Japan donates P170-M for Sendong survivors

TO HAVE a strategic and harmonious relationship with the Philippines, a first-world Asian country donated P170 million worth of construction materials for the houses of Sendong survivors in the city.

Japan’s Minister for Economic Affairs Akio Isomata told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that his country is donating construction materials to the Philippines to foster a harmonious relationship.

“The Philippines has a long history with Japan. Not just politically but also in the economics,” Isomata said during his visit to the office of Mayor Oscar Moreno Thursday.

CAGAYAN DE ORO. Mayor Oscar Moreno welcomes Minister Akio Isomata of the Ministry for Economics Affair of Japan on March 12, 2014. The Japanese government grants P170 million worth of construction materials to build the houses of Sendong survivors to be relocated in Barangay Balubal. (Joey P. Nacalaban)

Isomata said Japan and Philippines can work in so many ways.

In a document handed to this paper by the Cagayan de Oro City Hall, the housing materials are provided by the Japanese Non-Project Grant Aid (JNPGA) which will arrive in the next few months.

Ramon Fernandez, chairman of shelter and housing development multi-sectoral task force, said the grant is equivalent to 1,200 to 1,600 houses to be constructed in Barangay Balubal.

He said all of the housing materials will come from abroad.

The houses will have an area of 25 square meters and concrete with metal roofing. There will be two bedrooms for each house.

The cost of each relocation house amounts to P310,000.

Fernandez said the contractors and agencies in charge have estimated to finish the project five to six months from now.

Moreno said the city provided the lot for the relocation site which is intended for the survivors of Sendong.

Moreno said if all of the Sendong victims will be relocated, the city will also accommodate informal settlers in the area.

When told that the people in relocation sites are complaining about livelihood, Fernandez added his office will work with the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Northern Mindanao (DSWD-10).

He confirmed that the relocatees will not be allowed to raise hogs.

Livelihood

DSWD-10 social welfare officer Glofelia Uayan said there will be livelihood programs in every relocation site.

She said their project development office will ensure that feasible and sustainable projects could be implemented in the site.

Uayan said they will assess the skills of the people in the relocation site since the labor aspect in the construction of the houses in Balubal could be turned into cash-for-work in partnership with the city.

Uayan said they will encourage the people to make hollow blocks for their livelihood and DSWD-10 will purchase the hollow blocks for the construction of the houses in the relocation site.

Other than that, Uayan said most of the time they provide a livelihood project that amounts to P5,000 to P10,000 per family.

“It could be a group project or per family project,” Uayan said.

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