Yolanda survivors receive new homes

PALO, Leyte, Philippines – At least 100 families displaced by Super Typhoon Yolanda last year transferred to their new homes at the Palo Tzu Chi Great Love Village here on Tuesday.

The beneficiaries were given certificates of ownership and keys to their new homes by executives of the Tzu Chi Foundation and the local government.

Alfredo Li, president of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation-Philippines, said the date of the turnover of the housing units marked the 20th anniversary of the foundation.

Tzu Chi member Henry Yuñez, who supervised the village’s construction, said 160 more families, in 20 batches, would receive new home in the coming days.

 Yuñez said they hope to transfer all 260 families to the village by the yearend.

The beneficiaries came from the coastal villages of Tacuranga and Baras that were swept by the storm surges at the height of Yolanda on Nov. 8 last year.

The relocation site is around five kilometers away from the beneficiaries’ former villages.

One of the beneficiaries, Noemi Kho, thanked the provincial government, the Tzu Chi Foundation and the volunteers for their new home.

Another beneficiary, Ligaya Militante, said she did not like to live near the sea anymore.

She said when she heard that the Tzu Chi Foundation was building a village for Yolanda survivors, she volunteered her services, hoping to get a new home. She was not disappointed.