Tacloban City, Leyte—Except for the “open-air” arrivals area and the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) tents that line the road from the airport to the city, there seems to be no indication that this city had been ravaged seven months earlier. Life has slowly returned to Tacloban.
Yes, there is still that sadness that seems to permeate the air, more so at dusk. When one looks out at the water, there is a tranquility that belies the fury that the gulf is capable of.
Over at McArthur Park, the monuments, dirty and somewhat tarnished, still stand proudly—except for that of General Carlos P. Romulo, whose statue was felled by the raging waters of Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” and who now stands beside McArthur, propped up by a stick. Quite undignified, to be honest.
We are in Tacloban to turn over the first playground to rise again after Yolanda.
Johnson & Johnson has set up a children’s playground in the third largest public elementary school in Tacloban, Sagkahan Public School, efficiently run by its principal, Niceta “Nice” Galura, and home to 1,966 students covering 14 barangays.
For a majority of these children, it is the first time they have ever played on a swing or a slide, or climbed a tree house.
The most popular fixture on the property is the dalusdos or the children’s slide.
Under water
Seven months ago, the school was completely under water. Students and parents had rushed to the nearby church and scrambled up the second floor when the waters rose; as they looked through the windows, what used to be the school grounds turned into an ocean.
Classes for the new school year resumed on June 2, and principal Galura is happy to report that the school now has almost 100-percent attendance, whereas before, “after Yolanda and for the next months, we had great difficulty achieving 80,” she says.
Today, as she looks over the hundreds of children running in the playground and taking turns using the play equipment, she is beaming and close to tears.
In another area of the school, a library for the younger children is being set up by the Aboitiz Foundation in partnership with National Book Store.
Closer to the entrance, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has promised to deliver seven spanking new classrooms come July.
Around the property are temporary but sturdy blue-and-white classrooms donated by the Chinese Red Cross. If it takes a village to raise a child and put him or her through school, Sagkahan Elementary is one perfect example.
The playground is a collaborative project of Play Pilipinas, the Department of Education and Johnson & Johnson. Play, being an integral part of every child’s life, is an essential component of healing after trauma.
According to Play Pilipinas founder Sigrid Perez, the playground’s design is based on insights gathered from students, teachers and parents of Sagkahan. The school had lost 11 students to the storm surge, and many others have lost either a parent, a grandparent or a sibling.
Forget the horrors
Creating a safe place where children can play and imagine a better life and a better world will help them come to terms and eventually forget the horrors of Yolanda.
Children are a sensitive but resilient bunch. At the playground, close to dusk, it is heartwarming to see a group of small children huddle inside half a plastic drum and roll themselves in it, like it was the greatest ride of their lives. Peals of laughter pierce the air as the sun slowly sets.
The images and surroundings are a world away from what we are used to. There is so much joy in the children’s hearts after discovering how they can roll and tumble about in a plastic drum. The moment itself is priceless.
Once more, I am reminded that it really takes so little to keep one happy and content, more so if we never lose the wonder. It is a realization of the importance of going back to the basics and teaching it to ourselves, and more importantly, to our children.
All around us are small pockets of joy, and all we need to do is pause, and look with our hearts.
Rising up after a tragedy is always possible when people and corporations help make dreams come true. Caring and kindness make a world of difference.
There is still much work and healing to be done in Tacloban, but in the bright eyes and warm smiles of Sagkahan’s children today, hope floats. If all the aid that has been given to us and our altruistic energies are channeled properly, surely the next generation will do better, and Tacloban, like all the other cities and towns ravaged by Yolanda, will rise again.
