1,065 Caritas shelters awarded to Pablo survivors in Mindanao CBCP-NASSA/Caritas Philippines awarded 1,065 permanent shelters to families devastated by Typhoon Pablo (international name, Bopha) in three provinces in Mindanao. The simultaneous constructions started in mid-April with funds from Caritas Internationalis, Catholic Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand (CANZ), and the New Zealand-Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). In the towns of Cateel and Boston, Davao Oriental, where thousands of families lost their homes and millions of coconut tree were destroyed by TY Pablo, a total of 800 shelters made of coco-lumber were built in 8 barangays. Ms. Cesaria Hugue, the Diocesan Coordinator of the project noted that “the Caritas shelter is, so far, the first complete pre-fabricated shelter awarded to the TY Pablo survivors in the whole of Davao Oriental” Using the “pakyaw” (contractual) system, each shelter unit took 3-4 days to construct, providing employment to local carpenters and chainsaw operators in the sites. Quality control in the selection of coco-lumber and the incorporation of typhoon-resilient features in the design adopted from Catholic Relief Services (CRS) ensure strength of the shelters. In the Diocese of Tagum, which covers the provinces of Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley, thousands of families were displaced by Typhoon Pablo. In the barangay of Babag, Monkayo, alone, 450 families living in riverbanks were displaced by the rising waters and were forced to seek shelter in the midst of damaged banana plantations. Oplan Tabang, the disaster response task force established by Bishop Wilfredo Manlapaz of Tagum partnered with Caritas Philippines to build 145 permanent shelter units or 29 row-houses on a relocation site provided by the local government. Another 30 units are built on-site in Barangays Gabi, San Miguel and Babag in the same province. According to Fr. Emerson Luego, Director of Oplan Tabang, so far, he knows only of 600 permanent shelters constructed in the Compostela Province for the TY Pablo survivors, half of it is by the Catholic Church. In the coastal village of Sitio Tagbobo, Lingig, Surigao del Sur, Caritas Philippines built permanent shelters for 60 families whose houses were washed away by TY Pablo. A new shrine dedicated to San Pedro Calungsod was constructed on top of the hill overlooking the new community. It was the site suggested by Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo, CBCP-NASSA/Caritas Philippines National Director, during his visit to the area in June 2013. Another 30 permanent shelters were built in Sitio Mahogany in the same barangay, on a piece of land donated by one of the affected families. “Daghang salamat sa Caritas!” Jessie Atiencio greeted me with these words as he recognized me in my CBCP-NASSA/Caritas Philippines uniform. I was then taking photos of the Caritas Shelter Village in Sitio Tagbobo, Tagpupuran, Lingig. “I built 5 Caritas shelters here including mine!” he proudly volunteered the information. Jessie, his wife Chona and son CJ, were among the families left homeless by TY Pablo when it hit the area last December 4, 2012. To shed light on the speedy implementation of the project, Fr. Edwin A. Gariguez, CBCP-NASSA/Caritas Philippines Executive Secretary explains “The miracle that unfolded through this project is the result of hard work and good will of the Diocesan project staff, proper collaboration among the local government - from the governor down to the barangay chairman - the Diocese, and the CBCP-NASSA/Caritas Philippines, and the faith and generosity of the beneficiaries who were eager to rise from the devastation of TY Pablo. We hope the government will adopt the same housing designs which use readily available materials, local technology and employ local skills. Many families are still living in tents 9 months after Pablo. The government must act fast. The Church has shown it can be done.” By Josephine S. C. Ignacio ESS Unit Coordinator CBCP-NASSA
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 13:02:59 +0000
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