MANILA, Sept. 4, 2012— Around 5,000 evacuees in Cagayan De Oro remain homeless, eight months after Typhoon Sendong swamped and ravaged the city.
Cagayan De Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma said the survivors continue to stay in evacuation sites while the church, local government and other multi-sectoral organizations are striving to help them avail the Community Mortgage Program.
Since December, he said around 2,000 families have already been relocated and were granted permanent housing units.
He said that the acquisition of the lands is needed for the construction of the more housing units for the displaced families.
“The community mortgage program of the government should continue because there are about 5,000 more families are hoping that they’ll be provided with permanent housing units,” Ledesma said over Radio Veritas Tuesday.
The archbishop also said that the CDO River Basin Management Council, composed of church, government agencies, NGOs and other organizations, is doing all efforts to strengthen the government’s disaster risk reduction program.
He added that initiatives are also being made to protect the area’s watershed to avoid flash floods or a repeat of the tragedy brought by typhoon Sendong.
Headed by Ledesma, the Council was formed in 2010 to protect and rehabilitate CDO’s watershed in light of the rampant mining activities going within the watershed area. [CBCPNews]
