The Iloilo Provincial Government is pioneering an initiative that aims to create a resilient community that is responsive to climate change and natural disasters.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. spearheaded the groundbreaking of the Purok Resilience Program at its pilot site in Purok 3 in the mountain barangay of Nangka in the municipality of Batad.
The activity was also attended by Mayor Elvira Alarcon, Vice Mayor Ernesto Balida, municipal and barangay officials, Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, Executive Assistant to the Governor Niel Tupas III, representatives from the Department of Agrarian Reform, and Iloilo provincial government department heads and staff.
The Purok Resilience Program features a small-scale, localized, and socialized housing project as a response to climate change. It involves the relocation of residents who are prone to natural and other hazards and the establishment of a resettlement area near their livelihood.
“Amo ni ang aton isa sa mga measures kag mga pamaagi naton para engkwentruhon ang mga kalamidad nga ginadala sa aton sang climate change. Gusto naton nga ang aton socialized housing program lapit sa pamilya kag sa palangabuhian sang tawo. Kag ang maistar dira ang pirmi naton nga gina evacuate kun may kalamidad,” Defensor said.
The governor said that instead of putting up an evacuation centre, it is ideal to create a permanent social housing project for the relocatees to safeguard the community and enhance the quality of life of those susceptible to natural calamities.
The pilot site in Barangay Nangka is located in a spacious 5,000-square-meter lot acquired by the municipality of Batad. It will consist of 10 buildings with each building consisting of three-unit shelters to cater to a total of 30 beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries were identified under Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 and are underprivileged and residing in hazard zones.
The project costs P30 million with the triplex shelters featuring essential living spaces such as bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and living areas. It will also feature ceramic tiles, fibre cement board for the ceiling, a metal roof with insulators to reduce heat gain and solar rooftop panels.
To institutionalize the program, Governor Defensor issued Executive Order No. 333 series of 2022 for the implementation of the Purok Resilience Program in the province of Iloilo.
To further strengthen the implementation of the program, the governor also issued Executive Order No. 486 series of 2022 to reconstitute the Iloilo Provincial Inter-Agency Committee on Relocation and Resettlement, and its sub-committees.
(Capitol News)
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