Hundreds of families whose houses were destroyed by Typhoon Odette during its onslaught in Negros Oriental on Dec. 16 last year will receive transitional shelter assistance from the Diocese of Dumaguete and its partners.
The project will provide families with simple but decent houses that they can immediately occupy once built, Fr. Hendrix Alar, emergency program leader of the diocese’s Typhoon Odette Response command center, told the media on Monday.
“These are housing units to be built in collaboration with the National Secretariat for Social Action of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and Caritas Philippines, and perhaps other partners, while further arrangements or improvements for a more appropriate structure according to each of their needs can be made later,” Alar said.
Some of these families are just renting or staying on another person’s property and it would take time to do the paperwork, so a transitional home is the best, for now, he said.
As of Jan. 24, the Diocese, through the Parish Pastoral Councils, identified 315 beneficiaries in Jimalalud town; 104 in Tayasan town; and 208 in two separate parishes in Mabinay town, for a total of 627.
Alar said the Diocese is looking at a collaboration with a company engaged in the bamboo business, with a meeting set between the Bishop and the firm’s representatives, to undertake the construction of the transitional shelters.
Meanwhile, typhoon victims with partially damaged houses have also received shelter kits comprising of galvanized iron (G.I.) sheets and nails while another group has donated plywood, Alar said.
These shelter kits worth some P5,000 each were distributed to 150 households in Manjuyod and 100 others in Bais City.
An additional 80 pieces of G.I. sheets were distributed last week to more than 219 families through the St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Manjuyod, donated by parishioners of Dauin, headed by Msgr. Julius Heruela.
Alar thanked the NASSA/Caritas-Manila, Holy Child Hospital, Immaculate Conception Academy Alumnae, faculty, staff and students from San Juan City, and other organizations and individuals who shared their blessings with Typhoon Odette victims through the Diocese of Dumaguete.
The diocese initially launched its response efforts by distributing food packs and relief items to the victims since last month but is now focusing on the rehabilitation phase with ongoing meetings and consultations with the different PPCs.
“The parish assessment is very important to identify the right beneficiary to the housing assistance, and we hope to connect with more partners in the coming days,” Alar said.
Meanwhile, the Diocese also distributed about 2,000 food packs donated by the Banco de Oro Foundation.
“We started the distribution in Tayasan today and we are targetting Jimalalud and Bindoy, The rest will be scheduled depending on the availability of transportation,” Alar said.
Also, in collaboration with the Foundation of Outstanding Mapuans, Inc. and the National Association of Mapua Alumni Inc., the Diocese also distributed 75 mosquito nets, 75 blankets, and 75 mats through the Manjuyod Parish, he said.
The Mangganay Quasi Parish in Bais City and the Bindoy Parish also received 32 sets of kitchen utensils for distribution to “Odette” victims.
Last week, the Diocese began distributing shelter kits consisting of GI sheets and nails, among others, among typhoon victims in different parishes.
The command center, in collaboration with the National Secretariat for Social Action of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and Caritas, was set up alongside those in other dioceses where “Odette” left a trail of devastation.
Alar said relief aid continues to pour in from groups and individuals who have responded to their call to help the typhoon victims recover and rebuild their lives and their communities.
“We are thankful to our donors but we still need more as we cannot cover every parish or area as fast as we would like to. But we are moving forward in our response efforts,” he added. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
