It’s been 8 months since Typhoon Odette hit some provinces in Visayas and Mindanao. With torrential rains and maximum sustained winds of 195 km/hr, everything on its path was severely damaged. One of the most hard hit areas is Siargao Island. Typhoon Odette made landfall on the island at 1:30pm of December 16, 2021 bringing violent winds, heavy rains, landslides and storm surges. Siargao was caught off-guard and left with unimaginable destruction.

Fast forward to August 2022, I’m back in Siargao on a mission. Several months after Typhoon Odette hit the island, access to clean drinking water is still intermittent in some hard-hit areas. Together with Cebu Pacific, Waves For Water Philippines, Mayor Alfredo Coro II and the local government representative of Municipality of Del Carmen, we visited Caub Island to distribute water filtration systems.

Caub is a remote island in Del Carmen and home to 502 households. Even before Typhoon Odette hit, access to clean drinking water was already a challenge to the residents because of its location. According to the locals, they spend as much as Php80 per 6 gallon of water after the typhoon because it has to be delivered from the mainland. An amount of money that could have been used for other basic necessities like rice and food. Caub Island primarily relies on rainwater but this can get contaminated easily due to improper storage.

We arrived in Caub Island in the morning of August 25th and we were welcomed with warm smiles by the locals. The damages caused by Typhoon Odette were still visible, destroyed structures, missing roof, and scattered debris are still everywhere.

Waves For Water Philippines representatives started the program by conducting a WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) session to educate the community about the proper way of keeping our water clean and safe to use. It was then followed by teaching community leaders on how to use and assemble the water filtration system.

Waves For Water filtration system is effective in filtering water to make it safe for human consumption. The filter is certified and effective in removing tiny debris and harmful disease causing bacteria.

“Waves For Water’s collaboration with Cebu Pacific has paved the way for us to reach more underserved communities throughout the Philippines,” said Jenica Dizon, Waves For Water Philippines’ Country Director. “The joint effort is a testament to the organization’s ethos of serving as a platform for strategic partnerships that will make clean water access a reality for all Filipinos across the archipelago,” she added.

Cebu Pacific has been working with Waves For Water Philippines since December 2021. They helped transport over 2 tons worth of water filtration systems free of charge to provinces affected by Typhoon Odette. These include Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Palawan, Southern Leyte and Surigao del Norte.

“As rehabilitation efforts continue, Cebu Pacific remains committed to pursue its Bayanihan initiatives whenever needed across our wide domestic network. We stand by our commitment to continuously provide better service, not just to our passengers, but to the communities that we fly to,” said Carmina Romero, Cebu Pacific’s Director for Corporate Communications.

Cebu Pacific currently flies to Siargao from Manila 11x weekly, and from Cebu twice daily. The airline continues to offer its guaranteed low fares to stimulate travel across its network while it implements a multi-layered approach to safety to encourage everyjuan to fly once more. Visit www.cebupacificair.com to learn more about their latest offerings, safety protocols, and travel reminders.