Housing aid continues for ‘Pablo’ survivors
COMPOSTELA Valley Province – The provincial and municipal local governments with the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office (DSWD) turned over houses to five municipalities hardly hit by Typhoon Pablo.
Under the DSWD’s Modified Shelter Assistance Program (MSAP), the families who were left homeless and whose land sites are safe for reconstruction were given permanent houses. On June 15, these “on site shelters” were tuned over to 1,172 families in Montevista with a program held at the Poblacion Gym. Together with the local and DSWD officials, the group went to Barangays Linoan and San Jose to see the houses built for the beneficiaries.
Among those whose houses were totally damaged are married couple Alex and Consolacion Palec who lived in Linoan, Montevista for 25 years. Alex works as a carpenter and could hardly support his family with two kids even before the onslaught of the typhoon.
“Daku kaayo amoang problema unsaun pagsugod kay di namu kaya ug magtukod ug bag-ong balay, daku kaayo ang gasto. Maayo nalang apil mi ani (MSAP) sa programa sa gobyerno (We really didn’t know how to start and build a new house as it would cost much. I’m thankul that we have been included in this MSAP program of the government),” he said as he is given the certificate of occupancy during the program.
Meanwhile, the giving of the certifcate of occupancy as highlight of the program were also held in other towns: 840 houses completed and turned over in Monkayo on June 16; 713 houses turned over in New Bataan on June 18 and 635 houses given in Laak on June 19. While Compostela is set to hold its ceremonial turnover of 1,000 on-site shelters on June 24 with site visit in barangay Panansalan.
The construction of each house costs about P100,000.00 with DSWD providing for the necessary funding of the project while the provincial government handled the site development, land preparation, and engineering operations.
As of June 15 report from the Provincial Engineering Office, more than 6,500 on-site shelters were already completed and turned over to five hard hit municipalities. Other units are expected to be completed soon as construction of houses continue in Comval.