Typhoon Jolina victims get new homes after 4 years

OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, Philippines – They waited 4 years for their new homes, but these sturdier, more weather-resilient structures promise to protect them from storms similar to Typhoon Jolina that devastated them in 2009.

On Tuesday, January 28, a total of 397 families from Barangay Ilvita in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, witnessed the groundbreaking at their housing site, led by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Soliman.

Specifically, the P27-million project will be built in Sitio Yapang and Sitio Cagaras.  

The houses, which will be built DSWD’s Core Shelter Assistance Project, reportedly can withstand wind velocity of up to 220 kph wind velocity and intensity 4 earthquakes. 

At least 8 people were killed and 100,000 were affected when Typhoon Jolina hit several regions of the Philippines back in August 2009. 

The devastation brought about by Jolina prompted Mayor Eduardo Gadiano to develop a relocation plan for the affected families. The beneficiaries will help in building their houses.

“Hindi lang magsisilbing panibagong tirahan ang mga bahay na itatayo rito, kung di tatayo din itong modelo para sa iba pa nating kababayan dahil sa inyong pagpupursigi na mabuo ito,” Sec. Soliman said. 

(The houses that will rise here will not only serve as your new homes. With these, you give others a model, how you will build them.)

“The logic of involving the beneficiares is that they know what would be the best for themselves,” said Dwight Macabuhay, DSWD regional information officer of Region IV.

Meanwhile, the disaster unit of Occidental Mindoro will oversee the implementation of the housing project to assure that the houses will be within the standard requirement for shelter units. 

“The beneficiaries were really cooperative and very supportive of the project. You can see their enthusiasm. Their chain of support is really strong,” Macabuhay said. The DSWD is proposing to turn the project into a cash-for-work opportunity for the beneficiaries. 

Gadiano said the beneficiaries will have safer and stronger houses before the typhoon season begins this year.– Rappler.com