More firms join housing project for Yolanda survivors

MANILA, Philippines - More local and foreign companies are joining a private initiative to build houses for victims and survivors of the Super Typhoon Yolanda that hit the Visayas almost a year ago.

The project spearheaded by SM Cares, the charitable arm of retail giant SM, is on its way toward achieving its goal of raising P200 million to build 1,000 disaster-proof homes in five areas devastated by the strongest typhoon recorded to hit land.

Recently, international digital technology solutions provider Arvato Bertelsmann gave the project a big boost when it donated P1.1 million to the housing program.

The donation check was presented by Fara Haron, chief executive officer of Arvato Philippines, in presence of Arvato Philippines leadership team.

Rahul Dewan, country manager of Arvato Bertelsmann-Philippines, said their donation came from Arvato Philippines, their officers and employees who had to forego some scheduled activities like their Christmas basket to help people in the Visayas region have their own homes.

Haron said the SM Cares Housing project is an endeavor that they wanted to support because it gives noteworthy and long-term support to those families devastated by Yolanda.

Annie Garcia, president of SM Supermalls, received the check on behalf of SM. She said the enormous support of private companies and the public proves that the bayanihan (communal unity) of Filipino is still alive.

She said she is delighted and honored that many have put their trust in the project so that until now a lot are still donating to the project despite the passage of time.

Garcia said Arvato Bertelsmann’s donation would be used to build the basketball court of four housing villages in Bogo, Cebu; Concepcion, Iloilo; and Tacloban City and Ormoc City, Leyte.

“SM is extremely honored to be getting this response from the public and the business community and this gives us more inspiration to make this project worthwhile not only for our donors but for the people who will be our beneficiaries,” she added.

The first Housing Cares Village in Bogo, Cebu is set to be turned over to their beneficiaries on Nov.  9,  a day after the first anniversary of the super typhoon.

Garcia said each of the five SM Cares Housing Villages would have 200 houses specially designed to be disaster-resilient. The village will have utilities, basic amenities like streetlights, community center and basketball court.

Community and livelihood development programs will also be conducted in each village to make the project more sustainable for the residents.

Every housing unit is designed to brave events or effects that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled. Designed to be above the requirements of the Building Code and mandated standards, each house is composed of 5,000 psi pre-cast walls and roofs, which can withstand the winds and strength of a Category 5 super typhoon without any major material damages.

Homes will be given to deserving families for free. Groundbreaking for the other villages is scheduled in the next few months, Garcia said.

The SM Cares Housing Project is on top of the P100 million that SM has already committed to rehabilitate areas hard hit by Yolanda, including the rehabilitation of the Tacloban City Hospital in Leyte; the Bogo, Cebu Public School and the Palo, Leyte Public School.