SYNERGY. Xavier Ecoville residents gather at their multipurpose hall to commemorate the fateful event in December 2011 while looking forward to building a stronger and self-sufficient community. Photo by Lailanie Cabatuan.

By Niña Bea Cadorna

The Xavier Ecoville community, together with its partners and funders, gathered in the Maybank multipurpose hall on December 17 to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Tropical Storm Sendong.

With this year’s theme “Remembering the past, embracing the present, Xavier Ecoville, Our Common Home,” the Xavier Ecoville Project (XEP) with the Xavier Ecoville Homeowners’ Association conducted various activities, namely katsa bag painting contest, Christmas caroling contest and Christmas tree and Belen making contest to make the whole community more involved in the commemoration. Winners were awarded monetary prizes sponsored by Union Bank, one of XEP’s major partners. 

The newly elected Xavier Ecoville Homeowners’ Association and block officers for the year 2016-2017 also took their oath during the celebration.

“Today, we are reminded of three things: the lessons learned, blessings to be thankful for, and prayer for all the things that we are still hoping for,” said Philip Flores, XEP coordinator.

Flores recounted that before Xavier Ecoville became a successful resettlement undertaking, the management team together with the recipients had to go through numerous challenges especially in its first year. Such challenges included the coordination of various partners, the selection of beneficiaries and the construction of facilities, among others.

It is the project management’s vision for Xavier Ecoville to be a self-sufficient and self-governing community. Thus, after four years of managing and overseeing the growth of the community, XEP is set to fully turn over the responsibility and management of Xavier Ecoville to its residents come August 2016. Although, Xavier University’s engagement to the community will still continue even after the project phases out.