Gawad Kalinga to pool P60M to build 1,000 houses in Bohol

CEBU, Philippines - Known to provide permanent housing and relocation services to Filipinos during disasters, Gawad Kalinga(GK) Foundation needs at least P60 million in building transition houses for families who have lost their houses after a 7.2-magnitude badly hit the island-province of Bohol.

This plan was recently announced by GK National Executive Director Luis Oquinena who said that the civic group now intends to concentrate their efforts on the rehabilitation phase after sending relief goods to Boholanos.

He said that now since the relief operations has ended in the month of October, GK Foundation is now geared towards raising funds for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of  infrastructure particularly rebuilding houses and classrooms in worst-hit areas in Bohol.

“I believe it can be done. Helping them rebuild their houses could eventually create resiliency and confidence among  the families. By then, we could focus on the economic empowerment of the Boholanos after we have successfully accomplished the rehabilitation phase,” he said.

He shared that they may possibly start in Tubigon as the jump-off point of the rehabilitation phase since it could take just an hour from Cebu via fast craft.

He cited that the rehabilitation efforts that will be mainly focused on shelter, infrastructure, and productivity could be simultaneously conducted depending on the needs of the barangays.

He said that for instance, there are areas wherein houses are heavily damaged by the quake while some barangays are in need of clean water supply and classrooms.

On concerns about shelter, GK targets to build 1,000 transition houses. Each unit will cost P60,000 for the construction. They plan to start building an initial batch of 30 to 50 houses from next week up to December.

Oquinena said that houses, which could have a floor area of 20 to 25 square meters, will be made of concrete and indigenous materials.

He cited that while the foundation and posts will be made of concrete up to the waist level, the rest of the houses will be constructed using amacan and other indigenous materials.

All units will have concrete flooring, a decent bathroom and roofing made of nipa or corrugate galvanized iron sheets. 

Oquinena also clarified that the construction of the transition houses are more personalized than the usual permanent concrete houses provided by GK to victims of other calamities.

He added that this transition houses are specifically designed for the earthquake survivors in Bohol who need shelter so families could opt to reconstruct it as their permanent refuge later on.

He said that they will prioritize on offering the transition houses to those families who do not have much capacity to build their own homes.

He further pointed out that GK is building the transition houses for the first time only in Bohol and will still provide permanent housing facilities to communities.

He said, however, that they still have to wait for the clearance from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau to confirm that it is already safe to build.

Although it may take a while, he said that they will deploy a team to identify the needs of each barangay affected by the quake and coordinate further with the local officials.

GK initiated the “Operation Walang Iwanan” relief  campaign  for  the victims  of the major earthquake last October 17. The same program is usually conducted in affected areas every after disaster strikes such as typhoons.

There were around 298 GK volunteers from Cebu and other nearby provinces who were able to serve 108 barangays in 14 towns with 21,819 food packs and 74,371 liters of water.

They also conducted stress debriefing program and distributed 5,000 loot bags to kids.

While GK may fund 100 houses, Oquinena further encouraged the public to continue donating and volunteering for the rehabilitation plan. /JMD (FREEMAN)