Haiyan aftermath: Martina’s story

JP Gopez, Aya Lowe

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After her organic farm of 30 years was destroyed by super typhoon Haiyan, Martina Rayna used her resources to generate jobs and money for her 28 employees. This is her story.

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – After her organic farm of 30 years was destroyed by super typhoon Haiyan, Martina Rayna used her resources to generate jobs and money for her 28 employees. This is her story.

 

MARTINA RAYNA, ORGANIC FARMER: Before I could harvest how many kilos of rambutan, mango, calamansi. But right now not even a single tree.

On the morning of November 8, typhoon Yolanda destroyed Martina’s organic farm and house. This is her story.

MARTINA RAYNA, ORGANIC FARMER: Around seven, past seven, sabi nya “Tina, ano, babaha! Bumabaha! Bumabaha! Tumataas ang tubig! Labas kayong lahat, labas! Punta kayo sa taas!” (Around 7, someone said “Tina it’s flooding! The water is rising! Everyone go out and everyone go to the back.”) Because we have a two story house at the back as a quarter for my workers. Then we were trapped in the room. Then nakita ko na may white table, plastic table, na nakapasok, nag-push ng pintuan. But the water, ‘di pa umaabot dun sa ceiling namin. So mayroon pang about a foot, a foot space na nakaka-ano pa ako ng ano, nakaka-breathe pa ako. (Then I saw that there was a white table that pushed the door out but the water hadn’t reached the ceiling there was still about a foot of space. I could still breathe)

When the water was already up to my neck and my granddaughter was on top of my shoulder, I said “Lord if you’re going to get me I offer my life.” But I cannot imagine how it happened. Until this time I cannot imagine how it happened that I was able to go up to the second floor. When I was able to hear the crying of the members of my family saying “thank you lord mommy is here.” We are all accounted. That was the time I, I awakened myself, “Buhay pala ako.” (That was the time I awaked myself. I’m alive.)

My adrenalin after the typhoon was very high. I could even hold a big dead body in my arms to put it on the side of the road so people could help me wrap it.

May sad emotions ako bakit nasira yung bahay ko, bakit for 37 years, lahat ng gamit ko. You know what, maski isang butones, wala, walang naiwan sa bahay. But at the back of my mind, there was an, an emotion of, of parang challenge sa’kin. The mere fact that ‘di ako namatay with the tragedy, there was something more that I want to do. (I have sad emotions about why my house was broken, why for 37 years from every material thing that I had there was not even one button left. But at the back of my mind there was an emotion of challenge for me. The mere fact that I didn’t die there was something more that I wanted to do.)

Luckily someone knocked at our door. A couple and four boys asked us if we could accommodate them. Because walang mga hotels, walang mga bahay na pwede dahil lahat sira. (Because there were no hotels.) After 7 days the gave us money P1,500 a day. I said I have to accept this because I need this money for my people. They need their houses to be rebuilt. They need food to eat. They need clothes to wear.

We have 32 employees 28 of them have families. They were able to buy materials for their houses and they were able to put up their own houses.

After the typhoon, Martina employed people to wash the clothing of NGO workers. She employed her chef to BBQ to sell. She used her generator to become the first distributor of Selecta. All these tasks generated jobs and money for her employees.

MARTINA RAYNA, ORGANIC FARMER: We really have to survive and to survive is to work but you cannot work if you will not believe that all these things come from this. – Rappler.com

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