Firm bares housing project for Umapad scavengers
DEDON Manufacturing Inc. announced the implementation of its housing project in barangay Bagalnga, Compostela town, northern Cebu.
May Aldemita, senior executive assistant and corporate affairs head of Dedon, said the houses will be turned over to the beneficiaries.
Aldemita said the company has tied up with the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) group of the Society of Divine Word for the screening of beneficiaries.
The SVD community has already screened families of scavengers from the Umapad dumpsite in barangay Umapad, Mandaue City, where 50 families were chosen beneficiaries.
According to Aldemita, Dedon purchased the 2.4-hectare lot in barangay Bagalnga last year for the housing project. The company will also provide Dedon fiber and other materials for the construction of houses.
On November until December, Dedon will train the beneficiaries on weaving the fiber into wall panels, ceiling panels and door panels, the components to assemble the houses.
The training will be held at Dedon’s factory in Canduman Mondays through Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Transportation from barangay Umapad to Canduman and back will be provided by Dedon. The beneficiaries will also be given an allowance of P100 per day and lunch by the furniture manufacturing company.
The houses, once completed, will be given for free to the beneficiaries, Aldemita said.
Aldemita said the company is also planning to introduce livelihood projects for the beneficiaries, such as fiber weaving and backyard farming. The finished weave products will be sold as well as the farm yields.
Aldemita said that through backyard faming, beneficiaries need not go to the town proper to buy vegetables for their meals as Bagalnga is a mountain barangay and far from Compostela town proper.
Dedon, a member company of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) since 2007, also participates in the annual tree planting activity of the PBSP in the mountain barangay of Cantipla, Cebu City.
Aldemita said that in last year’s tree planting activity, Dedon employees planted 3,750 various tree seedlings in Cantipla. /EDITORIAL ASSISTANT TITO P. TAN
