At midyear review, PP Klaus shared our club’s projects, such as family planning, teenage pregnancy forums, End TB program, and post typhoon Haiyan victimized area research and support trip. Since the venue was close to where indigenous tribe Aetas live, honorary Rotarian Jun and PP Klaus extended their support to them as it is one of our service projects.

In the meantime, ASP Casey succeeded in inviting 10 more new members to RIMM and funding with sales of district raffle tickets.

The club’s flagship program is and will continue to be family planning as it not only addresses critical women and family health issues but actually all six areas of Rotary’s focus. However, because of the dire need of the poor and destitute throughout the country, humanitarian assistance resources will also always be extended to them, especially to the women and children who are the true victims of this ever-expanding whirlpool of poverty caused by the still runaway population explosion that was historically fueled by the patriarchal and agricultural-based mindset of the people. Its strong downdraft has become a vortex that sucks newborn into seemingly endless cycles of poverty.
The three “boots on the ground” support trips to the typhoon-belt-stricken areas as indicated on Map 1 largely focused on Samar and Leyte and were based on this philosophy. Immediate cash and basic needs infusion was provided with the support of overseas supporters and cooperation of local NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) and local public agencies. Basic family planning and disaster mitigation research was also conducted at the same time to gain a better understanding of the most effective ways to assist now and in the future.
We must acknowledge that the population explosion largely remains unchecked despite the efforts of the government after the passage of the Reproductive Health bill. It needs massive hands-on cooperation from everyone and science-based education focused on critical thinking to reign in this root cause of poverty, hunger, disease and despair. If successful, it will create and sustain healthy family units that guarantee the right of women for self-determination and protect children from sexual abuse inclusive of rape and incest. But it will also require proper nourishment of pregnant mothers, babies and young children during the early development stage so that they are not handicapped with mental and physical development impairments as witnessed almost everywhere.
It is a fact that during the last five years the population in the Philippines increased on an average of 1.7 million per year. If this rate would remain constant another 63 million would largely be born in extreme poverty between 2013 and 2050. Based on the latest gradual reduction in live birth over the years (presently at about 2.9%), it is expected that this can be reduced to 50 million people or hopefully less. To presently achieve this seemingly unreachable goal of putting even a dent into the rapid population explosion would require an immediate average reduction of live birth to about 1.35 million per year or to even less than 1 million per year in future years based on the present still high birth rate of 1.7 million per year. An attempt to reduce the population explosion to “just” 40 million by 2050 would require almost immediate teamwork from all sections of society. However, this was not evident anywhere and is still based largely on wishful thinking despite the dedicated efforts of individual health workers and doctors. For it to be achieved, the still-strong patriarchal social system in less developed, largely agricultural areas and religious ideologies have to become more tolerant of women and their needs.
In 1950 the Philippines had a population of about 18.6 million people. By the end of 2015 or 65 years later the population will have increased by another 90 million. Paradise lost? President Aquino already questioned after Typhoon Yolanda if the Philippines had become a nation of beggars. Even Pope Francis, who is aware of the extreme poverty in the Philippines and who probably is also aware of these stark statistics, implored Filipinos “not to reproduce like rabbits” during his farewell speech on his flight home to Rome after his January 2015 visit to the country.
Pertaining to disaster mitigation the question has not been answered as to where can people safely live? It is not a matter of life and death and body counts after a disaster but of being able to live a normal life. For the rich the answer is fairly simple. Almost everywhere if one has the financial resources to own land and build typhoon- and earthquake-safe structures, it can readily be done. For the poor and destitute and those that will be born into the seemingly ever-expanding whirlpool of poverty the answer is simple: there is no way to escape. Natural disasters and flooding are a way of life in the Philippines and will keep the country in constant poverty despite the never-ending support of the UN, overseas and local govern-ment agencies, and NGO’s.
As far as medical support is concerned it is just a fact of life that if you are poor you will die earlier, in greater pain and suffering from infirmities not being attended to. Municipal and provincial hospitals are often understaffed and in dire need of medical supplies and equipment that is largely furnished after disasters through foreign aid. Many dedicated health care professionals on the front lines attempting to carry out meaningful family planning are still often hampered by lack of support and often religious-based misrepresentation as to their meaningful aims. Among the many unsolved problems remains the exploding teenage pregnancy bred by poverty, especially in the typhoon-ravaged areas. Without a true safety net a whole new cycle of extreme poverty is being created.

