Post-Mortem of a Fire

 A day before the biggest festival in Iloilo City, a fire broke out and razed a commercial building. 

News reports indicated that the fire broke out on January 24 at 7:40 PM at the Ledi Supermarket in Iznart St., a few hours before the highlight of the Dinagyang Festival. The fire lasted for 3 hours and required assistance of fire trucks and fire volunteers from nearby municipalities. 

I read in a Rappler report that 11 stores were razed down. Most of these stores sell clothing and textile products which may had fed the fire. Here's a list of the stores affected:

• CPT Pharmacy
• Yoka Store
• Helen Marketing
• AH Trading
• LGC Hardware
• EC Marketing
• Yankee General Merchandizing
• PCSO Lotto Outlet
• JB Lucky
• Mercury Money Changer
• Enghong Commercial

My husband took these photos of the Bureau of Fire and Protection people cleaning up the area the day after the fire while they were covering the "Kasadyahan" performances in the nearby JM Basa St.    

The People We Had Helped Rebuild Their Homes

If you recalled my first post regarding my fund drive for Typhoon Yolanda victims in Brgy. Bagongon, Concepcion, Iloilo, we have already gave cash to some families (see related post here). I was not able to go to the island personally. I was actually advised not to go there because the weather these past few weeks is not good for travelling to the island. I handed P15,000 to Mrs. Catherine Buenafe and she took charge of distributing the money to her neighbors. 

Mrs. Buenafe accepting the cash donations last December 2013.

Here is a list of names of the recipients of the donations:

Reynaldo Olano

Jona Panday

Lorna Gabayeron

Elena Gabayeron

Bonifacio Vinalon

Herminio Buenafe

Rona Buenafe

Mary Jaene Sanchez

Joey Herbolario

RIna Camayodo

Mrs. Catherine Buenafe promised to give me photos of the recipients. However, she could not give it to me yet because she has not yet crossed to the mainland because of bad weather. I want to get photos of the recipients and the area for transparency purposes for our donors but then, I don't want also that these people risk their safety for a simple photo. I'll just post it here as soon as I get them.

Please encourage your friends to make their donations through my gofundme page so that we could help more families in the island. http://www.gofundme.com/5d0qv8 

As of today, we have received $199 dollars donation. I am planning to cash this out next week so we can send funds to some families.


EDITED (January 30, 2014)

Here are the photos of the people who have received assistance from us last December. 

A Summer Getaway: Campuestohan Highland Resort

The managers of Bristlecone Branch of Sunlife Financial went to the Campuestohan Highland Resort, a mountain get away that is currently getting a lot of tourist traffic, last January 24, 2014. If you love to commune with nature, Campuestohan is the right vacation spot for you.

Mt. Mandalagan in the background.

Campuestohan is situated right in the boundaries of Talisay City and Bacolod City of Negros Occidental. The place offers breathtaking views. Serving as a backdrop is the majestic Mt. Mandalagan while on the other side is a scenic view of the plains of Negros Occidental, a portion of the sea and a peek of the Panay islands. The weather is very cool which makes it a perfect summer getaway. 

Picking up the Pieces: Typhoon Yolanda Survivors

These are some of the photos taken by my husband Jonathan, of the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda from Northern Iloilo. He was a member of the group called Typhoon Yolanda Story Hub. The group provided some of the photos used in compelling news articles about damage brought by the strongest typhoon ever recorded in history.

Children from Nagpana, Barotac Viejo

Trecia Ann Docejo. 2 yrs old. From Poblacion, Concepcion, Iloilo.

Embers Amongst Ashes: The Different Faces of Typhoon Yolanda Destruction

My husband was one of the few photographers called to photograph the areas affected by Typhoon yolanda in Northern Iloilo. Some of the areas he covered were Estancia, Concepcion and Barotac Viejo. Here are some of the photos he took. 

What's left of Sara Public Market

Boats slammed into houses in Estancia

Estancia oil spill

A public school in Estancia

I am running a donation drive for affected families of Typhoon Yolanda in Brgy. Bagongon, Concepcion, Iloilo. Should you wish to help, check out this link to know more: http://www.gofundme.com/5d0qv8

Helping Rebuild Northern Iloilo - Our Typhoon Yolanda Aid Story

It's been two months since Typhoon Haiyan (Philippine name Yolanda) struck the Visayas area of the Philippines. Some of the hardest hit areas are in Northern Iloilo composed of Estancia, Batad, Ajuy, Barotac Viejo, Carles and Concepcion. Public structures were destroyed, homes were flattened, livelihood were lost, and some lives perished during and after the storm. 

Remembering Panoy

It's October 30 today. It's a day of the year we always remember. It's my brother Panoy's birthday.

He would have turned 32 this year. But our beloved brother is frozen at age 23. He died a hero in Surigao del Norte on May 2, 2005. The last time I saw him was on October 2004, when he fetched me at the Manila Airport. He was very excited to meet with me then. We had a long talk about life, family, his ambitions and plans as a soldier, and about his girlfriend Deen.

Panoy wanted to spend more time with his sisters. Bonding time, he said since we were not able to really bond during our college days. I spent my college days in Miagao, Iloilo while he spent time sweating it out at PMA. I was her big sister, especially during his elementary years when most of our elder siblings were off to college in Iloilo. I was the one who would bring him to school. Who would attend the PTA meeting when Nanay can't attend. I was the one who would wash their dirty uniforms and help coach him when he joined a declamation contest.