Garawon Beach Humanitarian Tents

I knew Garawon is a coastal barangay of Hernani, I even knew some residents here succumbed to Yolanda's big coastal wrath, but I did not know there was such a beautiful beach here, with cottages!

A resident pointed me to this place when she overheard I was asking my driver where we could while time away as we waited for our next activity in a nearby barangay. She said they have new cottages...

Whoa! I whispered to myself: that is a grand view of the Pacific Ocean and the Southern tip of Samar!

We easily found the cottages, there are five of them I think...

And I was delighted to find that some partners from humanitarian groups were in one of the cottages.

Aside from noticing that white sandy beach, I of course recognized the roofs of all cottages...

I didn't think those materials they used as roof would have been willfully provided by humanitarian aid groups for the purpose of building beach cottages! So I asked both residents and aid groups around.

They readily told me, those materials are supposed to have already been 'scraps'. Those were used as tents in evacuation areas and temporary shelters immediately after Yolanda/Haiyan. But now that the residents have their houses and other infrastructure back, these temporary shelters were dismantled.

And they made use of these materials for various things like roofs of their beach cottages!

Which, I think, do not only look good, but also a good material against the wind and the sun. Magaling!

I asked which came first, the idea of putting up beach cottages or making use of the now to be thrown away tent materials. "Livelihood" butted-in the otherwise shy but now approaching Barangay Captain who came to inspect what was the discussion all about in one of their cottages on a breezy mid-day!

And so I learned that these cottages, are owned and managed by a women's group of the barangay. They have long wanted to rent out beach cottages, even long before Yolanda, but they did not have enough funds. Then came the demolition of temporary shelters and other relief structures. With the guidance of an NGO, scrap wood and scrap tents from the demolition, support of benevolent hearts, skills of their sons and husbands... voila! A day-use resort in Brgy. Garawon, Hernani, Eastern Samar!

So folks, if you happen by Garawon, check-out their white-sand beach.

And rent one of those cottages!