Traveling through the typhoon-belt areas we were told on many occasions that the typhoons may have been a blessing in disguise because they brought in out-of-town resources that were never available before. Much greater medical support such as ambulances, equipment and supplies are available largely from overseas that provide much-needed life lines even if they often do not reach the very poor. Medical facilities, hospitals and schools are being rebuilt, also largely with the support of foreign countries or their nonprofit foundations. Solar electricity for some of the often densely populated islands is a further example. Most impressive (and perhaps the most costly reconstruction for the number of people benefiting) was the building of a whole new village in Salcedo where a fishing village was ravaged by Typhoon Yolanda’s flood surge. Located in the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean and out of the reach of any flood surge or future global warming, Kinder Nothilfe, a nonprofit organization based in Germany, is building 86 new concrete homes in a more typhoon-proof setting. Each house has two bedrooms, toilet, kitchen and balcony. The construction by De La Salle University of a more storm and flood surge-proof Trinidad Elementary School in Tubabao Island, off Guiuan in Eastern Samar, elevated several feet above the surrounding terrain, is another example. It, however, will still be susceptible to extreme storm surges as well as the rising ocean brought about by climate change.
Self-help, where feasible, was also evident. For example, in Hernani some fisher folks and farmers had relocated their permanent homes in the hills out of the reach of any storm surge and flooding. However, because of the population density and the lack of property ownership, such options are available to only a few even with long-range planning by government agencies. A meaningful long-term disaster miti-gation vision must therefore factually address the ever-expanding cycle of poverty caused by the still-runaway population explosion. Local NGO’s, in cooperation with their overseas sponsors, in addition to providing emergency shelter and food, have the moral responsibility of stepping up and assisting in reigning in the population explosion, not just accepting seemingly never-ending assistance for the ever-increasing population.

During Multinational Manila’s Jan. 7^th club meeting, also attended by a municipal councilor from the city who is also a Rotarian from Ermita, such plans were discussed. Since there were questions about safety and reluctance on the part of City officials to proceed without knowing the area Club Pres. Dr. Klaus was asked and promised to accompany representatives from the City of Alfonso and DSWD for such a trip. He was familiar with the area, having visited it during his club-supported first Typhoon victim support trip Dec. 6-14. This would also give him a chance to continue his research of typhoon damage initiated then.

The four day trip with six ladies inclusive of the treasurer of the City of Alfonso and a security guard took place Jan. 27-30 and started at 3:00am in Alfonso, Cavite. Landing in Tacloban City on Leyte Island after an early morning flight, the group was met at the airport by the prearranged driver with its Hi-Ace van who stood with the group 24-7 in order to assist it with carrying out its mission time-efficiently. It would not have been possible without his thoughtful and dedicated support. The group then immediately proceeded via the San Juanico Bridge from Leyte island to Samar Island and then along the southern part of the western coast of Samar that was also partially destroyed by the typhoon, occasionally stopping along the road to assist needy families.

Traveling along the heavily damaged coast of East Samar, the city of Guiuan, located at the southern tip of Samar, was reached in the afternoon. Guiuan is not so well known and few dignitaries stop here to provide direct typhoon publicity and aid because it has no commercial airport in contrast to Tacloban’s commercial airport. The Guiuan airport with is shorter landing strip was built by American forces during WWII and C-130 military planes fly in the much needed supplies. Fortunately the group was still able to book the last remaining rooms in a partially destroyed pension house or it would have had to sleep overnight in the van (as was necessary during Dr. Klaus’ first trip in December 2013) or travel on.

Initial settlements in Guiuan perhaps occurred largely in the mountain range that still protects parts of the city from storm furies sweeping in form the Pacific Ocean. However, since that time the city greatly expanded so that even ‘evacuation centers` were not safe and largely destroyed throughout the city.

The remainder of the first day and second day were then spent in Guiuan where the typhoon first made landfall and virtually destroyed most of the buildings with great sufferings by people still visible everywhere. Exceptions were reinforced concrete structures whose roofs were blown off and the interior badly damaged by the rains unless they had flat terrace-like concrete roofs. The Church of Immaculate Conception, one of the oldest churches in the Philippines and a well-known landmark, was also destroyed. In addition to cash donations, building supplies such as hammers (only six available in town) and nails of several sizes were also purchased in several hardware stores to assist the men with rebuilding. While the western part of the island facing the Leyte Gulf saw a ‘minimal’ storm surge ocean rise of ‘only’ about 5-6 feet, the eastern part facing the Pacific Ocean and the oncoming typhoon saw a tsunami-like storm surge perhaps as high as 20 feet. It destroyed nearby low-lying fishing villages such as Salcedo and Mercedes as well as fishing villages and towns such as Hernani along the coast of eastern Samar Island, reaching beyond Balangkayan. Unfortunately, the limited time and the heavy destruction within the city and surrounding barangays did not permit the group to also visit the many surrounding island villages also destroyed by the typhoon. The group then travelled during late afternoon of the second day to Mercedes and Salcedo, continuing during the evening north along the eastern Samar Coast. The next day they reversed their trip, driving down the East Samar coast during the third day and visiting heavily damaged sites such as Hernani while also stopping along the way to interview and support families in need.

