PDRF to build 100 houses in Zamboanga City

MANILA, Philippines - Fulfilling a pledge made last year, the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation, the world’s only permanent private sector disaster response group, and Gawad Kalinga as part of its “Bayani Challenge,” recently broke ground on a village of 100 houses in Barangay Tulong Atong, Zamboanga City. Among the volunteers shown in photo are soldiers of the Philippine Army and Marines along with Western Mindanao Commander Marine Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, members of the Christian and Muslim communities including TeachBuild executive director Bai Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman, and GK volunteers from around the country including GK executive director Luis Oquinena and PDRF president Butch Meily. Among the contributors to the GK Village were PDRF chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, PLDT Smart Foundation, Metro Pacific Foundation, One Meralco Foundation, Philex Foundation, First Pacific, First Pacific Leadership Academy based in Antipolo, Loida Nicolas Lewis, Henry Howard, CEO of US Education Finance, the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of New York, the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations and hundreds of people in the United States and the Philippines who gave donations to the PDRF crowdsourcing initiative “Brick by Brick.” Right photo shows Meily at the groundbreaking ceremonies with soldiers from the AFP.