Disaster-proof village set to rise in Cebu

DAANBANTAYAN, Cebu , Philippines   â€“ The French community on Saturday broke ground on the Habitat French Daanbantayan Village, the first disaster-resilient village in the province intended for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Don Lee, chairman of France-Philippines United Action (FPUA), said the village, costing $500,000, will be ready in six months.

It is a joint project of FPUA, the provincial government of Cebu, local government of Daanbantayan and Habitat for Humanity Philippines.

Lee said 17 French business establishments contributed to help typhoon victims, particularly in Northern Cebu.

“We want to help families get back on their feet by delivering the peace of mind that comes from a safe and durable home. We are privileged to be working with architects from Habitat for Humanity, who have designed disaster relief houses that will withstand the deteriorating climate situation in the Philippines,” Lee said.

Rene Sunico, a member of FPUA and representative of La Farge Philippines, said they chose Cebu as location because a lot of French companies operate here.

Meanwhile, Cyril Rocke, president of the French Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, said more French have vowed to support the construction of houses for typhoon victims.

Daanbantayan Mayor Augusto Corro said the groundbreaking ceremony marked another milestone and is a step closer to their dream of building a new Daanbantayan.

Floating house

Meanwhile, in Bulacan, engineer Cecilia Geronimo, vice president for external affairs of the Bulacan State University, recently presented in a flood summit a 2010 study on the construction of a floating house that utilizes the principle of buoyancy.

Geronimo said then students Jomar Bunag, Jason Ramos and Ruel Manictic who are now all licensed civil engineers, came up with the concept.

According to Geronimo, the study showed that for a little over P1 million, local residents can build a floating house that rests on one to nine barges.

She said the smallest house will be 5.7 meters by five meters wide and will have an elevation of at least six meters from ground to ceiling.

The floating house can carry up to 348.75 kilos or seven persons weighing 80 kilos each.