Arriving at night back in Tacloban on the third day of the trip, the group was fortunate enough to be able to find accommodations again in the inexpensive and partially destroyed pension in which Dr. Klaus stood during his December 2013 trip and where power had been restored. All partially renovated hotels in Tacloban and Palo were fully booked, largely by overseas staff assisting with disaster mitigation and were also charging high prices beyond the budget of the group. The city and surrounding towns, sadly largely unprepared, were heavily damaged by the storm surge created by the typhoon and the storm itself. Situated largely at sea level and facing the bottleneck of the Leyte gulf that can bring storm surges from different directions, the area has faced such disasters before. As posted on November 19^th, 2013, on the Internet by Raphael Lotilla, a former Philippine energy secretary, on October 12, 1897 a powerful typhoon took a path similar to Typhoon Yolanda’s Nov. 8, 2013 path. It first made landfall in Guiuan as well as along the lower eastern Samar coast before destroying Tacloban and its surrounding villages. The Tacloban area was described in a scientific paper published soon thereafter by Fr. Jose Algue of the Obervatorio de Manila (El Bagio de Samar y Leyte de Octubre 1897) as a ‘tongue of low-lying land wedged surrounded by mountains`. A similar strong typhoon in November 1912 again destroyed the city of Tacloban and surrounding villages before moving on through the Visayas Sea and also wrecking the sugarcane province of Capiz on Panay Island. During the Nov 8^th, 2013 storm surges the entire floor of the landmark Tacloban City Convention Center that faces the ocean directly and also served as evacuation center was quickly submerged by the storm surge. Many people were caught unprepared and by surprise and subsequently drowned or were injured. Along the ocean front within the city itself entire shanty towns were also swept away along with their inhabitants.

The fourth day the group vacated their Palo hotel by 5:00am for a breakfast at a nearby eatery and set out by 6:00am to Barangay San Joaquin in the City of Palo. It had suffered the most casualties of any barangay (village) in the area with over 730 dead and many still missing. The remaining cash of ₱82,000 were distributed by the dedicated Alfonso ladies along with their remaining toys and school supplies donated to RI Multinational Manila from its overseas Japanese guests. The hundreds of small pocket mirrors distributed by the club during the trip along with combs supplied by the City of Alfonso and DSWD were most sought after by the indigent girls and ladies, many of which did not even own a comb, much less a mirror. The tiny plastic toy cars distributed from the club also delighted the small boys. Destitute women, often ‘destined` to act as baby factories, and their children are the true victims of poverty even before ‘natural’ disasters strike.

The ladies from the City of Alfonso continued interviewing destitute families and listened to their heart-breaking stories of often endless suffering. What can one say to the woman who woke up bruised and banged up in the hills above Palo several kilometers from her home after the storm surge swept over her village. Walking back in a daze searching for her home and family she was confronted by total destruction with virtually everyone missing or dead. Now she rests at the makeshift graveyard looking at the many crosses of her family members inclusive her two sons for whom she had sacrificed everything in supporting them to attain a high school diploma. To her money is meaningless anymore. In the meantime Dr. Klaus, in order to mitigate such future suffering as per the club’s mandate, continued the visits of municipal health centers such as Palo to review the Philippine Department of Health family planning mandate, provide contraceptive lady pills if in short supply, and pledge further support as needed as long as the club’s fund last that have been earmarked for this purpose while additional donations are sought.

A quick tour of core devastated areas of the City of Tacloban finished the heart-breaking journey along with further research carried out by Dr. Klaus on building construction. After accompanying the group back on their safe flight to Manila Klaus continued on to Panay Island and the Roxas City area in support of a relocation project for fisher folk families from storm-devastated intertidal small islands in the vicinity of Pontevedra that RI Multinational Manila had initiated during his first trip there in December 2013.

At the request of the City of Alfonso travel arrangements for the tour, inclusive of airfare, had been done by RI Multinational Manila. Window seats were always booked if available so that everyone could see and appreciate the fragile beauty of their country from the air. Seeing destroyed Palo, adjacent Tacloban, the San Juanico Bridge, parts of the west and east coasts of Samar as well as the inspiring Mayon Volcano on the island of Luzon from the air before landing in Manila with its many depressing ‘slum cities` and taking photographs from above were also truly unforgettable memories.

Six tough women pose proudly for a photo with work clothes supplied by UNDP (United Nations Development Program) before going to work cleaning up their typhoon-ravaged small islands located a few feet above sea level in the intertidal zones just north of Roxas City. Most of these women delivered their babies on their own even without the help of a midwife.

Such clean-up work is supported by a short-term work program grant from UNDP that champions the poor and disadvantaged. Locally administered by DSWD (Department of Social Welfare Development), it pays them P287/day. UN relief teams in the area also provided hygene supplies and contraceptive knowledge and needs that are virtually unavailable to the country’s poor and disadvantaged. It gives them a glimmer of hope for the future. Don’t let it die.

Typhoon-damaged homes on a small island in the intertidal zone.