Flags Magazine Volume 9 No 1: March 2014 Issue | Page 14

Feature
which was the farthest island to
coordinate distribution details.
On the return trip, I watched
the destruction along the coastal
towns. I imagined what life was
like for the people on that island,
with homes destroyed, dwindling
food supply, and the boats—their
main source of income and
transportation—were now gone.

Change of Plans

Mary Ann Belga (ADRA Philippines), Aimee Tapeceria (AIIAS), and Jesse Bliss (Loma Linda
University) with the residents of Brgy. Lantangan.

FINDING GIGANTES ISLAND
BY AIMEE TAPECERIA

A

s an AIIAS employee I was
fortunate that administration
approved a request from
the Adventist Development and
Relief Agency (ADRA) allowing
me to spend two weeks in the
initial disaster response and
assessment on the island of
Panay. On November 14, only
six days after the disaster, I
landed in Iloilo City to join their
staff, Mary Ann Belga, in the
relief operations conducted on
northern part of this island.
Due to the urgency of the
disaster response, Mary Ann and
I decided to divide and conquer.
She distributed food packs in
Panay, Capiz and I commut Y