“Our life on the island was good. We used to earn ₱150-₱300 ($3-$6) a day from fish farming. We had free water, we didn’t have electricity, but we had solar panels. The products are also affordable,” Nenita shares, remembering their life in Taal Island, which is now a distant memory.
Nenita Quiñones and her family, lost their house, livelihood, and everything they worked hard for when the Taal Volcano erupted in January 2020. But more than a year after, she thinks she gained more in return.
Despite losing everything, Nenita draws strength from the kindness of people around her as she and her family try to recover from the devastation. A kind landowner in Barangay Kalabasa allowed Nenita’s family to build a temporary shelter when they cannot return to the Island anymore. Also, their neighbors lend her husband, Joel, a boat to help them earn extra income.
But Nenita is most grateful for the opportunity given to her husband when he was chosen as one of the fishermen to receive new boats, fishnets, and screen wires from Operation Blessing (OB).
“Now that we have a bigger boat, my husband can save fuel and his work will be lighter because he can already put all the 20 bags of tilapia feeds in the boat, unlike before that he could only carry 10 bags, so he had to have two trips to complete his task,” said Nenita. She also shared that the money they save from fuel, she now uses to buy rice for her family.
Now that they have their own boat, they do not hesitate to lend it to their neighbors, too.
They say, “When God closes a door, He opens a window,” and Nenita is grateful for the new opportunities. But more than the material blessings, Nenita and her family came to know more about God and His love while rebuilding back their lives
“We cling to prayer. We always ask God for His favor that the Taal Volcano won’t erupt again,” says Nenita.
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