Life goes on for this farmer in Ligao City. He returns to

his small parcel of land with his carabao and works the land.

The bigger photo above is the Guinobatan town hall where public meetings are held -- the entire roof was rippsed away. The other photos are homes and buildings, mostly in the Travesia agrea of Guinobatan.

Electric coops in other regions, and even Meralco, sent construction crew to help the Bicolanos restore electricity. Many homes have electricity by Christmas 2006

A. Evacuation Centers

Evacuation centers in Camalig (#1 to 4, left to right), Binitayan, and Malabog (last photo)

B. Rehabilating farms and facilities and homes

A DPWH crew working in the Padang area where homes were either burried or swept some kilometers to the Albay Gulf

C. In the meantime, the young try to earn a few pesos

Along the national highways in Guinobatan, Camalig and Rawis/Padang in Legaspi you will find these boys and girls -- even men -- holding cans for donations as you drive through the one-lane sections..

When they were still living in barangay Malobago, life was already hard, and everyday was a struggle to keep body and soul together. They had tiny parcels of land planted to rice and other crops which were not always enough to meet the basic requirements of the family. Now they don't have their homes and their land.

Some hope to become vendors in the public markets which are already teeming with vendors.  A few are thinking of migrating to Manila and other cities where they hope they could find jobs.

Some hope that the government would launch huge infra projects such as repair of damaged roads and public buildings, then they could hire themselves out, have a livelihood, and drive away their despair. Unfortunately, after more than one month in the evacuation center, such program has not even been rumored about. One ventured the idea that perhaps the administration  will launch the public works program closer to the May 2007 elections to get votes for its candidates.

In the meantime, the administration is spending 10 billion pesos this year  to buy attack helicopters and modern armaments to stop the insurgency by 2010, an insurgency that is fueled by similar desperate  situations in hundreds of barangays all over the country, even in places not devastated by natural calamities

Governor fears extreme poverty in Albay
by Evelyn @ 1:31 pm. Filed under News
Inquirer

LEGAZPI CITY- Extreme poverty is likely to follow the devastation wrought by Super typhoon "Reming," according to Gov. Fernando Gonzales who appealed for more help to alleviate the sufferings of his constituents. "It's a very grim prospect for us,"Gonzales told the Inquirer during a roundtable discussion with the Inquirer Southern Luzon on Monday.

He urged institutions and governments to help in the rehabilitation of the communities.Gonzales said government efforts were now geared toward rehabilitation, which, he added, required more funds. "We have at least 8,000 families who need to be relocated immediately to get them out of harm's way," he said.

The local governments of Ligao City, Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga and Legazpi City have identified relocation sites but lack funds for their development, he said. He thanked the private sector and non-government organizations (NGOs), especially those helping in the repair of damaged schools in Batan, Cagraray and Rapu-rapu islands and in other parts of the province.

Another NGO helped rehabilitate a hospital in Tabaco City, he added. "But the biggest problem confronting us is how to rehabilitate the people's livelihood, especially the farmers whose coconut and rice farms were almost completely destroyed," he said.

Each family cooks its own meal. This one prepares dried fish and corned beef.

The corridor of the school building teems with evacuees the whole day. Some do their cooking here, some their laundry,.

Several families are packed in one classroom. Donors include candles in the relief packs because there is no electricity. They are also given mosquito nets and other bedding materials.

Such is life in an evacuation center while waiting for a relocation site. But the victims go on with their lives, confident that things will get better at daybreak with the help of their fellowmen and their own efforts of will.