248 out of 250 bunkhouses for ‘Yolanda’ survivors finished

Bunkhouses. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Better late than never.

Of the 250 bunkhouses the government promised to put up for survivors of supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) in Eastern Visayas, 248 have risen in storm-ravaged areas in the provinces of Leyte, Eastern Samar and Western Samar.

This was relayed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Sunday by Rolando Asis, head of the Department of Public Works and Highways Region VIII office. Asis said “the two remaining bunkhouses will be finished as soon as possible” by the private contractors hired by the agency.

In a text message, he also reported that 231 bunkhouses have been turned over by the DPWH to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which has been tasked with distributing the temporary shelters to victims of the Nov. 8 calamity.

Thus far, however, “only 71 bunkhouses have been occupied by typhoon victims,” said Asis.

DSWD, he explained, has been “strictly following some criteria in screening prospective recipients” of the shelters.

According to the DPWH official, “150 of the completed bunkhouses are in Tacloban City and Ormoc City, both in Leyte, while 65 are in Eastern Samar and 33 in Western Samar.”

Each bunkhouse, which consists of 24 units with a common bathroom and kitchen, costs P836,000. The total number of units will be 6,000 upon completion of the project.

The bunkhouses are made of corrugated roofing sheets, plywood and coconut lumber walls and floors. Each unit measures 8.64 square meters. Two units may be combined to accommodate large families.

The DPWH earlier planned to build 222 bunkhouses and complete them by December. It raised the number to 250 and set a February deadline.

Earlier, Asis said the temporary shelters’ construction was “hampered by bad weather” in the region.

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

Like Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, Asis disputed reports the bunkhouses were overpriced and made of substandard materials.

In fact, he said, they were priced lower than similar temporary shelters for victims of other typhoons that hit the country recently.

Over 1.1 million houses were either totally destroyed or damaged by Yolanda. The death toll is close to 7,000 so far.

Singson announced that under the DPWH’s Permanent Shelter Program, typhoon victims would be given construction materials.

The DPWH head said priority would be given to families living in coastal areas.

During his last visit to Leyte, President Benigno Aquino  III said the government would build “permanent houses that are safe for the residents.” The bunkhouses, he said, would only be temporary.

He also said he would see to it that the permanent relocation sites in Eastern Visayas would be safer and more protected from natural calamities.