can see the resilience of their spirit. They are coping. They are not helpless, but they need our help,” Catipay said.

Yesterday, RAFI purchased additional food and water worth P1.2 million to be shipped to Bohol tomorrow.  The Cebuanos could top that. — PR/RHM (FREEMAN)