Informal settler family-beneficiaries of the Micro Medium Rise Buildings witness the blessing of the housing units.
Informal settler family-beneficiaries of the Micro Medium Rise Buildings witness the blessing of the housing units.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) officially awards residential units to 21 family-beneficiaries of the Estero de San Miguel Pilot Project on Shelter Assistance and Disaster Risk-Reduction and Management.

The disaster prevention shelter assistance is a joint project undertaken by the DSWD, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Urban Poor Associates (UPA), and the Nagkakaisang Mamamayan ng Legarda, Inc. (NML).

As part of the project, five micro-Medium Rise Buildings (mmRBs) were constructed with the project cost amounting to P157 million.  Four (4) of the said buildings are for the housing assistance of the identified Informal Settler Families (ISFs) who reside in danger zones and one building serves as a multi-purpose building.

The shelter assistance is provided to the urban poor especially those who live in danger zones along the various esteros and creeks in Metro Manila.

As part of national government’s disaster prevention initiatives, its primary objective is to ensure safe and flood-resilient permanent housing for the ISFs.

Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman shared that this joint project “is a result of the lessons learned by government from strong typhoons like ‘Milenyo and Ondoy.’  With the safe residential units, the ISFs will now be protected against the “new normal.”

In addition, the Secretary addressed the ISFs to take care of their new shelters.  The Secretary added that the shelter assistance project was made possible as a result of the NMLI’s persistence to make government accountable.

Thus, she emphasized to the family-beneficiaries to continue advocating for their rights with the new Administration. ###