NAGA CITY -- With 70 percent of shelter assistance project delivered to 3,920 family-beneficiaries, the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) races against deadline at the end of this month to complete the delivery of goods and services to the 30 percent remaining or 1,680 family-beneficiaries whose homes were destroyed by Supertyphoon Reming in Camarines Sur last year.

        The PNRC’s shelter assistance program provides construction materials to build new homes to 3,600 families and roofing materials for 2,400 families in 20 of the 35 towns in the province.

        The shelter assistance that the European Community Humanitarian Office (Echo) and the Australian government donated through the International Red Cross Federation addressed the shelter needs of 5,600 families whose homes were partially and totally destroyed in last year’s calamities. Camarines Sur had accounted some 70,000 families rendered homeless by Supertyphoon Reming alone.

        “The Echo provided the construction materials and sets of tools while the Australian government gave food-for-work assistance good for 7-day family consumption. It is given to the family-beneficiary at the start of house construction,” Nanette F. Rodrigazo, the administrator here of the PNRC, revealed.

        The PNRC exec beamed when she said they had overcome tough challenges in delivering the goods and services amid varied pressures from the communities, politicians, groups and individuals.

        She confessed they were forced to stop the implementation of the project in Minalabac, Camarines Sur during the elections because it stirred the local politics in that town and that she said they immediately continued the distribution of construction materials right after the elections.

        During the campaign period last May, the PNRC’s shelter assistance program was the subject of complaint of a number of families who were stricken out from the list of beneficiaries alleging political motives.

        Rodrigazo admitted such situation could slip their notice but she said these were easily rectified through ocular validation of initial lists of beneficiaries provided by the local government units (LGUs).

        She enumerated several beneficiary qualifications such as residency in the locality; ownership of or permit from owner to build home in the lot; status as a family, contract to complete construction in 30 days; safety features of construction site; priority to disadvantaged families, unemployed, single parent families and disabled persons.

        Included as well in the qualifications of the recipient of the PNRC shelter assistance program are those families whose houses were partially damaged, defined as “having sufficient structural integrity to support and tie down a roof area of at least 20 square meters”. These families are provided a so-called Roof Kit or galvanized iron sheets and ancillary construction materials.

        A totally damaged house is defined as “not having sufficient structural integrity to support a roof”, and those having qualified the criteria are given a Full Shelter Kit or a 5m-by-4m house made of sawali walls, GI sheets roofing, coconut lumber frame and trusses and concrete floor and foundations.

        Rodrigazo declared they were able to implement the job free from influence by directly executing the processes and phases, from validating of beneficiaries from the list provided by the LGUs, materials procurement, storage, delivery to actual house construction.

        She revealed the IRC sent two representatives who undertake the procurement of building materials and other rehabilitation requirements.

        Rodrigazo said they mobilized from the communities individuals capable of monitoring the adherence or violations to the guidelines and standards of project implementation provided by the PNRC, and also, carpenters and masons to supervise the construction and compliance to the specifications of the PNRC prototype house.

        She said the procurement and distribution of construction materials started on April 22 under the auspices of the two IRC representatives who were hands-on in the implementation of the shelter assistance program. She added the PNRC established store houses in project areas, where the construction materials are systematically distributed to beneficiaries.

        Sefriano and Nona Moral and their four kids now live in their PNRC house in Sta. Cruz, Cabusao, Camarines Sur. They could only express gratitude that they were able to rebuild their home the earliest possible time.

        Sefriano said they were the first one in their area to finish the house because he is a mason at the same time a carpenter. The labor he provided was their counterpart.

        But Nona said they were required to shell out P100 for the house insurance.

        Severino Avis, a member of the monitoring team, explained the house insurance requirement the PNRC collects anticipates the possibility that these families may lose again their houses.

        Avis said the PNRC foresees that with the houses insured the families can claim to rebuild their houses if another typhoon destroys them again.