Feeding begins...

On July 11, 2008, the emergency feeding program began. We started small by feeding the 200 people who were working tirelessly to clean up the Aklan Catholic College and Mobo Elementary School.

*Some of the damages to ACC & to Mobo E/S

But by the second week of our operations, we were feeding about 5285 people per day with the help of the Barangay nutrition scholars and Barangay health workers. (See Chart of Hapagasa areas and beneficiaries here) And come mid July, we were rolling out our calderos to the different medical mission sites in the province. From July 15 to August 17, we were able to feed a total of 4,000 persons in medical missions conducted by the Aklan Medical Society, Operation Blessing, and Operation Compassion.

It was truly a challenging but fulfilling mission. There were days that the cooking had to be started as early as 3 a.m. just so we could get the food out before 8 a.m. There were days we couldn't do anything but shake our heads after meeting with difficult people. And then most days, we came home to our base with sore muscles and with boots covered in mud. Yet, looking back, I have to say that I was really proud of my team during the month long emergency feeding in Aklan. I knew it wasn't easy for Noel, Natnat, Tere, Rosalie (and later on, Tita Linda), to be away from their families and friends but they were truly a dedicated team. Even though I knew that their bodies were getting tired, I didn't hear them complain. And come dinner time, they were all still smiling and laughing as they shared stories about the kids and the communities they served during the day. True to our motto, they served with a grateful heart. I know I couldn't have had a better team with me in serving Aklan.

Of course we couldn't have served at all without the support of the team of Lt. Pete Ruiz of Rotary Community Corps S.E.A.L.S and Rotarian member, Mr. JB Brown. The DMPF Calderos would never have left their kalans had it not been for the logistical support provided by Rotary Club of Kalibo, RCC S.E.A.L.S. Rescue, and the PNP. So on behalf of the kids of Aklan, I wish to say Dios Mabalos po to all the people who helped get the food from our calderos to the children's bowls! May the smiles of these children warm your hearts in the same manner that they warmed ours.

The first week...

Our first week in Aklan was spent surveying… or at least trying to survey.

I can't even begin to describe how hard a feat it was for a group of 6 Albayanos to trek the unfamiliar territories of Kalibo and Numancia. See, when we got to Kalibo, there was still mud everywhere. Most streets were still not passable because of the mud and because the branches and the debris left behind by the storm still lay in the middle of the roads. Working vehicles were very hard to come by as the engines of most vehicles were reached by flood water and mud. If vehicles weren't immobile, they were stalling. Fortunately for us, Nang Marites Gonzaga was able to lend us a vehicle that first week. Her vehicle was not spared from the mud and flood but by God's grace, it was able to take us to the different areas identified by the local government units of Kalibo and Numancia as priority areas.

That first week, we visited the areas of Mobo, Tinigao, Bakhao Norte, Bakhao Sur, Albasan, Bulwang, Bubog, Camanci Norte, Camanci Sur, Joyao Joyao, Laguinbanwa East, Laguinbanua West, Navitas, and Pusiw. We spoke with the different barangay officials about our intent to start a feeding program. We asked them to prepare the list of children in their barangay so we could accurately allocate the needed calderos and ingredients for the emergency feeding program.

By the end of that week, most barangays had complied with our requested listings, but a few barangays only submitted partial listings. When I asked one barangay official why their listing was partial, she said, “Wag na lang natin isama yung mga bata doon. Malayo naman sila mam eh.” I told her we can't work like that because we came to their barangay wishing to feed every hungry child in the barangay. She smiled, and then she asked me if i could give 3 of their Barangay Health Workers an allowance to get the full listing. I asked her how long it would take, she said another 4 days. I smiled my best looking smile right back at her before I said goodbye.

I felt bad each time I realized that we wouldn't be able to serve in one barangay either because the barangay officials didn't want to cooperate with us or flat out turned us down. But I also knew we could only work in communities that were willing to help us help them. No matter how much we would want to feed every hungry child in Kalibo and Numancia, we would still need the support and the commitment of the leaders and the members of that community to have a successful feeding program.

This is why I wish to extend my warmest thanks to the leaders and members of the following areas and schools:

Albasan, Bubog, Bulwang, Camanci Norte, Camanci Sur, Joyao- Joyao, Laguinbanua West, Mobo, Navitas, Numancia Integrated School, Pusiw, & Tinigao.

Dios mabalos po for committing to feed the children in your community 5 days a week, 20 days a month! We salute you for your hard work and we are truly honored to have had the opportunity to work with you to prevent the possible surge of malnutrition that comes in times of crisis and disaster. Maraming salamat po for accepting us into your communities. Dios Mabalos po for helping us serve your community.

The first days...

My first few days in Aklan were hectic.

I had arranged to meet with Father Jobert of the Aklan Catholic College as soon as I got to town. I explained to him what we planned to do and he was kind enough to offer to put us up at the ACC hometel for the length of our stay.

I also met with Fr. Boy Quan to see if we could assist the archdiocese's relief efforts with feeding for the people and their volunteers.

I met up with Pastor Dong of Operation Compassion and we met with some of the local pastors in Kalibo so we could coordinate our relief efforts and avoid duplication.

We approached the PDCC to obtain a copy of the provincial damage assessment report to ensure we were focusing on the right municipalities. And we then spoke with LGU and MSWD representatives of Kalibo and Numancia and asked for copies of their damage assessment reports so we could identify the barangays that were badly hit.

