Hope Springs in Siargao

Patsy Zobel and her children enjoy an idyllic island lifestyle whenever they stay at their beach home. However, that changed when the year’s strongest typhoon wreaked havoc across Visayas, Mindanao, and parts of Palawan last December 2021.

“When I heard that Odette had turned into a super typhoon, I really feared the worst for our ‘extended family’.  All communication was down, so I was panicking,” Patsy recalls.

Just three days after Typhoon Odette’s landfall, Eduardo was able to board a relief flight from Manila to Siargao.  Armed with satellite phones, he quickly reported the situation to Patsy and the Ayala Foundation Inc. (AFI) disaster resilience team. 

“He was able to tell us that the physical damage was devastating,” she shares.  After the Typhoon, people on the island focused on trying to salvage what they could to build their homes. “I believe everyone’s days revolved mostly around rebuilding the island from the ground up,” Eduardo says.

Patsy and Eduardo knew then that they needed to give back to the community that warmly welcomed them like family. 

“Immediately, I got to work in Manila to gather relief goods and housing materials together with Paz [Baylon] and the AFI group.  As soon as we could, we came over to the island.  I felt the best way I could help was to be on ground zero and physically distribute the relief goods to areas that had not yet received aid,” she says.

In the immediate aftermath of the typhoon, Siargao did not have electricity and communication lines were down.  Debris scattered along the roads and made transportation to and from many parts of the island difficult.  Despite the distribution challenges, Patsy shared that the outcome of the relief operations was worth all the effort.  “The appreciation we have received from the communities was really heartwarming!” Patsy says.

Months after the typhoon hit, the Ayala group continues to help affected communities all over the country under the #BrigadangAyala banner.  This is the Ayala Group’s united contribution to serving people and communities nationwide.  It is the Group’s integrated response to its almost two-century-old commitment to national development through social development and corporate social responsibility initiatives – ranging from disaster relief and response, assistance to public education, championing social enterprises, and public health advocacy, among others.  Patsy and her family carry on their work in Siargao together with Paz, a colleague of 20 years.

“We have had many hair-raising moments when we were caught in storms, or when a floating coconut tree made a hole in the hull of our banca,” she says.  “At the end of each mission, we are always exhausted but very happy.  It is very fulfilling, and I would never be able to do it without the help of Paz and the backing of Ayala Foundation.”

Hope remains

Patsy thanks the concerted effort of the Ayala group, her family, and friends who have responded generously to the call to help Siargaonons.  More than addressing their material needs, the aid has lifted the spirits of her ‘extended family’ in Siargao.

“We have given the communities a respite from their worries, and we have given them hope to be able to rebuild their lives.”

Inviting those who would also like to give back from across the miles, Eduardo says: “The Ayala community could continue to get involved by helping rebuild a stronger, more solid foundation for Siargao.  With everyone’s help and support—the locals, the riders, the adventurers, the musicians, the artists, and explorers—we can all revive the island’s soul that we have loved since the moment our eyes landed on it.”