TACLOBAN CITY- In order to develop a model housing resettlement in the municipality of Santa Fe, Leyte, the Banco De Oro Foundation (BDOF) recently signed an agreement with the Foundation for These-Abled Persons Inc. (FTI) with BDOF president Maureen Abelardo and Trustee Corazon de la Paz-Bernardo, FTI executive director Lolita Gelle and Trustee Peter Hammerle as signatories. In a press statement, BDOF president Abelardo said that the 1.3 hectares housing resettlement site will house 100 shelter units complete with kitchenette and toilet facilities. Each duplex is 46 square meters or 23 square meters per home and all concrete including the roof to make it more disaster resilient. The housing project will cost P28 million. The BDO Foundation, on the other hand, has earmarked about P16 million to fund part of the land and site development, the construction of one hundred shelter units and workshop, the training of the workers, the tools and equipment for building. This is one of the rehabilitation projects of BDO Foundation under its disaster response program for typhoon Yolanda-ravaged Eastern Visayas. “This “model” community is envisioned to create sustainable enterprises beyond the disaster recovery phase for persons with disability to be productive and become part of the economic process,” Abelardo said. “The shelter units and land development are to be jointly funded by BDO Unibank and donations from clients. It will house a workshop or multipurpose hall of about 300 square meters funded by BDO employees’ donation where the community members will be trained on new construction technology of producing pre-fabricated walls for housing which can be their source of livelihood,” she added. The FTI was organized in 2009 with its main advocacy of providing employment and empowerment of persons with disability. It is a member of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (OSEA) which initiated the setting up of the Reconstruction Initiative through Social Enterprise (RISE) as a platform for social enterpriser development to assist the marginalized sector in the rehabilitation process. The signing was witnessed by OPARR Undersecretary Danilo Antonio, Marie Lisa Dacanay, president of Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA), Jesus Tirona and Perla Toledo, trustees of BDO Foundation and senior executives from OPARR, BDO Unibank, FTI and ISEA, respectively. (RYAN GABRIEL LLOSA ARCENAS)
