After Yolanda: A tale of two Jennylyns

Rappler.com

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Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan strive to get back on their feet, one day at a time. Here is a story of two women coping differently

 CRAMPED. The bunkhouses where Yolanda victims are cramped and close together, making normal activities difficult. Photo by Natashya Gutierrez

TACLOBAN, Philippines – In Tacloban, Typhoon Yolanda, international name Haiyan, claimed lives and destroyed homes.
Survivors strive to get back on their feet, one day at a time.
Here is a story of two women coping differently.
Natashya Gutierrez reports.

Two women… same name… same misfortune.
Jennylyn Pondon and Jennylyn Villarmin are Typhoon Haiyan survivors.
But how they are coping are drastically different.
Pondon’s family now lives in a bunkhouse built by the government.
She shares a common bathroom and stove with other refugees.
There’s no electricity. They’re far from their old neighborhood and source of income.

JENNYLYN PONDON, YOLANDA SURVIVOR: Ngayon marami na problema namin kasi walang puhunan yung asawa ko, ito madalas hikain, walang pambili ng gamot kasi yung asawa ko naglalako para makabili ng gamot nito.
(We have a lot more problems now because my husband has no income, my child is asthmatic, we don’t have money to buy medicine so my husband has to sell fish in villages to buy medicine.)

Even something that signals a return to normalcy like sex is a challenge.
Bunkhouses are cramped and built close together and residents have no chance to be alone with their partners.
Pondon and her husband shares their unit with two kids, and a brother.

PONDON: Wala mang chance mag-isa.

The government says they want victims’ lives to return to normal.
But with the most basic things difficult to do, normalcy is far from reality.

NATASHYA GUTIERREZ, REPORTING: Others have decided to take matters into their own hands. Rather than stay in tents like these behind me, they’ve chosen to rebuild their lives on their own. They say it’s quicker this way.

In no-build zones right by the ocean, residents like Villarmin rebuild their lives.
Relying on government, they say, will take much longer.
They build new houses where their old ones stood, saying a supertyphoon won’t happen again anytime soon.

JENNYLYN VILLARMIN, YOLANDA SURVIVOR: Diyan may magbabahay diyan. Ilang bahay pa magbabahay diyan, diyan, sa likod namin. Marami pang mambabahay.
(People will be building house there, more are expected to be built there, there and there, even behind us. Many are planning to rebuild here.)

They enjoy electricity, their own kitchen, and with the sea nearby, food and livelihood.
Villarmin says she and her husband enjoy some privacy.
With their needs met, it’s hard for them to leave.

VILLARMIN: Wala naman kaming malilipitan at wala naman kaming mapupuntahan na iba. Dito naman kami lumaki, dito kami sinilang, dito nalang kami. (We have nowhere to go or transfer to. Anyway we were born here, we grew up here, we will just stay here.)

This is the challenge for the government: to convince survivors their sacrifices now are worth it in the long term.
Pondon’s life is difficult now, but she holds on to the government’s promise life will be better.
But the government must also convince people like Villarmin who opt to return to danger zones.
To do this, the government must not just keep its promise to build back better, it must build back better soon.
Natashya Gutierrez, Rappler, Tacloban.

– Rappler.com

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