Nearly two and a half years after ‘‘Yolanda’s’’ devastation, the Philippine Red Cross says it continues the rehabilitation stage of its assistance in areas hit by the strongest typhoon in history, working under the “build back better” maxim.
In line with the foremost humanitarian organization’s mandate of alleviating human suffering, Philippine Red Cross chairman Richard J. Gordon led the turn over ceremony of 5,627 houses, 3 health facilities and 7 classrooms on April 9, Saturday in Tacloban City and in the two other Leyte municipalities of San Miguel and Dagami.
“The Philippine Red Cross ensures that the communities we are helping become more disaster resilient. We work under the build back better strategy, we build typhoon-resilient houses and classrooms so those who were affected by Yolanda would not be as vulnerable to the next disaster that hits. We also train them to become more capable of surviving any disasters,” Gordon said.
“Our shelter recovery program ensures that families have adequate, appropriate and safe shelter, supporting them from the transition to making more permanent durable housing. We also prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable and ensure their participation and access to basic services to provide them with a life of dignity,” he added.
PRC Secretary-General Gwendolyn Pang assisted in the symbolic hand over of keys and in the distribution certificates of occupancy.
Lawyer Miguel Tezon, chairman of the PRC Leyte Chapter’s Board of Directors, and administrator Edwin Pamonag also assisted during the ceremony.
Attendees of the event are delegates from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, namely: Ramsey Rayyis, Mary Joy Evalarosa, Colin Price and “‹Abhishek Rimal; delegates from Qatar Red Crescent Society: “‹ Rashed Al Muhannadi, Abdalrahman Lahmouni, and Mohammed Hizam Ali; and delegates from the Spanish Red Cross-Ana Montoya Bermejo, Aurelie Hernandez Massi and Maria Jesus Millan Serrano.
“We also commend our partner societies, in these projects the IFRC, the Qatar Red Crescent Society and the Spanish Red Cross. Through our partnership, we are able to reach out to a greater number of families affected by Yolanda,” Gordon said.
Typhoon Yolanda struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013, leaving devastation in nine provinces in the Visayas. In Leyte alone, the PRC has already built 26,573 out of the 30,845 houses targeted to be accomplished and 6 facilities rehabilitated out of the 13 target and finished 263 classrooms out the 312 target as of April 1, 2016. For its over-all Yolanda shelter recovery program, the PRC has already completed 72,636 houses out of the 80,203 target. Further, 52 health facilities constructed and rehabilitated out of 76 targeted to be reconstructed. It has also finished 434 out of 513 classrooms targeted to be built.
