TACLOBAN CITY- The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has so far constructed more than 300 core shelters in various parts of Leyte, among the worst hit areas when supertyphoon Yolanda struck more than nine months ago.
Since the PRC started its core shelter projects in Leyte three months ago, 311 houses were completed in the towns of Tabon-Tabon, Barugo, Tolosa, Julita and Dulag, Clemente Japones, Jr., shelter officer of the PRC Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda Operation, said. In Tabon-Tabon, the pilot area of the core shelter project, out of the planned 774 units, 228 have been completed; 47 in Dulag; 26 in Tolosa and five each for Julita and Barugo.
The PRC is still finalizing targets for housing projects, which will run for three years, in the province since assessment is still ongoing, but official earlier reported that 40,000 homes will be built and 50,000 units will be repaired along Yolanda’s path. “There is no definite date of construction for other municipalities but the process is ongoing and we make sure that there’s strong coordination between local officials and PRC to address concerns”, Japones said. “Not all barangays in the province will be covered by our program. We just look for municipality that will be our target. It depends on the donor and the budget” he added.
The project is being funded through combined donations from other Red Cross societies such as American Red Cross, German Red Cross, Australian Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross, and Spanish Red Cross. The PRC official assured that the shelters provided which are good for 10 years are sustainable and can withstand from the storm.
“It has been scientifically tested in the past to ensure that it can withstand strong winds. We’re not the kind of organizations that is giving out something that is not sustainable,” Japones said. (ARCHIE FAYE V.BELCHES, LNU Intern)