Here's a copy of the first report given to us by PDCC...

The question of how many to feed....

(written by: Lourdes Villanueva)

When I met with the staff of Dios Mabalos Po Foundation (DMPF) on June 30, they asked me how many people we were going to feed in Aklan, I said "we have enough to feed 10,000". My initial goal was to stay for a week and feed at least 2000 people per day. Of course, I should have known better than to make plans of my own... See, years back, my parents used to have a poster in the house that said "Life is something that happens while we are planning something else"... "He alone knows the Master plan," my mom used to say. I guess I still tend to forget from time to time. So while I was busy making plans and preparing the funds required to get my team to Aklan to feed 10,000 people, busy too was the DMPF board with the rest of our partners and friends... They were so busy in fact, that by the 2nd of July, Dios Mabalos Po Foundation was suddenly in a position to feed not just 2000 people a day for one week, but 10,000 people every day for one month!

I almost fell from my chair when I read my mom's email! 10,000 people a day! We would need 50 calderos, and a core group of about 30 individuals . I had 5 calderos and a team of 5!

I must admit I found myself a bit anxious that night. I was leaving for Kalibo on the 4th of July and the number (10000) seemed... a bit much... a bit overwhelming really. But that night, as I lay quietly in my bed, the words of Mother Teresa came to me, calmed my spirit, and removed my apprehensions...

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one".

Our first glimpse...

Pictures sent to us by our friends from Cataract Foundation and Operation Compassion (taken one week after the storm hit the province of Aklan).

Dios mabalos Cataract Foundation and OC for the pictures!

Paying it Forward...

(written by: Lourdes Villanueva)

On June 21, 2008, Typhoon Frank, originally reported to be heading for Legazpi City, Albay, decided to change course and headed instead for the land of Aklanons.

The damage wrought by Frank on Aklan was horrendous. The tropical storm was packing winds of up to 140 kilometres per hour. Within hours of landfall, communities were submerged in over ten feet of water because of simultaneous landslides that fell from the hills of Libacao into the Aklan river. About 14000 homes were totally destroyed, and more than 90,000 families were affected by the storm and flashfloods. Days after the typhoon, the Kalibonhons were still wading through 2-3 feet of mud.

Meanwhile in the land of Albay, the thousands who were evacuated from their houses were thankful that the danger had passed and slowly started to return to their homes. "Hay Salamat. Dios, Mabalos po!" murmured the Albayanos who were grateful for the absence of the rain, lahar and landslides that had so left them traumatized in the wake of the last great storm (Reming). But even in their gratefulness, the people in Albay recognized that typhoon Frank's diversion only meant that the brunt of its force would be suffered by another island province.

Unfortunately for Aklan, the great towers of the telecom industries did not withstand the torment of the storm. Communication was cut for about 2.5 days. And for those three days, the broadcasting agencies were focused on the damages suffered by Aklan's neighboring province, Iloilo. The rest of the country simply had no idea that the damage to Aklan was far worse than the damage to Iloilo and the other neighboring provinces.

And so it was that when we at Dios Mabalos Po Foundation sat down to map out our plan of action for relief and emergency feeding, our initial intent was to head to Iloilo. That was until little bits of information started trickling in to Albay.

The first line of communication I received from Aklan was from a friend's cousin Rommelyn Constantino. She sent me a message on the 25th of June asking for help because their home was destroyed. According to her, the second story of their house fell and everything they owned was destroyed.

I thought this was an isolated case. But that same day, Zaldy Rapiz, the chairman of Kauswagan Development Cooperative sent a message out to my mom. He was begging for help for the members of the cooperative.

This is how we came to learn that the people of Aklan were also in need. And yet, we didnt have much data. All we had were small bits of information. I tried to reach out to all the people I met in Aklan when I went there in January 2008 for the Ati-atihan festival. The only reply I received came from Georgine Ruiz, who also begged for whatever aid or help we can provide.

It wasn't until my mom received messages from her colleague and friend, Mavis Campos of Cataract Foundation, that we were able to figure out the true extent of the damage to Aklan. Tita Mavis sent me pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/cataractfoundation/TyphoonFrankHitsAklan. When I saw the images, I knew I had to go to Aklan.

I sat down with my mom. My family was scheduled to leave for Europe to attend an international trade fair in Germany. It was also the 150th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes. And so it was timely for me to go on my pilgrimage to Lourdes, France 25 years after my parents asked for Our Lady's intercession for my safe passage into this world. (In 1982, the doctors advised my parents that they shouldn't have any more kids after my mom suffered from a temporary paralysis upon giving birth to my brother). I couldn't however find it in my heart to leave for Europe knowing full well what was happening in Aklan.

See, in November of 2006, when Typhoon Reming devastated my homeland, Albay, I was out of the country. I wanted to fly home soon after I learned about what happened to Albay but I wasn't able to do so until March of 2007. When I came home, 4 months after the typhoon, my Albay was still very much hurting. But I was comforted by the realization that the country had come to the aid of Albay and even after four months, there still remained a number of local and international organizations and groups that were working tirelessly to help my people. So it was that come June 26, 2008, after hearing about the plight of the Aklanons, I knew that the time to pay it forward had finally come.

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