Hilongos, Leyte — July 20, 2015. Seven hundred fifty (750) DSWD shelter units are to be built by beneficiaries for the municipalities of Hilongos, Inopacan and Hindang. These three municipalities have been identified by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the beneficiaries’ housing units will be funded by the ADB.
Inopacan was identified to have 250 units, Hindang, 295, while Hilongos with 205. The beneficiaries are victims of Yolanda who were rendered homeless.
This was the reason for the orientation which was done today by Engr. Honesto Pardo, DSWD Central Office Program Development Officer and Focal Person for the Recovery and Rehabilitation Division of the Disaster Response Emergency Assistance Management Bureau (DReAMB) and DSWDF08 RRMP Head Pauline Nadera.
Engr. Pardo explained that these houses, dubbed as the DSWD Core Shelter Units, measure five meters by four meters and cost seventy thousand (P70, 000.00) pesos each.
To assist the beneficiaries in their daily needs, while they are busy fixing their houses, the agency will be given incentive of Php 195.00 per day. The construction of shelter units is implemented via cash for work (CFW) scheme for a period of ten days, equivalent to the time they have to finish each unit.
Engr. Pardo further explained that beneficiaries have to think of strategies for the speedy completion of the houses, one of which is for the beneficiaries to group themselves into five and help each other finish their houses.
This shelter assistance project started in the late 70’s thru the provision of Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) to repair the partially damaged housing of family victims of disaster.
As the typhoons came and grew stronger, the government decided to provide typhoon resistant low cost housing which the people and affected families could build themselves using local materials.
In 1988, AO 76 known as the Implementing Guidelines for Core Shelter Assistance Pilot Project for victims of typhoon Sisang was formulated to implement CSAP w/c was later amended thru AO 101 series of 1989 known as the Implementing Guidelines for the Core Shelter Project.
In 1991, the DSWD Core Shelter design won the World Habitat Award in London.
The shelter assistance is a service meant to assist family victims of disaster acquire decent shelters. This shall be made available only to family-victims whose houses were either totally of partially destroyed by either natural or man-made disasters.
The eligibility for the assistance is based from a set of criteria wherein the assessment and recommendation of the City / Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers (C/MSWDOs) following a set of criteria provided by DSWD and validated by the DSWD Field Offices. Prioritization is determined based on certain criteria indicated in its guidelines in consideration of the funds available for the purpose. ###