MACO, Compostela Valley, Philippines—At least 2,000 hands took the daunting task of building at least 50 new houses in seven days for landslide survivors last week.

The Gawad Kalinga (GK) Foundation-led project hit a feverish start as volunteers from all sectors—government workers, civic groups, the religious, and even the military and police—rolled up their sleeves to erect shelters for the victims of one of the worst disasters in the province in years.

Heroes

The newest GK village, the GK-Uswag (Prosper) community is taking shape through the Bayani (Heroes) Challenge, a unique form of community cooperation, said Christine Dompor, the project management coordinator.

“It’s more on volunteerism on the highest level. Participant-volunteers bring their own provisions, so the government does not provide them anymore free snacks or lunch,” Dompor said.

The houses are to be built on a two-hectare piece of property bought by the provincial government in Barangay Kinuban, also in Maco, but only seven kilometers from Mawab town, and about 20 kilometers from Tagum City.

Lost homes

The newest GK project in the country came after two landslides in September last year fell on a Masara village, also in Maco town. At least 26 people died, over a hundred were injured and homes destroyed.

Though several hundred others were lucky to survive, they faced an uncertain fate when the provincial government ordered a forced evacuation from the area as threats of more landslides loomed.

The survivors, numbering about 350 families, were herded to temporary bunkhouses in Elizalde village, several kilometers from the “danger zone,” on a lot owned by the Tagum diocese.

“But they could not stay there for long,” Gov. Arturo Uy said, as he and other provincial officials looked for ways and donors for the Masara victims’ permanent relocation area.

Help eventually came as provincial officials partnered with GK, the poverty-reduction and nation-building movement of the Couples for Christ (CFC), and the private sector and other well-meaning individuals and entities who pitched in donations of cash, construction materials, and houses.

Big endeavor

Forty-two year-old Lalia Teng came early that Saturday and eagerly lined up for the first tasks that day, unloading hollow blocks from dump trucks, not minding the muck all over the place from a downpour the night before.

The mother of four lost her elder sibling in the landslides and was one of the residents forced out when her village was declared no man’s land.

“I’m very thankful. I can have the chance of owning one of the houses. Before this, I used to worry about where will I and my family go after Masara,” Teng told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

She said she and other prospective beneficiaries are more than eager to pitch in and volunteer as the project is “for my family’s future.”

Biggest in region

The Uswag Comval-GK Kinuban project is a big endeavor as volunteers from other GK communities in Davao region participated, said Arnold Maloloy-on, GK Compostela Valley coordinator.

Unlike regular GK projects that take months, volunteers in the Kinuban project intend to build homes in just a week, Maloloy-on said.

“The strong support from the local government made this enormous task easy. This is a big event compared to other GK projects in the region,” he said.

According to Uy, 350 houses are to be constructed for the Masara victims. The first phase will be finished by Jan. 31. The next batch of shelters is to be built this June.

Pledges for houses and materials kept pouring in. The latest came from food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. for a hundred houses, Uy said.

Cement-maker Holcim also sponsored free training for dozens of men who wanted to become masons in the run-up to the launching of the project.

“With over 350 houses pledged, we are happy that all of the Masara victims will be given enough,” the governor said.

Mayor Carlos Arthur Voltaire Rimando also thanked “all those who cared” for the landslide victims.

“Despite the hardships at first, we remained strong in our commitment to give shelters to the victims of the tragedy. We are thankful to all those who did not leave us after Masara,” Rimando said during a program shortly before the construction proper began.