An initiative between the government agencies and private sector organization in Puerto Princesa City known as House Rebuilding Project has turned uprooted and felled trees into proper use, by rebuilding totally damaged houses and benefiting substantial number of families affected by Typhoon Odette.
Uprooted and felled trees scattered everywhere after Typhoon Odette battered Puerto Princesa and some parts of Palawan. Many of these trees blocked major roads and thoroughfares, collapsed on houses, while others are eroded from mountainous areas and dragged downwards along with other debris reaching river downstream and in privately-owned lands.
The House Rebuilding Project spearheaded by the City Government through the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (City ENRO) dubbed as “Nature Provides” (Rebuilding Houses) was made possible through the collaboration and partnership with Palawan Geographic Society (PGS), Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines (WBPP) Puerto Princesa association of quarry permittees, government agencies such as the Department of Environment and natural Resources (DENR- CENRO), and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), among other partners. It targets to provide housing construction materials to 100 families whose houses were totally damaged by the typhoon.
The project was conceptualized by the City Environment and Natural Resources Officer, Atty. Carlo B. Gomez under its “Serbisyong tapat at Nararapat” initiatives that aimed to help rebuild the homes of families whose houses were totally destroyed by typhoon Odette thru retrieval of uprooted trees. They identified the barangas of Maoyon, San Rafael, Concepcion, Cabayugan, while one project beneficiary- barangay is not yet identified.
Each beneficiary received the House Rebuilding package consist of assorted lumber gathered from uprooted trees valued at around P32,775.00 with an estimated volume of 473 board feet for each package, one bag of cement, 14 pieces corrugated GI sheets, 4 pieces empty oil cans for post footing, 5 kilo of assorted nails, 1 kilo of umbrella nails 2 rolls of sawali for walls, 2 pieces ridge roll, and RSB for structural application for concrete columns. The cost of other housing construction materials is estimated at P 7,100 only.
Recently, City Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron, together Atty. Gomez, PENR officer Felizardo Cayatoc of the DENR PENRO, Ms. Christina Rodriguez of the PCSD, Ms. Febriza D. Adem, president of PGS, Punong Barangay Roland Macula and “Dodoy” Francisco of Barangay San Rafael and Concepcion respectively, led the distribution of 40 housing construction materials to 40 families who are recipients of the projects in Barangay San Rafael and Concepcion.
On the top of housing materials, mayor Bayron gave P 5,000 each for recipient families or a total of P 200,000 for 40 families.
Mayor Bayron commended project and described it as a worthy and commendable one.
“Napakaganda ng programang ito kaya gusto ko talagang Makita. na touch ako, ng malaman nating mayroong mga tao na nagtulong-tulong para sa inyo,’’ Mayor Bayron said.
He commended the initiatives of the different offices, agencies and organizations who mobilized their resources to help the needy, especially the homeless residents within the barangays hardly hit by Typhoon Odette. He consoled the typhoon survivors and assured the government’s support to help them bounce back after the calamity.
Febriza D. Adem, president of PGS said that their organization mobilization a fund raising activity to purchase construction materials needed for the project. She said that their members came up with a design and drawing of the model house.
The project recipients were visibly emotional, as they thanked the project implementers and donor.
Atty. Gomez said that the project is a collaboration of both government and the private sector which is part of their office’s CommuniAct Program that started some years ago. Government offices such as the DENR, PCSD, City ENRO and private organizations such as PGS, Puerto Princesa Association of Quarry Permittees, Wild Bird Photographers of the Philippines (WBPP) and other organizations.
The concept and implementation of the CommuniAct of the Office of the City ENRO took an unprecedented leap after Atty. Gomez attended the International Seminar on Urban Forestry sponsored by the United States Forest Service (USFS) in Chicago and New York, United States last June 2017. After learning numerous environmental-related activities and approaches involving communities and private sectors from the seminar, Atty. Gomez conceptualized CommuniAct Program and he form it part of his Action Plan submitted to the USFS at the end of the seminar.
CommuniAct encouraged the participation of the different sectors of the society to various environmental and social activities.
“There is a need to inculcate in the mind of the people this shared responsibility. That is why community engagement should be nourished because it is believed to be the key secret in achieving true and total success to environmental and social activities and projects of the City,” Atty. Gomez said.
Because of the encouraging result of the utilization and proper distribution of sliced lumber derived from uprooted forest products, PENR Officer Felizardo Cayatoc of the DENR-PENRO said that their office intend to replicate the project in area with many uprooted trees such as in the municipalities of Roxas, Aracile, Dumaran and taytay. He will also report this good practice to the DENR Secretary.
“Ito ay iuulat po natin ky Secretary Cimatu. Sa susunod na linggo, during our meeting ay I-re-report ko ito, kung ano ang ginagawa natin dito sa Puerto Princesa,” Cayatoc said.
There are substantial number of houses that are totally destroyed by typhoon Odette in various barangays in Puerto Princesa, and the most of them are in dire need of help to recover and restore their homes. The Houses Rebuilding Project has been a significant effort of the government and the private sector to respond to the needs of affected communities, specifically the families with totally damaged houses.
On this difficult times, we again turn to our environment and the natural world that provides us everything for us to survive and thrive. Our natural environment continue to give us food, water, medicine, natural cycles such as climate, nutrients and other what scientists called as “ecosystem services”. This time, after Typhoon Odette badly hit us, our environment gave us the materials for shelter, to help us rebuild our damaged houses.
Atty. Gomez reminded that despite man’s wanton abuse to our natural environment, it remains as giving as ever, despite the fact that we harm them, and destroy them bit-by-bit.
“Despite the fact, that our environment was beaten and destroyed, ay napagbigay pa rin sya ng resources tulad nitong mga kahoy para sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo. Mas maganda na mahalin at aalagaan natin sya, para mas marami at mas doble pa ang ibibigay nya para sa atin,” he emphasized.
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