Barangay’s only female carpenter: “I don’t think I’ll get tired working”
Video by INQUIRER.net’s Ryan Leagogo
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte – Her own house was destroyed by “Yolanda.”Now Jona Cortez works as the only female carpenter rebuilding houses in her barangay (village) in Tacloban City.
From being a barangay health worker before Yolanda, which earned her P1,000 a month, she now earns P2,750 for each house she builds as part of Plan International’s transition shelter building project in Barangay 62-A.
Aside from being a health worker, Cortez, 32, had also previously worked doing laundry for other people and serving as a Yakult vendor.
“It’s hard to make a living. I have to find whatever work there is to make sure my family lives well enough,” Cortez said, referring to her five children and her husband, who is a jeepney driver. She said that her husband sometimes earns only P100 to P300 a day.
Jona Cortez. Photo by RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net
Cortez was chosen from among the local residents to be trained in a carpentry program of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda). She and other local carpenters have built around 20 houses since they completed the program.
“Through my carpentry work, I am helping my family,” Cortez said. “I am proud that I am the only female carpenter in Barangay 62-A. Even the barangay chairman is proud because we succeeded.”
A single shelter can be built by two plumbers and six carpenters from raw materials within 10 days. They are paid P22,000 per shelter, which they divide evenly among themselves. A single shelter can house up to seven people.
Through the building of transition shelters, Cortez is able to keep her five children in school: one in third year high school, two in first year, and one in kindergarten.
“Their grades are good. I told them to study well while I still have money to give them, because when it runs out, we don’t know what we would do,” Cortez said.
“My concern is what will happen once the project of Plan International ends. Will I still be able to provide for my family, will they still be able to study?” she said.
Cortez also recalled how difficult life was in the immediate aftermath of Yolanda.
“Before Yolanda, we were already under a lot of debt. After Yolanda, people didn’t have anything to eat, it was very hard for people here, it’s as if they would almost kill each other, and steal each other’s food,” Cortez said.
“We would try to loan more just to have money for food. The children were really going hungry and we couldn’t find anything,” she said.
But despite the hard life of being a carpenter building houses, Cortez said that it does not tire her and even excites her.
“I don’t feel tired. I am excited when working because I think about the money I will get to provide for my family. I don’t think that I will get tired.”
