Aladin C. Advincula has served as a municipal engineer in the town of Marabut, Samar, for more than a decade. “Most of the houses and facilities in our municipality are situated near the sea,” he says. “As a result, typhoon Yolanda left huge destruction here.”
Marabut Municipal Engineer Aladin C. Advincula
This included the old civic center, which suffered significant damage during Yolanda. Once situated on the coastline, it has been moved further inland. “We decided that it needed to be in a safer area,” Aladin says. “It is a very much safer facility, and one we can use as an evacuation center, even if there’s a tsunami,” he says.
“We’re very thankful to the DILG for the providing us with the funds to construct our new civic center,” Aladin says. The local government has since used its own fund to build additional slope protections, to prevent floods during rainy season.
The newly-completed Marabut Civic Center – July 2015
Even today, the LGU has big plans for the center. “Our future plan here is to install screens, so that the facility can be used for sports activities like basketball,” Aladin says.
“Aside from our civic center, our public market was also repaired, but it for the meantime it is being used as our temporary municipal hall.”
“The repair of our main facilities is very helpful to us because it reflects how we are moving forward, after this terrible event,” he adds.
