Beneficiaries give thumbs up to shelter from Tzu Chi Foundation

MANILA, Philippines - For some time now, a model unit of a prefabricated shelter standing at the city plaza in Ormoc, Leyte had been meriting curious looks from passersby and locals in the area.

But for Carlos Garbo, his wife and two children, seeing the structure for the first time was well worth the 15-minute trip from Barangay Can-untog. They were, after all,  laying eyes on what would be their future home.

“It’s beautiful,” the 34-year-old Garbo said after marvelling at the exterior and scrutinizing the interior of the temporary shelter. “I am very happy that this kind of house will be our home soon,” he said.

His seven-year-old daughter, Mary Jane, could not contain her joy at the prospect of moving into a new house.

“Thank you, Master Cheng Yen, for this house you are giving us,” the young girl said.

Just like many would-be beneficiaries of Tzu Chi Foundation’s temporary housing project, the Garbos are currently living in a small transitional bunkhouse in their village. The bunkhouse is made up of one room, which serves as living room, sleeping quarters, and dining room all in one.

Under Tzu Chi Foundation’s temporary housing project, however, a family of four members like the Garbos will receive a 21-sqm. prefabricated shelter. The structure comes with a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen, as well as a toilet and bathroom. It also has ventilation and sliding doors and windows for ease and comfort.

Such features were greatly appreciated by the Itangs, another family recipient.

“In the bunkhouse unit we live in at the moment, it’s very hot. When we went inside Tzu Chi’s temporary shelter, however, I saw that it is really beautiful. It has bedrooms and there’s a toilet. It’s very comfortable,” says Rogelio Itang, who went to see the house with his wife, Jocelyn.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Mary Mae Impas also dropped by the city plaza to see a sample of the house where her family will move in soon. For families like them with six members, Tzu Chi Foundation is giving a 27-sqm. shelter with a living room, three bedrooms, a kitchen, and toilet and bathroom.

“In the bunkhouse unit we live in right now, there’s not much privacy. Neighbors are only separated by thin wood,” she shared.

The prefabricated shelters are single detached with the nextdoor neighbor situated about two meters away.

The temporary housing project is part of Tzu Chi Foundation’s mid-term rehabilitation program for typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) victims in the province of Leyte. The Buddhist group is eyeing to install 3,000 units of prefabricated shelters in Tacloban, Ormoc and Palo municipality.

In Ormoc, 2,000 units of temporary shelter are expected to be put up in a 50-hectare land in Barangay Liloan; while 700 units will be installed in Barangay San Jose in Palo, and 300 units for Tacloban City.

The prefabricated shelter model unit at the Ormoc City Plaza was installed by residents of Barangay Concepcion and Can-untog as part of their training under Tzu Chi Taiwan volunteers who designed the prefabricated shelters. They spent four days in the province teaching two groups of Ormoc residents in building the shelter on Tzu Chi founder Master Cheng Yen’s request.