Relocated Yolanda Survivors Denounce Poorly-Implemented Resettlement Programs in Tacloban North

At first sight, I was impressed by the brick-laden land mark, well-paved roads, and seemingly sturdy rowhouses. I'm sure others will have the same first impression upon entering this public relocation project in Barangay Cabalawan. As we got closer to the interiors of the permanent housing project which was supposed to be an asylum for no less than a thousand typhoon Yolanda survivors, I blew off from what I've seen as a total contrast.  

The entrance to Ridge View Park, a relocation project 
of National Housing Authority and the City Gove

The project involves the provision of 2,000 rowhouse units to
typhoon Yolanda-affected families. 

Exterior paint cannot conceal the substandard and poorly-built structures often misconstrued by outsiders as a humane disaster rehabilitation assistance. Who is apt to believe that a housing unit costs Php293,000 when right in front of you are rowhouses which lack reinforcement and wall forms  not properly aligned with ground reinforcing bars, clogged drainage lines, and poorly-installed septic tanks? An old man approached and told me that this negligence should be blamed to the crooked-minded contractors. In a conversation he explained, "the ones who built this house didn't put mortar on some parts of the walls, that's why we put x markings on these portions". Just by looking at the output of a relatively poor workmanship, the houses will simply collapse even with low-magnitude ground shaking. 

These issues may appear superficial as these are the most obvious ones. But coming from an organization advocating for an integrated and comprehensive resettlement intervention, it's imperative that we ask ourselves whether our rehabilitation solutions are truly addressing more complex issues of poverty and marginalization. Or are we simply creating more disasters and disempowering the disaster survivors? 

Aside from water contamination,
another prevailing problem in Ridge View
is shortage of water supply.

In several resettlement sites in Tacloban North that we've visited, a glaring issue which remained unresolved is the lack of basic services leading to a breakdown of some families. A lot of breadwinners chose to be separated from their families to look for better employment opportunities near the city. Others went back to fishing near their original settlements in coastal areas despite the government's pronouncement of "no build zone".  The exodus of  families to the outskirts of the city placed the burden on women who are left in despair due to the absence of livelihood opportunities and poor access to transportation services, power and potable water supply. For a family of six with only one earning family member, a container of drinking water amounting to Php35.00 is already too much to cause a spike to the family's daily expenditure.  In Ridge View Park, a resettlement site developed by the National Housing Authority, there have been reported cases of diarrhea outbreak,  mostly amongst children and elderly because of contaminated water. 

Also, the lack of cohesiveness of relocated families in Ridge View Park could be attributed to weak organizing and a clear disconnect of these families to the one providing the assistance at the outset of the resettlement program. When I asked a relocated typhoon survivor if there was any monitoring system or mechanism in-placed to elevate their issues and concerns to the government,  I only got a vague response. 

Surprisingly, I came across a case of a mother who unlike the others, received a well-constructed permanent shelter from Lions International. Their house has a bigger floor area with some space provision for income-generating activities and a front-yard for home gardening. But, I was taken aback when she muttered about how her children took the issue of displacement after being relocated to a far-flung area. "Two of my children were consistent honor students in previous years. Now, they seem to have difficulty adjusting with the new school environment and new set of friends. With limited public transport services, going to school is an uphill challenge for them as they have to walk everyday. I am not sure if my children would still be able to cope with their studies here", she explained. 

A Housing Project supported by Lions International

Other relocation projects supported by private and non-governmental organizations face similar dilemma. Failures on the technical design of the intervention, both on engineering and architectural design aspects simply pose another set of risks to disaster survivors. Once people are redound to the level of mere recipients of the program, you should expect their lukewarm appreciation of the resettlement process. 

A housing project supported by GMA KAPUSO Foundation

Building physical infrastructures like shelters, roads, power, sewerage and water systems are only but a parcel of a resettlement intervention . It is very crucial  that the social capital and human resources are equally given priorities and strengthened in our recovery and rehabilitation efforts. Genuine consultation should be done to ensure that people's voices resonate well from planning to actual program implementation. After all, it's the people who actually serve as the cornerstones upon which our humanitarian and developmental endeavors are built. 

Pope Francis-CFC ANCOP Canada Community,
a relocation project built on a land donated by the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo, Leyte