Sagbayan, Bohol — A total of 8,083 disaster-resistant houses will be built for families whose houses were totally damaged by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Bohol through the joint efforts of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the provincial government, and Habitat for Humanity.
DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, DSWD-Field Office VII Director Mercedita Jabagat, Governor Edgardo Chatto, and Habitat Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Charlito Ayco signed over the weekend in this town the Memorandum of Agreement for the implementation of the Core Shelter Assistance Project (CSAP).
CSAP provides environment-friendly, structurally strong shelter units built onsite that can withstand up to 220-kph wind velocity, at least intensity four earthquakes and other natural disasters.
Costing P88,000, each unit is made of locally available materials to revitalize local economy.
DSWD will shoulder P70,000 while Habitat will share P18,000 as counterpart for each unit which may be in the form of cash, labor, volunteers, facilities and equipment, administrative cost, and social services such as medical missions and feeding programs.
Total cost of the housing project is P711,304,000 of which P565,810,000 will be provided by DSWD and the rest by Habitat.
Habitat, with its extensive experience in the management and implementation of socialized housing projects to address the shelter needs of the homeless and disadvantaged groups, will build the core shelters.
DSWD turned over to the group a total of P371 million as initial tranche for its counterpart.
The provincial government, in coordination with concerned municipalities and DSWD, has already identified the beneficiaries.
Of the 17 hardest-hit towns of Bohol, Loon has the most number of totally damaged houses with 1,255 followed by Sagbayan with 1,035 then Maribojoc with 1,033.
In her message during the groundbreaking ceremony which was attended by beneficiaries and the local chief executives of the 17 hardest-hit municipalities, Sec.Soliman said, “Sagbayan was the epicenter of the earthquake but it will also become the epicenter of rebuilding of communities and rebuilding of lives.”
She also acknowledged the survivors who showed their resiliency to recover after the earthquake.
For his part, Gov. Chatto thanked the Aquino administration for its continued help to the province despite facing the “bigger challenge of rebuilding Eastern Visayas.”
Ayco, on the other hand, said that they will do their best to deliver their commitments on time so that the survivors can already settle down and start to lead normal lives.
Carmelita Lamoste, 46, one of the beneficiaries of the housing project, is also thankful for the assistance and vowed to take good care of her family’s new home.
Aid for house repair
For families with partially damaged houses, DSWD and the municipal governments will implement the Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA).
Under the ESA, each household-beneficiary will receive P10,000-worth of materials for house repair. DSWD will provide P346.8 million for this project.
A total of 34,688 houses were partially damaged in the province. ###
