Revisiting a ‘Sendong’ survivor village

CHEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for sharing with its readers how a typhoon-ravaged community is getting back on its feet.

An Inquirer special report revisited how Sitio Gutom in Iligan City’s Barangay Lanipao is recovering after it was ravaged by typhoon “Sendong” (international name: Washi), regarded as the world’s deadliest storm in 2011. After deciding to resettle in a supposedly safer area to avoid the wrath of another typhoon, the Sitio Gutom families set aside a portion of their donated monggo (mung bean) for planting. It later became a top source of livelihood.

“This turned out to be the big idea that pump-primed the community’s recovery and drove its impressive journey of building back better from Sendong’s wrath with minimal help from the government,” the special report wrote. One thing led to another. The villagers, with the help of funding assistance, put their efforts in rehabilitating their community, including addressing physical access to and from the community and other livelihood sources. (“Bounty back in village after ‘Sendong’“, Dec. 28, 2014, p. A14)

The special report came with a sidebar on “Sendong” and its casualties.