Page 3 - VBP Digital Edition 4

themetro
August 2014
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Is the DSWD a better builder?
By VBP News Team LeyTe
MATAG-OB, Leyte –– Residents here are asking if this is the case, as their core shelter units built through the Core Shelter Assistance Program (CSAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Develop- ment (DSWD) stood the onslaught of super typhoon Haiyan.
Other public struc- tures like municipal buildings, bridges, gymnasiums, barangay halls, day care centers, and school houses built through congressional pork barrel funds, and even concrete paved roads yielded to the su- per typhoon.
“All 80 core shelter units built as early as 1991 up to 2000 and 2010 in Barangays San Guillermo, Cansuso, San Sebastian, and San Marcelino stood after Yolanda while many houses in the munici- pality sustained differ- ent states of damage”, Enrique A. Odtuhan, Matag-ob Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO) said in a statement.
“The units were built to really withstand dis- asters even as strong as Yolanda”, he said.
Odtuhan, a 24–year veteran in the delivery of municipal social ser- vices said he witnessed the actual construction of all the DSWD core shelter units in his mu- nicipality.
“We are very happy that these core shelter units have remained in- tact and still providing safety to the family-re- cipients.
The town has built 70 more recent core shelter units in the villages of Bula, Mansahaon and Naulayan.
Former Mayor and now Matag-ob Vice Mayor Michael L. Tore-
villas said the units were really durable for them to be able to defy Yolan- da’s force. “Yes, they are standing despite the heavy blow,” Vice Mayor Torevillas said.
In Boston, Davao Ori- ental local officials con- firmed that 27 DSWD core shelter units con- structed in their town also survived another strong Tyhoon, Pablo.
“In the aftermath of typhoon Pablo, we not- ed that the surrounding structures and coconut trees were practically smashed to the ground yet the core houses in Ba- rangay Carmen basically remained whole.
“only about ten units whose roofing materi- als were slightly dam- aged was affected by the storm”, Municipal Information Officer Ju- dith Castres of Boston reported.
The DSWD core shel- ter program is extended to individuals or families left homeless by disasters or poor families living in hazardous areas.
The program is a com- munity development initiative utilizing the principles of community organizing, convergence of services, and capability building.
Core shelter ben- eficiaries are organized into Neighbourhood Association for Shel- ter Assistance (NASA) and participate in the actual construction of their respective units. The recipients also un- dergo Values Formation Orientation and other capability building ses- sions to understand their situation and problems at hand and intently work to arrive at solutions.
Having endured pow- erful typhoons, the core shelter units proved their strength and are being studied as a model hous- ing structure for future relocation sites for vic- tims of disasters.
Naval gives incentives to barangay health workers
By The VBP News Team Leyte
NAVAL, Biliran Leyte -- Naval in Biliran province will be the first local gov- ernment unit to give for- mal benefits and incentives to barangay health work- ers. “The incentive which has been authorized by a new municipal ordinance will be given to accred- ited health workers in the grassroots level”, disclosed Naval mayor Susan V. Pa- rilla.
The implementing rules of Municipal Ordinance 19 otherwise known as “An Ordinance Granting Ben- efits and Incentives to Ac- credited Barangay Health Workers and for other purposes” was signed in a formal ceremony attended by regional officials of the Department of Health. The signing was a momen- tous occasion for barangay health workers of 26 ba- rangays in the municipal- ity of Naval, Biliran who witnessed the event at the old Sangguniang Bayan
Editor JohN alfred KaBalicaN editor@visayanbizpost.com
HistoriC HAll. The old town hall of Naval in Biliran was the seat of the local government until 1999.
session hall in this develop- ing town.
“This is the first local legislation I know that grants benefits to baran- gay health workers and we support it in recognition of theenormoussacrificeand contribution of local health workers to the develop- ment of health service de- livery in the grassroots lev- el”, said regional director Jose Llacuna of the Philip- pine Department of Health. “Local government units must begin to consider the volunteer health workers whosebenefitshavelargely
been neglected for some time” Llacuna added.
Naval councilman Gabi- no S. Velasquez, IV, a med- ical doctor by profession, authored the municipal ordinance which was ap-
proved by the Sangguniang Bayan with the full support of the local government unit which will source out thefundingforthebenefits and incentives mandated by the ordinance.
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