Foreign group to build 300 homes

CEBU, Philippines - An Austrian group will be building permanent homes for 300 residents of San Remigio whose homes were destroyed by super typhoon Yolanda.

Hilfswerk Austria International and its Austrian donors will be building the homes in a 2.8-hectare lot in the town which was badly damaged by the typhoon last November.

HWA Director General Heidi Burkhart and San Remigio Mayor Mariano Martinez signed yesterday a memorandum of agreement with Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Incorporated for the said project.

HWA, one of Austria’s leading organizations for development cooperation and humanitarian aid, picked RAFI as its local partner in its “Relocation Project for typhoon Haiyan.”

Aside from providing the funds for the construction of houses for 300 families, HWA would also provide technical supervision during the construction of the houses, including the assignment of an overall project manager.

According to the agreement, the local government unit provides the location where the houses would be built and should be able to provide professional training to 100 of the beneficiaries and offer jobs at the construction site.

The LGU is also expected to provide the heavy equipment and the plans in the construction of the houses and the development of infrastructure.

RAFI, on the other hand, will act as facilitators and evaluator of the program by monitoring the implementation of the project.

RAFI Chief Operating Officer Dominica Chua emphasized the need to help the afflicted families to be self-reliant and to make their living condition better than before.

The criteria in choo-sing the beneficiaries include houses completely destroyed and uninhabitable; inadequate assistance received for house repair and reconstruction; currently residing within the “no build zone” area; the family doesn’t own the house; willingness to be relocated; female-headed household; and taking care of elderly persons aged 60 and above.

Martinez said that they will soon come up with policy on the ownership of the property and to make sure the occupants cannot just easily sell it.

A foundation plan shows five meters by 3.8 meters dimension of a house with a bedroom, living room, dining area and a comfort room.  Martinez thanks HWA for choosing San Remigio as its pilot area after the catastrophe.

While rehabilitation programs are being implemented though in some northern areas, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines Cebu chapter said that there is so much more that needs to be done.

During the monthly post-Yolanda forum yesterday at the Central Command public office, Tuburan Mayor Aljun Diamante, LMP Cebu Chapter president, said that the programs to help towns bounce back from effects of the super typhoon is still at 20 to 30 percent from completion.

Diamante further discussed that the Cebu chapter of LMP used its funds to help the 16 municipalities affected by the strongest typhoon

“We allocated funds, P975,000 and divided this to the affected municipalities. We excluded my town, Tuburan, so as not to appear as self-serving. This was used by the towns in their initial rehabilitation efforts. We also asked Governor (Hilario) Davide to give each town P200,000 for disaster preparation. As of the moment, the towns are prepa-ring on ways to address disasters should another one strike Cebu,” the Tuburan mayor explained.

Diamante added that LGUs have a hard time full implementing Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, particularly the section requiring the permanent position of a LDRRMO manager, due to financial constraints.

Department of Interior and Local Government Central Visayas spokesperson for disaster preparedness Willie Jean Cabanag revealed though that the national government has a solution for this concern.

“The national government, especially the national agencies involved in the DRRM are already doing something regarding the concern of the LGUs. The LGUs really cannot afford to pay for the salary of their LDRRMO. That’s already a fact so maybe soon there’s an MC (memorandum circular) that will address the concern because everybody knows already,” Cabanag yesterday revealed in the same forum.

However, the DILG representative could not divulge specific details on the MC that will “soon” come out and further explained that this is already with the Civil Service Commission “for signature”.

Cabanag added that data from DILG revealed that 90 percent of LGUs in

Central Visayas have a designated LDRRMO head but most of these are not in a permanent position.  (FREEMAN)