Livelihood Recovery of PH Fisherfolk Community in the wake of super Typhoon Odette
“To my fellow fisher folks, I hope that whatever learnings imparted throughout the training attended by us being the recipient of the fiberglass boats, we will take good care of it, and we will use them in our daily fishing activities and will not use them for illegal fishing. That we will always be cooperative and united as a group so that we will be able to receive programs supported by the NGOs because in an association more assistance will be obtained. It’s better to connect, cooperate, and most of all love one another to be able to attain the goal of success. This event today is a great opportunity for us, fisher folks, who already know how to construct fiberglass boats share our boatbuilding skills and give boats we constructed to others,” remarked Joseph Galagar, President of Cogtong Active Fisherfolks Association at the awarding of fiberglass boats, 10 Nov 2022 in Bohol, Philippines.
Members of the US-Philippines Society supported the construction of one fiberglass boat out of the six boats completed and provided to Candijay community as part of the Community Rehabilitation and Recovery project for the affected fisherfolks after Category 5 super typhoon Odette hit the Philippines a year ago on December 16-17. On the ground partners including the Provincial Bureau of Fisheries and Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation mobilized and oversaw implementation of these projects.
To support business continuity, forty “sari-sari” microenterprise owners and cooperative members received merchandise and inventory in early September. The program included lectures, workshop exercises, and group discussions that promoted financial literacy, networking and sharing of best practices. Training was a major component to restore economic activities and ensure the project’s sustainability.
The US-Philippines Society’s disaster relief and recovery programs in the Philippines were made possible through the generous donation of members and donors including FILAMemphis, (Filipino-American Association of Memphis) a non-profit organization based in Memphis, Tennessee USA. This year they celebrate 45 years of service to enhance and preserve the Filipino heritage.