Stakeholders commit to support Provincial Housing Project

By Joy Sevilla
MAITUM, Sarangani (November 12, 2009) - Stakeholders and partners of the Sarangani Provincial Housing Project have pledged their commitment of support "for social balancing and disaster risk reduction by providing access for resettlement and decent housing to the vulnerable families of the province" during the 1st Stakeholders and Partners Forum Wednesday (November 11).

Participants of the forum which include the local government units (LGUs) of the different municipalities of Sarangani, government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), National Housing Authority (NHA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the 73rd Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and even non-government organizations like RD Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Gawad Kalinga, and other institutions, have signified their financial, technical, and manpower support for the full realization of the program.

Governor Migs Dominguez said the provincial government alone cannot achieve its goal of providing resettlement for the most vulnerable citizens of the province without the help of government agencies and institutions which have been its partners for the past several years.

"We can make the dreams of the people possible. Help us for the realization of our dreams of building homes, building lives for Sarangans who are in dire need of our care and intervention," Dominguez said.

The governor said the program has been running in Maasim, Kiamba, Maitum, Alabel, Malapatan, and Glan municipalities. He added that Malapatan has the largest identified area for the program with 7.3 hectares covering 479 housing units.

Meanwhile, ten new housing units have been turned-over to the beneficiaries of the program in GK Eco-Village in barangay Mabay, Maitum town.Rene Rieta, Gawad Kalinga (GK) regional coordinator, said the program is a joint project undertaking among the Provincial Government of Sarangani, the Municipal Government of Maitum, the National Housing Authority, and Gawad Kalinga.

"We started the construction of our project here in Maitum in 2007, but way back in 2006, the program is already the idea of (late) Mayor Yabes to provide housing units to residents in the shoreline who are vulnerable to calamities. We started with 12 houses with an initial fund of P60,000," he said.

GK has already turned-over 37 houses in GK Eco-Village. He said the ten houses (recently turned-over), started its construction early this year.

"We target to build 300 houses in this five hectares land," Rieta said. He pointed out that the beneficiaries of the program have not paid a single centavo for the construction of the houses and even for the land. Beneficiaries, he said, can qualify to the program if he/she has no access to any housing means (he must not be a member of the Social Security System, or Home Development Mutual Fund); he has no property; and if he is willing to enter in the Gawad Kalinga Program."In Gawad Kalinga, we're not only building homes, but we are building community, including health and education.

Our goal is just like Governor Dominguez's goal for his province and that is to eradicate poverty (in the Philippines)," Rieta said, adding that Gawad Kalinga's target is to see 500 million Filipino families to be out of poverty by 2024."Nationwide, we are now serving 2,000 communities with our project. Here in Sarangani Province, we will assist the provincial government with its goal.

Next year, DSWD plans to implement a project to build 500 houses all over the province and we will definitely help in terms of social preparation and community formation," he said.

Governor Dominguez, on the other hand, said he would like to see the GK Eco-Village in Maitum to be filled with houses before his term ends. This, he said, could be made possible with the partnership of the provincial government with its dynamic partners that share common vision with the province. (Joy Sevilla/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)