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It was early morning of November 8, 2013, when their lives changed after Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) battered northern Cebu and the rest of the Visayas region.
With the blink of an eye, what they called home in Barangay Lawis, San Remigio town was totally gone.
Five years after, Bethoven Olivar Sr. couple, 48, and Alma Olivar, 49, have proven that the super typhoon was not just a test of faith for their family but an opportunity for new beginnings.
The couple with their children, John Roland, 25; Shaira, 23; Kristine Joyce, 22; Bethoven, 19; and Lovernessa, 13 are now living in a new house in the same village.
"Mas nakabangon nami karon (Our situation is now better)," said Cebu Daily News.
The Olivar's house was among 5,288 houses that were totally damaged in San Remigio at the height of Super Typhoon Yolanda.
The couple remembered that they were very busy when they broke up on their town.
The Olivar family ran for their lives and took shelter in a nearby house.
"Basa kaayo among tanang gamit. Daghang kahoy nga naputol unya baha pa gyud ("Everything was wet." "Several trees were uprooted and it was flooding)," said Bethoven.
Since they have lost their house, the family has set up a temporary shelter.
They stayed there for eight months.
"Mura gyud me og mga baboy ato (We were like pigs)," recalled Alma saying that there were days when she would sleep on the ground.
It was in July 2014 when the Olivars were chosen by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), an inter-governmental organization as among the organization's 31 housing beneficiaries.
In just three days, with the help of IOM, a bungalow made of bamboo quickly rose in Barangay Lawis.
"Dako kaayo mi og pasalamat nila (We are so grateful to them)," said Alma.
"Nakaluy-an gyud me (We are so blessed)," added Bethoven.
While private institutions like IOM have been able to be fully and quickly affected by the super typhoon, the pace is much slower on the side of the government.
National Housing Authority
Data from the National Housing Authority in Central Visayas (NHA-7), which has not yet been completed.
As of October 19, 2018, only 350 housing units in two sites were undergoing construction; while 874 units had yet to begin.
NHA-7 Regional Manager Engr. Gavino Figuracion told CDN that the agency's biggest problem in implementing Yolanda housing projects for Cebu was land acquisition.
To address this, he said an agreement (MOA) was entered by NHA and San Remegio local officials to download the housing funds allotted for the local government
project contractor.
"They will be the ones to bid the project. In this case, local contractors can join the bidding. And local contractors have more connections to landowners, "Figuracion added.
Rebuilding homes
For people like Bethlehem and Alma, their homes are destroyed by their natural disaster.
The government recognized this need by allocating funds and pushing for the implementation of all cities, including Cebu.
In Central Visayas, NHA-7 allocated a total of 22,423 housing units in affected towns on Cebu, and on the islands of Bantayan and Camotes.
Out of the number, only 1,787 units were completed by the agency while 3,355 units are currently being built as of October 2018.
Construction has not started at all for the remaining 17,281 units.
NHA-7's Figuration of the Yolanda housing projects.
Most of the Yolanda projects in northern Cebu have just been bidded or lately bidded. Because he told CDN, "One of the major requirements of the contractor for a residential area – something that has a hard time to produce.
The fact that lots in Bantayan and Camotes Islands remain largely classified as unalienable and undisposable also adds to the burden.
Presidential Decree (PD) 2151 declared Bantayan Island PD 2153 declared Camotes Island as a mangrove area.
Based on NHA-7 data, of the 9,752 housing units allocated for Yolanda-affected towns in Cebu, only 1,267 have been completed, 2,065 are ongoing, and 6,420 have not yet started.
The beneficiary towns in mainland Cebu include Daanbantayan, Tabuelan, Medellin, San Remigio, Bogo City, Tabogon, Borbon, Tuburan, and Sogod.
In Bantayan Island, all three towns of Bantayan, Madridejos, and Santa Fe are beneficiaries with an allocation of 9,518 units.
But as of October 2018, only 520 have been completed, 1,290 are ongoing, and 7,708 have not yet started.
In Camotes, all of the 3,153 housing units intended for the towns of San Francisco, Poro, Tudela, and Pilar have yet to begin construction.
NHA-7 has had several locations where NHA-7 has not started the procurement process.
For those who have been bidded out by NHA-7 and are undergoing construction, the agency will be one to see through the project's completion, said Figuracion.
Once the houses are completed, NHA-7 will be contacted by the local authorities.
Aside from the actual Yolanda victims who lost their houses in November 2013, local government units also
included families living in hazard zones like shorelines in their list of
Beneficiaries.
Moving ahead
For their part, the Olivar family is thankful for their ability to rebuild their homes and lives
after Yolanda.
In place of the trees that were uprooted by the strong tropical cyclone, pineapples, bananas, mangoes, and coconut trees are now growing in their backyard.
The family also raises chicken, cows and goats.
The Olivars said that they have learned their trauma.
"Labi na og kusog ang hagin, makuyawan gyud ko (Especially when there is a wind, it gets me worried)," she said.
Alma told CDN that their family overcame the tragedy because they understood and helped each other.
The children were so encouraged to finish schooling that they could help their parents.
Alma Olivar (left) and Bethoven Olivar Sr. (right) talk about how they move on from super typhoon Yolanda. (PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
The Olivar's now a living from selling "hapao", a basket made of rattan and buri.
A wide basket sells for P90 each while a small basket is priced at P25.
John Roland and Kristine to finish their studies.
John Roland, a beneficiary of the Expanded Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), graduated from Cebu Normal University – Medellin Campus.
Kristine completed her Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) at the Felipe Verallo Foundation College in Bogo City.
The two now work as call center agent and teacher, respectively.
Aside from selling native sneakers, the two of you are still in school.
Alma works as a house helper and earns P3,000 a month while her husband Bethven works as a barangay tanod who earns P2,700 monthly.
Yolanda ravaged northern Cebu, yet government housing projects remained far from done.
With help from local government units, NHA-7 hopes to be able to complete these projects while ensuring that they will be livable.
The NHA houses may not have had their homes; These calamity victims continue to hope that soon they can call these structures.
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