1 | P a g e

THE FEED THE HUNGRY STORY IN

JICONTOL, DOLORES, EASTERN SAMAR April 18, 2012

Sometime last January 2011, we met with Benjie Picardo, CEO of Iraya Farms of Dolores, Eastern

Samar seeking relief assistance for the farmers of Barangay Jicontol that were affected by flooding

in their area. Before harvest time, heavy rains flooded the rice fields and damaged all their crops

causing extreme hunger among the farmers. It was reported that one father killed his neighbor for

refusing to share his food with the farmer’s family. Another story reported the father committing

suicide out of the desperate situation. Tess appealed to the FtH Feeding Program and the D-

Palaos Golf Club members who were in Manila at that time to donate their feeding funds to the

families in Dolores which were granted and immediately implemented in Dolores.

ON April 17, 2012, Tess and Pablito traveled to Dolores, Eastern Samar to inspect a classroom site

in Hilabaan Island NHS and Brgy Jicontol. We left Manila at 8:45 a.m. on Terminal 3 in Manila

for Tacloban, Leyte, the nearest airport to Dolores. We were met at the airport by Lily V. of Iraya

Farms and were escorted to an ongoing seminar led by Iraya Farms about the processing of ethanol

from camote crops. The camotes will be planted by the members of the farmer’s cooperative, the

harvest will be processed into ethanol; the ethanol will be used by the farmer’s tractor engines and

tricycles and the profit will then be distributed to the farmers. But it will be another separate

livelihood project story.

WE had lunch in Tacloban before we proceed to Dolores as there are no rest stops along the way

for the next 4 hours. Besides, we were looking to buy a life vest for Tess to be used in going to the

island of Hilabaan, riding a small boat, crossing the Visayan Sea, with no provisions for life vest

on board, we were warned. The barbecued chicken of “Mang Inasal” was very good and you can

Tess meeting with local officials, Mayor

Ewit, Benjie Picardo of Iraya Farms, before

the trip.

Mayor Ewit pointing to the boat we will ride to

Brgy Jicontol, second to the farthest barangay

of Dolores. Dolores River is the main highway

to the barangays. No roads yet.

2 | P a g e

have all the rice you can eat with the meal and we were lucky to buy the last life vest from Gaisano

Mall, a little bigger, large size, for Tess, but will do the same job of keeping her afloat.

The road to Dolores needs a lot to be desired. The roads are concrete but most portions are already

damaged with improper or lack of drainage system and the concrete deteriorated due to weak

concrete or use of less cement, mostly done by shady government contractors. Before we reached

Dolores, I was impressed with the blue water of a river that we passed by. Later on, I was told it is

Taft River and the river was contaminated by mine tailings some 30 years ago (the mines were

closed already) and some of the river banks are still showing the effects of the contamination as

there were no grass or weeds are growing on them.

We were met by the Mayor of Dolores, Atty. Emiliana “Ewit” P. Villacarillo, who has been in and

out of political position for the past 31 years, who invited us to stay with her during our visit to

Dolores. We were invited to stay in the beach house of Benjie but it is isolated and farther away

from the town we decided to accept the invitation of the Mayor. Manang Ewit is not a traditional

politician (trapo). No make ups, no flashy dress, just blue working jeans. The gate to her home is

always open. Manang Ewit has no bodyguards. Except for a lady or two who helps in the house,

the rest are her scholars who help when they do not have any class; a municipal employee who

stays only during week days; a dropped in visitor from another town, like us. She walks around the

neighborhood on the way to her office in the Municipal Building, saying good morning to all she

meets. Her office does not have any privacy walls. She comes home late attending some meetings

and functions. Her son visiting from San Francisco told us that nobody in the family would like to

follow her footsteps.

The day we were to go to Brgy Jicontol, she sponsored a catered breakfast at the “Boulevard”

where two bigger boats are waiting. I saw the compassion of this Mayor when she prepared a plate

of food by herself and offered it to a street lady sitting by a corner, she does not even know the

name. The old lady immediate wrap the bread she was eating for breakfast, maybe saving it later

for lunch.

We boarded this boat, about 4 feet wide by 30 feet long, together with other members of the party.

The Mayor is awarding a certificate to all the farmers that are participating in a DSWD program

that will give them allowance while waiting for the rice to be harvested, in exchange for sending

their kids to school, school kids and pregnant wives to be seeking medical treatment from the

health center, etc. This will keep the farmers from borrowing money from the middlemen, will

keep them busy in between planting rice, and will keep their family healthy.

Dolores River is the main ‘highway’ to these remote places, while the roads are still being

constructed. The trip is about 2 hours and the distance is not measured in kilometers (or miles) but

by the number of turns before we reached the place. You sit on a hard bench with no back rest and

you get a chance to be splashed with water if we meet another boat going the other way. The boat

is “air-conditioned” as there are no side walls, but with a roof to cover the sun

3 | P a g e

After almost 2 hours of enjoying the native scenes, like a farmer washing his carabao, besides the

kids taking a swim, next to the wife washing the laundry, but I did not see any crocodile bathing in

the sun, just miles and miles of coconut and palm trees along the river banks, we finally arrived at

the ‘pier’ by the Jicontol Park. Several “kuliglig” ( a hand tractor that the farmers used for tilling

the fields is now fitted with a cart for 12 riders, to shuttle the residents from the town center to this

pier, for the boat ride to town) were already waiting for our party. I was able to squeeze my 200

pounds frame into the cart and off we went on a 20 minutes bumpy ride on a dirt road to the center.

They told us those rice fields were all submerged during the flood. We were met by the local

officials and the farmers and to my surprise, some 70 couples who will participate in a mass

wedding to be officiated by the Mayor. We were told that the local parish does not approve these

mass weddings as they are losing revenues on a church wedding.

After the awarding of certificates, the Mayor officiated on the mass wedding. Each couple was

given a chance for a photo-op, the groom got a chance to kiss the bride in public, they have their

first dance as a couple, the Mayor personally singing to them and all were smiling and very happy.

Tess, trying to stay away from the sun, beside the

DSWD officer and Benjie at the back.

Tess, partly hidden in blue sleeves, being

assisted by the boat man with hat, trying to get

down from the boat, on a 2x4 walkway, only to

climb the steep stairs with no railing to hold on

to. The sign says Jicontol Park!

4 | P a g e

We had lunch and after a visit to the neighbor’s rest room, we were on our way back to the town of

Dolores. Another ride on the ‘kuliglig” and another 2 hours ride on the boat. The Mayor had to

stay behind to go to another barangay for another mass wedding and we won’t be seeing her until

the next day. When we got back in town, Benjie treated us to a glass of cold ‘halo-halo” at a sea

side restaurant called “Palikero” (or Gigolo or Pabling, noticed any similarities?). It was a long

day but full of memories. The farmers who have nothing to eat a year ago is now very happy and

healthy and had forgotten their miseries of past tragedies. Such is the life in the remote areas of

Dolores, Eastern Samar.

Pablito

June 23, 2012

LEFT PHOTO: Tess, DSWD, Mayor getting ready to award certificate.

RIGHT PHOTO: Mayor Ewit serenading the newlyweds doing their first dance as a couple. Please

note that some brides are already along the family way, they need the wedding certificate to

participate in the program and to enroll their kids to schools.