By Perla G. Lena
TACLOBAN CITY, March 14 (PNA) — The Iglesia in Cristo (INC) Friday broke ground for a housing project with livelihood components for its brethren from Leyte, especially in Tacloban City, who were displaced by typhoon Yolanda.
The projects that would initially cost some half a billion pesos are situated in a 3,000-hectare lot in Sitio New Era, Barangay Langit in Alang-alang town of Leyte.
Glicerio Santos Jr, INC general auditor said that the area will stand at the initial 1,000 housing units, garment factory, dried fish plant, mushroom house and an eco-farm that will grow imported rice from Japan, fruit bearing trees and vegetables.
Products from the eco-farm are all intended for the export market, he said.
He added that the housing units may still increase as they account some 2,600 members of the INC from this region to have been displaced by the strong typhoon.
The projects are expected to be operational in four to six months as he disclosed that workers are also their affected members whom they engaged in a cash-for-work program.
To fast track the progress of the ongoing works, INC also donated 60 tractors to recipients of the projects.
Santos added that all funds for the projects come from the INC as manifestation of its readiness to help its members recover after the destruction caused by Yolanda.
These projects are undertaken in coordination with the Felix V. Manalo Foundation, Inc. and the Unlad Kabuhayan, Inc. the charity organization and socio-civic, livelihood and skills training arm of the INC, respectively.
Prior the ground breaking ceremony, more than a hundred thousand relief packs were distributed to typhoon survivors at the jam-packed Leyte Sports Development Center in Tacloban on Friday morning.
Simultaneous with the relief distribution was a medical and dental mission that gathered some 75 doctors not to mention other medical personnel who attended to patients.
Aside from checkup and free medicines the mission also brought with them equipment such as mobile x-ray, 2D Echo, electro cardiogram and operating room for minor operations, according to INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala. (PNA)