22 February 2022 – With Typhoon Odette (Rai) destroying millions of houses, it has also disrupted livelihoods. Most of the affected are people in coastal areas and islands and their livelihood is also affected which leads to difficulty in recovery.
Pres. Carlos P. Garcia(CPG), an island municipality in Bohol, is one of the hardest-hit municipalities. Even over a month, the entire municipality continues to suffer from the havoc of the typhoon.
Many families, especially in one of the island barangays in CPG, where 70% of the livelihood depends on fishing was extremely affected.
According to the Municipality, up to 1,273 boats in the island barangay of CPG were destroyed and missing leaving families with no income to provide for their families.
One of the affected families who lost their livelihood is Virgilio, a fisherman. He has five children, only one is still studying. Just like our fathers, Virgilio is willing to do anything to make ends meet.
Before typhoon Odette, he used to catch blue crabs, which Bohol is abundant in. He earns around 300 pesos a day in fishing crabs. They also have a mini neighborhood sundry store that helps in their daily expenses.
But Typhoon Odette washed away everything. The roof of their house was gone, even the one side of their wall was washed out. Their mini neighborhood sundry store was also washed away and even his fishing boats were destroyed and went missing.
“Ngayon wala na akong panghanapbuhay. Hindi ko alam kung paano ‘yon umpisahan, o makabili ulit ng bangka,” Virgilio said.
“Now, all my livelihood were gone. I don’t know how we will be able to recover, or even buy a new boat,” Virgilio said.
When livelihood is affected, it will be much more difficult for the families to recover. Parents fear about their future and the future of their children.
This time of the year is supposed to be the best time to rebuild their farms due to good weather conditions, but the typhoon Odette destroyed their boats and fishing gear.
Rebuilding their livelihood can also mean rebuilding their homes and restoring their dreams. There are thousands of families that still need our support, please continue supporting our response and recovery support, donate now.
