Suzan and her family almost died in 1995. They even lost their home after that fateful day in November 2, 1995.

It was raining for over a week before Typhoon Rosing swept away their house leaving it in rubbles. Suzan clearly remembered how they dealt with the sudden surge of water and ran for their lives. For them, Typhoon Rosing was the most destructive storm.

Just before All Soul’s Day, Suzan together with her children setup their small stall in the municipal cemetery to sell candles, food and drinks for the weather had improved until the rain started to pour again during night time forcing them to put away their goods.

After returning home, they salvaged their belongings and transferred everything to their neighbour. They were on guard that night because they knew the condition may worsen after knowing the announcements over the radio and television. Heavy rains started to pour at around eleven in the evening and after an hour, the water had increasingly flooded their home. Suzan, whose height is around 5’3”, said that the water had reached her chest level around two in the morning, prompting them to leave. Thereafter, they transferred to the barangay outpost just few meters away from their home, to stay for the rest of the night.

She was dismayed to discover that it was a goodbye for their 11-year old house costing to almost Php10,000.00 when it was constructed.

Suzan Tuazon, now 53, had relocated to a safer ground but did not forget the most pressing moment of her life. Carrying the memory of the tragic past, she was able to become part of the people who found the solution to Zone 2’s frequent flooding.

She took part in the construction of their drainage system in the most critical area of Brgy. Puro Batia wherein it is considered to be the lowest portion of Libaman, Camarines Sur and the catch basin of Sipocot, a neighbouring municipality.

In between the municipal cemetery and 70 households of Zone 2, Puro Batia, is a stream which connects from Sipocot to Libamanan. Even during regular rainy days, Suzan described that the water level can reach knee level and flooding could subside after a week.

She became one of the community implementers of the drainage system which amounted to Php770,600.00 under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan─ Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI CIDSS), a poverty-reduction project of DSWD.
Being aware of the danger that the creek posed to the residents, she had spent her time as a volunteer to target the construction of their drainage, funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an international donor of KALAHI CIDSS–NCDDP.

“Nagvolunteer ako ta gusto kong makatabang na makakuang project ang sumuyang barangay [I became a volunteer because I want to help our community to get a project],”Suzan said.

Since community participation was the main requirement by the project, Suzan had successfully joined the rest of the volunteers in complying with this and had found relief after the community-managed project had been completed this year.

Even the eight-hour wrath of Typhoon Glenda which lambasted most parts of Bicol region last July 15 did not endanger the households of Zone 2, Puro Batia because of the drainage.

According to Suzan, the drainage contributed to the unclogged creek and the continuous flow of water to the adjacent river cause no harm to the villagers.
The living and the dead are now saved from the threats of flooding in their community.

According to Dir. Arnel B. Garcia of DSWD Field Office V, the MCC provided a total grant of Php614,284,050 for the implementation of KALAHI CIDSS from 2012-2015.