ALANGALANG, Leyte (Eagle News Service) – On February 15 last year, Iglesia Ni Cristo brethren from all over the world walked for a cause to help generate funds to provide housing and livelihood for the victims of typhoon Yolanda.
Barely a year later, that promise was fulfilled with God’s help.
Here in Sitio New Era, in a village named barangay Langit, 500 concrete housing units now stand ready for occupancy, with an eco-farming site, a garments factory, a dried fish factory and a mushroom facility that would provide the jobs for those living in the village.
On Friday, January 23, INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo who envisioned this project inaugurated the village named EVM Self-Sustainable Resettlement Community, which was also the church’s way of helping the government care for the victims of one of the strongest typhoons that had devastated central Philippines.
Nestled on top of a mountain in Alangalang town, Yolanda survivors who would settle in this community would not worry anymore about storm surges that had once brought havoc on their lives.
Here they could peacefully live, with a roof on their heads, their means of livelihood just a few blocks away, and a scenic view of the mountains all around them. Above all, a worship building that will serve as a sanctuary for their wearied souls will soon arise in the area.
At least 500 more housing units are to be built in the area within the year, to accommodate more indigent families.
What made the inauguration more significant was that it was witnessed by 24 ministers ordained that same day, in a special worship service officiated by Bro. Eduardo. The ordainees included a South African, two Japanese, and a German.
The worship service held at the makeshift tent was also viewed via video link in Tokyo, Japan; Bonn, Germany, and King Williamstown, South Africa where worship services of the INC were also conducted.
The ordination was a solemn, momentous occasion. The number of ministers ordained by Bro. Eduardo had reached almost 2,900 since he became the INC executive minister, with more ministers coming from different parts of the world as the INC becomes a more global church.
Madodandile Tyulu, 29, a native from South Africa, became the first South African minister of the INC. He expressed how happy and inspired he was by what he had witnessed that day.
The same sentiment was shared by Shuta Uchiyama who became the second minister of the INC of Japanese descent. He said he was also inspired by the INC Administration to help more people.
“Ang pamayanang ito na self-sustainable at may eco-farming system, garment factory, fish-drying plant at mga housing unit ay itinatag ng Iglesia Ni Cristo sa pamamagitan ng FYM Foundation Inc., “ read the marker at the site unveiled by Bro. Eduardo on Friday.
“Ito ang katuparan ng hangarin ng Pamamahala ng Iglesia na matulungan ang mga kaanib nito na sinalanta ng bagyong Yolanda noong 2013 upang sila’y makabangon at magkaroon ng maayos at matatag na kabuhayan. Sa gayon, makatutulong din ang Iglesia sa Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas na maiangat ang pamumuhay ng libu-libo nating mga kababayan dito sa Leyte. Purihin ang Diyos!”
These were the words contained in the marker read by INC General Evangelist minister Bienvenido Santiago during the inauguration of the site led by the INC Executive Minister.
Bro. Eduardo also presented the ceremonial key to one of the beneficiaries of the housing unit.
He then visited the mushroom facility, the garments factory and the fish-drying plant in the area.
INC General Auditor minister Glicerio Santos Jr., said the resettlement community was the fulfillment of the promise of the Church Administration to help the victims of typhoon Yolanda.
This was aside from the immediate help extended to Yolanda survivors immedately after the typhoon-ravaged the area. There had been a series of relief distribution and medical missions in Leyte, Samar, and in other provinces hit by Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) done by the Iglesia Ni Cristo through the FYM Foundation from November to December 2013. On March 2014, the INC again conducted a massive relief distribution and medical and dental mission in Tacloban City.
“Ito’y ginagawa ng Iglesia Ni Cristo dahil ito ang utos ng Diyos na ibigin ang kapwa tao,” Santos said.
“Paano ang pag-ibig sa kapwa-tao, yung kapag mayroon siyang pangangailangan, lalo na yung mga biktima ng kalamidad at iniabot mo ang iyong kamay para tulungan siya, yun ang tunay na pag-ibig sa kapwa. Kaya walang tigil ang Iglesia Ni Cristo sa paglingap sa kapwa” he said.
On February 15, 2014, INC brethren from around the world participated in the Worldwide Walk for Yolanda victims , the main aim of which is the setting up of a resettlement community for the typhoon survivors.
A month later, on March 14, 2014, INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo came to the site to lead the groundbreaking ceremonies for Sitio New Era, which was aptly named to embody the hopes for a new beginning for survivors of the typhoon who want to get back on their own feet in rebuilding their lives.
After only 10 months, 500 concrete housing units with tiled floors have been constructed in the site, and the vision of an eco-farming community with a garments factory and fish drying plant have all been realized.
The garments factory has in fact been mass-producing T-shirts, bedsheet, curtains and various linen, baby clothes, and dolls in the past four months giving a much-needed income to the Yolanda survivors employed in the area. There are 200 workers employed in the garments factory.
Bernadette Versoza, one of the workers in the garments factory, said she had been training for the job since March last year, and that this has been the family’s source of income ever since. She has two sons aged 17 and 14. They are also one of the beneficiaries for the housing project in Sitio New Era.
Romeo Bautista, a supervisor at the fish drying plant, said that workers have already produced dried fish products even last year that were sold in various stores and malls. Their products included dried sapsap, danggit, galunggong, bangus,and flying fish.
Produce from the vast vegetable farm in the site have also been sold in the local markets, as well as the mushrooms produced in the mushroom facility.
And some of the products are also being targeted for export.
Villamor Quebral, who heads the eco-farming project, said there are already some Taiwanese investors who are interested in the taro production in the area.
The Yolanda survivors have also harvested 500 cavans of rice in the last harvest season, said Quebral.
Hopefully in the next cropping season they would produce more rice, as the previous harvest had been affected by typhoon Ruby, he said.
Sitio New Era is situated in a 3,000- hectare land owned by the INC in Alangalang, Leyte. The initial phase of the project involved the development of some 700 hectares of the property
Dr. Sergie Santos of the FYM Foundation said the EVM Self-Sustainable Resettlement Community represented the result of the church members’ efforts worldwide to help the Yolanda survivors.
The INC brethren who helped build the site was motivated by faith in God and the love for their fellowmen. That everything happened fast and there were 500 concrete housing units built in 10 months’ time, aside from the livelihood projects already in place, was nothing short of a miracle.
Everything happened because of God’s grace, Santos said.
The self-sustainable community, in a sitio called “New Era” represented a new beginning for a people whose faith has been tested, and whose village –barangay Langit—is literally a piece of “heaven” on earth.