GK to build 500 houses in northern Cebu LGUs

CEBU, Philippines - Gawad Kalinga (GK) Cebu aims to build up to 500 houses in the towns of northern Cebu devastated by super typhoon Yolanda last November  8, 2013.

“Hopefully, if everything goes well, we will have the 400-500 built within one year or less,” said Toby Florendo, head of GK Cebu, during a press conference at the Capitol yesterday.

Florendo said the program dubbed as “Bayani Challenge” will be a collaborative effort among GK, beneficiaries, private organizations, and volunteers.

“Different donors have given a certain number of houses and we’re processing the Memorandum of Agreement. And as soon as the MOA’s are finalized, we’ll start the pre-building process,” he said.

Possible recipients will undergo profiling and values formation before they can acquire a house, he added.

“They have to perform 2,000 hours of sweat equity, meaning they will help in building the actual hours or they can help the site for development and some activities like mentoring the kids,” he said.

“Instead of giving financial payments, we ask them to invest their own sweat and that’s how we give them the sense of ownership (of the house),” Florendo added.

He called for volunteers to take part in the project. He said they would need 80,000 volunteers to assist in building of houses in 11 municipalities, including Bantayan, Sta. Fe, Madridejos, Tabuelan, Sogod, Borbon, Bogo City, San Remegio, Tabogon, Medellin, and Daanbantayan.

Interested volunteers may access the project’s website – www.bk1world.com.

The “Bayani Challenge” would commence on April 9 and is slated to end on June 12, 2014. — Jean Marvette A. Demecillo, USJ-R MassCom Intern/JMO (FREEMAN)