1,000 families still in tents

CEBU, Philippines - Around 1,000 families who lost their homes during super typhoon Yolanda still live in tents in Santa Fe town in Bantayan Island according to records of the Department of Social Welfare and Development - 7.

Artemia Degamo, DSWD 7’s focal person on disaster response, said DSWD allocated P4 billion for emergency and core shelter assistance to survivors in northern Cebu but only P15 million was released because they are still in the process of complying several requirements.

At least 1,791 families whose houses were destroyed received P30,000 each while 2,536 families whose houses were damaged were given P10,000 each.

Degamo said DSWD is doing its best to release the financial assistance to all affected families before the country commemorates the devastation in November. Yolanda struck on November 8, 2013.

She said DSWD has released P5.5 million of the P79 million cash assistance last month. They are yet to release the remaining P73.5 million before November.

“It is in the process… as of this time the balance is in the Department of Budget and Management,” Degamo said.

She said P1.6 billion has been assigned for shelter assistance and P2.4 billion was assigned for emergency shelter assistance.

Recently, 502 beneficiaries in Bogo City were given ESA after the P1.6 million was released. The beneficiaries can claim the assistance only after they comply with the requirements.

For the CSA, the beneficiary should have a relocation site approved by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

The concerned local government is also required to submit a certification from the MGB that the relocation site is not prone to landslides, floods and other geo-hazard risks.

DSWD is reportedly willing to continue giving food assistance to Yolanda survivors if there is a request from the local government unit.

Housing aid

Meanwhile, the charitable arm of British life insurer Pru Life UK and Prudential Corporation Asia, Prudence Foundation, continues to construct 135 houses for Yolanda survivors in Barangay Maricaban, also in Santa Fe town.

To provide sustainable livelihood to the community, the foundation also aims to deliver 183 motorized boats with fishnets and 143 tricycles to affected families before the year ends. To date, half of the boats and over 100 cycle rickshaws have been distributed.

The post-Yolanda rebuilding and recovery efforts in Bantayan Island is part of the US$2-million commitment of Prudence Foundation to support the relief and long-term rehabilitation programs in areas devastated by the typhoon.

The funds used for the Regional PruVolunteer Programme were contributed by the sister companies and their employees of Pru Life UK across Asia.

Prudence Foundation Executive Director Marc Fancy said they have partnered with the international non-government organization Habitat for Humanity (Habitat) last February to identify typhoon-hit areas in the Philippines that still need support and attention.

 It was found out that around 90 percent of the population of Barangay Maricaban is in need of housing support.

 “We want to focus on areas that are getting less support and help them in the redevelopment stage. We do not stop from the immediate relief assistance but we are looking at medium to long-term goals instead of just giving them money and handing out checks,” he said. 

 The houses to be constructed in safe zones are designed to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake and winds of up to 275 kilometers per hour.

 Prudence Foundation has also coordinated with the local government and fishing associations in Santa Fe to identify the beneficiaries and allocate the resources properly to the affected families.

 The foundation organized a team of life insurance and asset management employees from 12 markets including the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the United Kingdom to volunteer for this project.

 The initiative to build new houses in Santa Fe was first mobilized in March this year, which drew in more than 100 PruVolunteers from 12 countries to participate in construction work.

This week, over 80 employee-volunteers returned to the municipality to build more homes together with the locals. They have started building at least 26 houses.

“We realized there is an opportunity to leverage our employees to come and help a village in need. In a way, we give our fellow Filipinos a sense of hope for their future,” Fancy said.

 “In the face of adversity, the Filipino spirit shines through. People here bounce back quickly,” he added.

Prudence Foundation Trustee and Pru Life UK President and Chief Executive Officer Antonio Manuel De Rosas also said it is high time to venture into programs that will make the Philippines disaster-resilient to prevent damage to property and loss of human lives.

 “We cannot prevent natural disasters. We can only prepare. It is better to be proactive,” he said.

 Established in 2011, the Prudence Foundation to provide a single regional platform for the company’s charitable work in Asia. It focuses primarily on disaster preparedness and recovery, education, and children. — /JMO (FREEMAN)