BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – The SM Group is building houses for survivors of super typhoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in northern Iloilo.
The groundbreaking on Saturday was held in Barangay Bacjauan Sur, Concepcion town, spearheaded by SM Prime Holdings president, Hans Sy.
Following the “Yolanda” disaster November last year, SM set up the SM Cares Housing Project as part of its corporate social responsibility.
SM will build a village of 200 housing units in a one-hectare lot donated by the family of Roberto and Gloria Lorca Tirol, represented during the groundbreaking by their daughter Ruth Tirol-Jarantilla.
In the whole Visayas, SM is building five “Yolanda” housing projects – two sites in Tacloban City, Ormoc City in Leyte, Bogo City in Cebu, and Concepcion in Iloilo – for a total of 1,000 houses, said Sy.
The initial budget of P200 million has ballooned to over P260 million, he said.
“Nevertheless, it still feels very good to help out,” said Sy.
Each housing unit will cost P200,000 to build. It will have concrete roofing, high ceiling, proper ventilation and utility-ready provisions.
SM affiliates are helping build the communities. Banco de Oro is going to put up a school in one project site while the Aboitiz Foundation is designing a livelihood program for the beneficiaries.
“Because we want to build communities, we want to make sure they are sustainable,” said Sy.
The housing village in Barangay Bacjauan Sur, Concepcion will have a 5-meter wide road network, a concrete perimeter fence, a community center and a basketball court.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. lauded SM for helping the survivors of “Yolanda” in Iloilo.
“We are very appreciative and forever thankful…Your support will remain deeply embedded in the hearts of a grateful people,” he told Sy.
Defensor also thanked the Tirol family for donating the lot.
One of the identified housing recipients is the wife of Concepcion Central School teacher Rogelio Lardera, 52, who died while rescuing residents at the height of the super typhoon.
Leonora Lardera, 48, a mother of four, was emotional at the groundbreaking. Aside from losing her husband, the family also lost their house to “Yolanda”.
Also gracing the weekend groundbreaking were Vice Gov. Raul Tupas and Concepcion’s Mayor Milliard Villanueva, among other local officials./PN
