DPWH announces completion of 222 bunkhouses

By: Jerry E. Esplanada - 10 years ago

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – More than three months after Super Typhoon “Yolanda” ravaged Eastern Visayas, the government has finally completed construction of 222 temporary shelters for survivors of the calamity.

The news was relayed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Monday night by Rolando Asis, director of the Department of Public Works and Highways’s office in Region VIII, who reported that a total of 135 bunkhouses had been turned over by the agency to the Department of Social Welfare and Development as of Feb. 9 and that 87 more were to be turned over shortly.

However, only 52 bunkhouses have been occupied by typhoon victims, he said.

The DSWD is tasked to assign the temporary shelters to typhoon victims in the provinces of Leyte, Eastern Samar and Western Samar.

According to Asis, the bunkhouses are in the following areas: Tacloban City, 51; Ormoc City, 42; Palo town, Leyte, 37; Eastern Samar, 60, and Western Samar, 32.

The DPWH had emoved the deadline for the completion of the bunkhouses from Jan. 31 to Feb. 15.

Asis said construction was hampered by bad weather.

“Continuous heavy rains brought about by the recent tropical depressions delayed the delivery of construction materials, which had to be brought all the way from Metro Manila, Bicol, other parts of the Visayas as well as Mindanao,” he said.

Only 122 bunkhouses were put up by the DPWH before the Christmas break. Two of them, both in the municipality of Palo, were turned over to typhoon victims by President Aquino during his visit to the area on Dec. 22.

In January, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson announced that instead of building more temporary shelters for typhoon survivors, the DPWH would provide them with construction materials under its Permanent Shelter Program for storm-hit areas.

Families whose homes were destroyed would get P30,000 worth of building materials while those whose homes were damaged are entitled to get P10,000 worth of materials, he said.

Singson said priority would be given to families living in coastal areas in Leyte and Eastern Samar.