5 years after Yolanda Victims’ houses remain in poor state

CEBU, Philippines — Five years have passed since Super Typhoon Yolanda ravaged northern Cebu but most victims have yet to reconstruct decent houses.

A recent survey initiated by a non-government organization in Bogo City found out that most of the surveyed houses were rated “in poor condition” and these homes are in need of immediate repair and upgrade.

Significantly, the survey also indicated that most homes are unlikely to withstand a natural disaster such as severe typhoon – an event that majority of respondents had already personally experienced.

Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter conducted in early 2018 a detailed household survey in the Yolanda-affected city to assess the existing low-income housing stock.

One of the key findings of the housing survey showed that there are quality gaps that existed across the board from the roof to the foundation.

Some respondents are still using plywood that are already showing significant deterioration and are not meant for long term use for the walls.

Some households also use timber posts installed directly on the soil as opposed to concrete footings for foundations.

The survey also noted that the overall construction quality was poor due to inferior design and workmanship.

The poor quality of workmanship is a reflection of respondents’ decision to save money on labor costs by managing their own home construction, relying on their immediate family than hiring skilled laborers.

“The poor quality of workmanship is a reflection of respondents’ decision to save money on labor costs by managing their own home construction,” the survey cited, adding that most household respondents rely to their immediate family than hire skilled laborers.

One of the main reasons identified was constraints to lack of resources since the survey also found out that most household respondents have very limited income.

“Almost all homeowners (94 percent) aspire to improve their homes but are constrained due to lack of funds,” part of the survey noted.

The survey entitled “Bahay, Buhay” was specific to owner-driven housing construction practices, financing modalities and aspirations for a resilient home in disaster prone areas in Cebu province.

As intervention, Habitat recognizes that behavioral change is required at many points for sustainable owner-driven construction, including households, financial institutions, and market suppliers of construction labor and materials

The survey and key findings were presented on Wednesday when Habitat hosted its first roundtable discussion on addressing the housing need in the country through expanding the public’s access to affordable housing products and services.

The forum brought together key players in Cebu from government and private institutions engaged in providing consumer loans, construction products and services, real estate firms, members of the academe and the media to exchange insights on the importance of offering financial systems and affordable technology to low-income families.

“We help to develop innovative solutions that lead to better housing for the low-income segment. We support and advise companies, governments and other stakeholders to pilot and scale promising new approaches,” said Greg Skowronski, Center’s Asia-Pacific Director and Habitat Philippines Board Member.

Succeeding round table discussions will be held in Metro Manila in 2019.

The center seeks to find partners who want to address the challenges of the low income housing market through good quality and affordable construction products, technologies, services and financing.

Meanwhile, the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) continues to beef up its facilities to be able to respond better when disaster strikes five years after Yolanda hit Cebu.

This time, the office procured two fully-equipped rescue vehicles worth P17 million each.

The equipment arrived in Cebu from Japan over a week ago. PDRRMO Chief Baltazar Tribunalo described that the trucks can respond to any disaster on land or on water.

Among the gear in the vehicle are hydraulic spreader for rescue missions involving collapsed structures, generator sets which can power tower lights for night operations, diving equipment for water search and rescue, hydraulic cutter for emergency situations where hard objects like metal need to be removed, and an electric winch which can be used to tow vehicles.

Tribunalo said that this is the first time that the provincial government procured such equipment. Danao City was the first local government unit in the island to have a fully-equipped rescue truck.

Its procurement is a measure that falls under disaster prevention and mitigation, which is the focus of the PDRRMO next year.

To actualize this, the office allocated over 40 percent of its proposed budget for 2019. If approved by the Cebu Provincial Board, this translates to over P90 million.

Tribunalo emphasized that preparing for a disaster of whatever form is their priority in order to minimize casualties. He stated that they do not only prepare on how to respond to typhoons but also to other disasters which may strike after an earthquake, a sea mishap, or a landslide.

“Every disaster is a wake-up call,” he emphasized.

This is the reason why the office was officially institutionalized as a department of the provincial government in 2014.

Moreover, the office conducts a Post Disaster Needs Analysis so they may learn on what areas to improve to address the impact of a disaster and better prepare for the next one. The practices of the province are also passed on to the cities and towns.

“Community managed DRR (disaster risk reduction) gyud dapat,” Tribunalo remarked.

Actualizing this vision, all local government units in Cebu now have their own DRRM office or a responder’s team at the very least.

 While all are functional, Tribunalo said that there are still about fifteen LGUs who only have a designate Local DRRM Officers and not a DRRM office.

He hopes that these LGUs, which he did not name, can institutionalize one to make DRRM more proactive, effective, and efficient.

Across the province, there are about 800 responders in the 51 LGUs. PDRRMO operates a 24/7 command center which is run by 36 personnel. — MBG (FREEMAN)