TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – Nerisa Campos, a Filipino migrant worker, almost broke into tears as she recalled seeing Tacloban on Thursday evening, October 30, as she got off the plane that brought her to this city for All Saints’ Day.

The lights from the buildings here – the airport and the restaurants, to name a few – struck Campos, a Filipino who has been working in Hong Kong for two years now.

“Nakita ko parang, ‘Wow, nabuhay uli ang Tacloban! Ibig sabihin, tumayo kami uli,’” Campos told Rappler. (When I saw it, I thought, “Wow, Tacloban came back to life! This means we have risen.)

Campos is one of the hundreds of visitors, many of them migrant workers, whom the city government expects to arrive in Tacloban in time for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, November 1 and 2, and the first year after Yolanda on November 8.

These visitors would see two faces of Tacloban City a year after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which killed more than 6,300 people, struck on November 8, 2013.

Fears of stolen aid

On one hand, signs of rebuilding – commercial establishments, such as malls and vehicle showrooms – line the main roads.

At the same time, however, in remote areas of Tacloban, thousands remain homeless. Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez said only 50 of the 14,500 needed permanent shelters have been built.

Romualdez said around 400 families still live in tents, while hundreds stay in temporary shelters.

Tessie Geraldson, another Filipino migrant worker who arrived in Tacloban on Thursday, said she appreciates the help extended to Yolanda survivors.

“Well, parang dumarating naman ang tulong, although hindi ko sigurado if it’s 100%,” Geraldson said. (Well, it looks like help is coming, though I’m not sure if it’s 100 percent.)

Referring to politicians who get kickbacks from aid, Geraldson added, “Maraming dinadaanan (It goes through many hands).” – Rappler.com

See related stories: 

• Yolanda a year after: Few LGUs asking for multi-hazard maps
• Yolanda a year after: Only 2% of needed houses to be built by Nov 8
• Yolanda a year after: Tacloban ‘township’ to rise
• Yolanda a year after: Hundreds of clinics not yet repaired
• Yolanda a year after: No major disease outbreaks recorded
• Finally, Aquino approves Yolanda rehabilitation plan
• Yolanda a year after: Many still suffer grief, depression
• Yolanda a year after: More teenage pregnancies expected
• Tacloban runway repairs force PAL to wait-list passengers
• Damaged Tacloban airport ‘taking toll’ on region