Rebuilding life after the storm

Jay Lumakang’s family has suffered many tragedies in life.

The sixth of seven siblings, Jay had been caring for their sick mother, who became bedridden after suffering from multiple heart attacks in the last five years.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, his father died from a road accident while traveling home from the farm.

When Super Typhoon Rai (locally known as Odette) struck in December 2021, their home in Barangay Pancil, Malitbog, Southern Leyte was completely destroyed. This resulted in Jay being separated from his mother and younger brother. They are now staying with their eldest sister.

But Jay, who is 21 years old and is proudly gay, has not let such tragedies define his life. After his father’s death, he decided to delay pursuing college to find work and help his family.

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While he longs to be with his mother and care for her, Jay has found solace working as a caregiver for an old and bedridden patient in a nearby village. The P4,000 (USD 80) he earns each month is divided in half, with one half allotted for his mother’s medicine and the other for his day-to-day expenses. Despite the meager income, he finds ways to save money to rebuild their house.

Many residents in Southern Leyte share the same problems – poverty made worse by disasters regularly devastating the region.

to village chief Rosenda Orais, out of the 88 households in Pancil, 53 were totally damaged by STY Rai. With farmlands and coconut trees also decimated by the typhoon, the farming-dependent residents are now uncertain about how to earn a living.

As an immediate assistance to typhoon survivors like Jay and his family, Oxfam Pilipinas and partner Exodus from Child Labor to Integration, Play Socialization and Education, Inc. (ECLIPSE) provided temporary shelter materials, hygiene kits, water supply, and containers, as well as other necessities.

“Pasalamat ko og ang ako pamilya sa ECLIPSE and Oxfam Pilipinas sa mga hinabang nga among nadawat, nagpasalamat ko kay naapil mi ug bisan sa kalayo ning among dapit naabot sila diria sa among baryo,” says Jay.

(My family and I are grateful for the support that we have received from ECLIPSE and Oxfam Pilipinas. We are thankful to be a part of the recipients. They were still able to reach our community even though we are far.)

Jay said he is hoping that there are more organizations like ECLIPSE and Oxfam Pilipinas who prioritize far-flung communities severely affected by typhoons.

Like other typhoon survivors, Pancil looks forward to having their normal lives back --to rebuild their home, make a living, and have enough food on their tables.