CdO turns over 182 houses to internally displaced persons

Thursday 5th of July 2012

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, July 5 -- One hundred eighty-two more completed houses in Calaanan were turned over to internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Balulang, Tambo and Ilaya, Carmen yesterday, July 4.

Mayor Vicente Emano, who led the awarding ceremony held at the Xavier Heights covered court, expressed his gratitude to the Habitat for Humanity Philippines (HFHP) for the construction of houses for the tropical storm Sendong survivors. He said the houses will be more than enough to accomodate all the affected families.

According to Mayor Emano, the construction of decent houses is in line with the intention of the city government to give dignity, security and livelihood to the calamity victims, who are mostly poor constituents, and to help them live decent lives in the new community that they have.

“We are building communities, not just constructing houses,” the mayor added.

The city has not only provided them with houses but is also establishing health centers, schools and other amenities in the community. The mayor said he is thankful to Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas and members of the City Council for their support.

“I am proud to have been given the grace to have an upright vice mayor and kagawads who have supported me in this endeavor,” he said in his message. The mayor, however, stressed that there will be no political debt of gratitude for this.

Losing three children during the flashfloods caused by Sendong and not finding them until this day has been a painful and difficult experience for Rosalina Absin, one of the IDPs. This morning, she took the time to express her gratitude to Mayor Emano and city officials, Habitat for Humanity, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Chinese community for providing her and other survivors with houses and the encouragement to recover from the tragedy.

During the program, DSWD representative Daisy Ramos-Babiera said that the efforts, dedication, collaboration and sharing of resources of the city government and the HFHP made the turn-over of houses possible.

The social welfare officer also thanked the IDPs for the patience for these houses and for enduring the inconvenience of staying in evacuation centers while the project is going on.

HFHP regional program manager Leonilo Escalada yesterday articulated the commitment of the group to help build more houses and communities in the city, citing the positive experience of the HFHP in Cagayan de Oro.

Escalada said he has been to many other cities before but the Cagayan de Oro experience is different.

"What takes two years to build in other areas was built in just three months in Cagayan de Oro," he said. (LCR/CdeOSP/PIA10)