MANILA, Aug. 1 (PNA) — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Saturday that a total of 17,420 permanent housing units have already been turned over to families from Boston, Cateel, and Banganga in Davao Oriental, who were rendered homeless by Typhoon “Pablo” in 2012.
DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman said that the number included the 1,010 units which were turned over on Monday, July 27.
Soliman said that the houses were constructed under the Modified Shelter Assistance Program (MSAP).
MSAP is program of DSWD which provided the needed funds for the construction.
The provincial government of Davao Oriental, for its part, handled the site development of the resettlement sites and the management of the program.
“With the latest turnover of units, only about 2,000 houses more are needed to reach the total target of 19,880 units in all the four affected towns,” said Soliman.
She assured that DSWD and the provincial government will complete and turn over the remaining houses before the year ends.
The DSWD Chief said that the completion of the housing project indicated that government resources had redound to the benefit of vulnerable families.
She also recognized the agency’s strong partnership with the provincial government, saying that without its support, DSWD would have a difficult time realizing this huge task.
“Typhoon survivors may have lost their houses but they claim that they remain hopeful and resilient, especially because they see the government, particularly the provincial government’s efforts and commitment to rebuild their lives,” she further said.
She recalled that during Monday’s ceremonial turnover, Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon underscored the provincial government’s efforts in pushing for the housing program to become the national government’s first priority among all the lined up rehabilitation programs for ‘Pablo’ survivors.
She added that Gov. Malanyaon had cited that with the new built-homes, survivors would now be able to give their full attention to their work and livelihood as they would not worry anymore for a place where their family could stay.
She further said that the governor had described the new homes as symbol of feeling of security and could help motivate typhoon-affected families to improve their lives by focusing on their work even more.(PNA)