Rebuilding livelihoods in the Philippines
Haiyan, six months on...
It is now six months since Typhoon Haiyan made landfall on 8 November, devastating parts of the central Philippines and affecting 14 million people overall, of which six million workers. A massive international mobilization and the resilience of the survivors helped restore livelihoods but millions still have needs requiring urgent attention.
Almost six million workers have been affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). Of these, 2.6 million were already in vulnerable employment and living at or near the poverty line even before the super typhoon. Emergency employment provides not just a job, but a decent work opportunity, with a minimum wage guarantee, occupational safety and health and access to social security, accident and health insurance.
© ILO/K. Lapitan
In Leyte, workers under the emergency employment programme repair a damaged school after Haiyan (Yolanda). The Early Recovery and Livelihood Cluster provided more than 130,000 people with emergency employment and livelihood services. The ILO co-leads the cluster with UNDP to help affected workers and their families to begin rebuilding their lives, and reviving the economy, through decent jobs.
© ILO/K. Lapitan
Haiyan uprooted thousands of coconut trees. Workers under the emergency employment programme are clearing and turning fallen coconut trees into coco lumber, which can be used as a local resource in rebuilding damaged houses and small infrastructures.
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For decades, Marina Tutud of Northern Cebu relied on coconut trees as main source of income until Haiyan damaged their coconut plantation. She joined the Emergency Employment Programme and helped her husband in buying a fishing boat using the money she earned. Ensuring jobs for 100,000 men and women that include minimum wages, sound occupational safety, skills development and social protection can change half a million lives.
© ILO/K. Lapitan
Workers under the emergency employment programme build a Sawali Production Centre. Sawali split bamboo mats are used for walls of tourist resorts and hotels in Coron, Palawan. The emergency employment programme will transition to medium-term labour-based community work, skills training and enterprise development.
© ILO/K. Lapitan
Karina Quijano, 52, a community leader in Coron, Palawan joined the ILO Emergency Employment Programme and encouraged women in their community to be part of the programme. Together, they worked in preparing the land for a communal garden.
© ILO/K. Lapitan
Workers involved in emergency employment programmes are given personal protective equipment and guaranteed social security and health insurance – to avoid risking their health and their lives in rebuilding their communities.
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Roger Gona, 30, of Tacloban City said he used his income from the emergency employment programme to buy food for his family and kept a portion as savings. Under the programme, Roger helped clean mosquito-infested drainage and the barangay (village) hall. He said that the work is difficult and dangerous due to rocks and metals. He is thankful that personal protective and safety gears were provided.
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The emergency employment programme after Haiyan also covered Bohol, barely recovering from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. The ILO partnered with the government to help affected workers build back better and to gain while new skills in carpentry, masonry, plumbing, welding and electrical installation.
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Raquel De Leon, 38, is a single mother from Coron, Palawan. The emergency employment programme enabled her to provide for the needs of her three children. She’s also glad for the chance to practice her skills in carpentry as she assisted in constructing a sawali production centre, which will benefit the entire community.
© ILO/K. Lapitan
The Labour Day Jobs Fair in Leyte complements the emergency employment programme to promote local employment and sustainable livelihoods so that people are not forced to leave their homes or to accept whatever work is available just to survive.
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Small-scale business owners, vendors and aspiring entrepreneurs learn the basic principles of business development through the Community-Based Enterprise Development.
© ILO/K. Lapitan