Region III was one of the places hardest hit by Typhoon “Santi” which devastated seven provinces, nine cities, 75 municipalities and 1,320 barangays.

To date, “Santi” has affected more than 200,000 families in the region alone.

One such place which suffered destruction is Barangay Mabilog, situated at the far north of Concepcion, Tarlac. It is an idyllic place surrounded by tall sugarcanes away from the noise and chaos of the city.

But last October 11, 2013, Friday night, Typhoon Santi unleashed its fury in the once peaceful barangay, leaving a trail of destroyed houses.

The place was recently visited by Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program staff to verify the number of the damaged houses.  To date, the number of totally damaged houses in the barangay are 25, while the partially damaged houses rose up to 520.

Most of the residents of Mabilog were busy patching up their roofs and repairing their walls. Other families who do not have enough money for repairs were forced to leave their homes and find shelter in a different place. Some temporarily stay with their relatives.

Set 6 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries Susan Talbani and her family are among those whose house was totally destroyed.

“We have to leave our home because nothing was left of it, not even scraps of materials which we can use for constructing a new home,” Susan lamented.

Susan expressed her gratitude to the DSWD for the assistance they received through the Food-for-Work (FFW) program.

“Malaking bagay po ang tulong na ibinigay ng DSWD lalo na ngayong wala pang trabaho sa tubuhan,” Susan said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development released 545 family food packs for the FFW beneficiaries while undergoing clearing work in the community and repairing their houses.

Despite the tragedy, hope can be glimpsed in the faces of the people whom DSWD has helped.

 As Susan stated, “We are not despairing because we know the government will continue to support us in times of need.”###