Yolanda shelter project Ormoc showcases UNDP model

ORMOC CITY, Philippines — After 51 days from the start of the construction on November 23, seven out of eleven cluster units of the United Nations Development Programme shelter houses for Yolanda survivors, located at Barangay Cagbuhangin, 11 kilometers from the city center.

The city government had recognized this as the best housing model in the post-Yolanda recovery era, with every cluster consisting of five units, each of which has a floor area of 35 square meters, complete with water supply and electricity connections.

The relocation site, the lot of which the city government had provided, is now a well-developed area and beneficiaries can live there soon with their dignity intact, according to Dario Cubelo, UNNDP Ormoc Hub area coordinator.

Cubelo added : "The support of Mayor Edward Codilla and the tenacity and zeal of the stakeholders paved the way for the implementation of the project, as directed by UNDP Country Director Titon Mitra, when he first came here."

Raul Cam, an official of the City Hall, said the entire plan had convinced Codilla to showcase this UNDP model to other entities that maybe interested in establishing similar housing projects in Ormoc. He said it was the process leading into the construction phase of this UNDP project that was most worthy of replicating.

Before the construction started, UNDP's selected beneficiaries were made to undergo skills training, such as building construction, bookkeeping, warehousing, and record keeping, in addition to orientation on material-quality testing.

The beneficiaries then organized themselves into the Ormoc Contractor Workers Association and then entered into a contract with UNDP as labor contractor to build their own houses, which were guaranteed resilient and quality dwellings. OCWA also hired non-members to fill the need for skilled workers in the course of the construction.

From November last year to January 20, the construction works were described as a labor of love, as each of the 55 family-beneficiaries contributed their so-called sweat equity (voluntary labor) amounting to 1,232 man-hours, plus the bayanihan system or communal work of a total of 300 man-hours.

Together with the skilled workers, or non-members hired by OCWA, construction works had reached a total of 14,952 man-hours throughout this period so far. There are now 61 workers, two foremen and seven officers who are continuously working to meet the project completion's target date on May.

Architect Solomon Gaveria, the UNDP project manager, told The Freeman these approaches had reduced the expenses and made sure the quality of the units built.

Mitra, who visited Ormoc for the second time to assess the project, said: "When you look at the actual construction model, it is the most solid. And the communities have been trained so their skills can be used again like an entity. This is a really good example. And finally these communities will not only have a house, but also a livelihood. When you look at the response to Yolanda, you have to say that's a complete package."

Mitra, while appreciating Mayor Codilla's support to the project, also thanked the project team, including project officers Boris Pascubillo, Roy Dimayuga and Gaveria, among others.

"I really think this is a great example of a response. But importantly I do hope that next time we have a situation like Yolanda and we come to this area that we're not going to be involved in so much debris clearing, so much re-housing and restocking people's lives because we have a foundation and a good approach with disaster risk management," said Mitra.  (FREEMAN)