UN Habitat leads major housing development in Marawi
By TED KHAN R. JUANITE
February 7, 2019
MARAWI CITY: The UN Habitat in cooperation with the Government of Japan on Monday launched a program, “Rebuilding Marawi Through Community-Driven Shelter and Livelihood.”
The one day launch, held at Barangay Dulay Proper in Marawi included a ceremonial ground-breaking and capsule-laying. Guests included the Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Koji Haneda and his Secretaries, Mayor Majul Gandamra, UN Habitat Country Programme Manager Christopher Rollo, SHFC President Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling, JICA Philippines Chief Representative Yoshio Wada and his executive staff, Task Force Bangon Marawi manager Asec Fidel Castro Jr. as well as local leaders of Marawi City.
The project will construct permanent homes for some 1,500 families in Barangay Dulay selected from among the residents of the lakeside area of Ground Zero.
According to Social Housing and Finance Corporation (SHFC) president Arnolfo Cabling, the project is funded through a 1.1 billion Japanese yen or about $10 million grant from Japan. The SHFC will provide a counterpart of P248 million for land acquisition and site development.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed in May 2018 between the SHFC and UN Habitat for the project. Aside from housing, the project has a livelihood component. The innovative feature of the project according to UN Habitat Country Programme Manager Christopher Rollo is the direct involvement of the home partners in the planning and construction of the 1,500 homes.
The project is an adaptation from similar projects implemented by UN Habitat in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan. Nepal, Afghanistan and Mongolia where a concept called “People’s Process” in terms of involvement is integrated into a structural framework that places people’s needs and their rights at the heart of urban development.
People’s Process said Rollo is a globally-recognized approach that emphasizes involvement of stakeholders in decision making and project implementation. The $10 million block grant from Japan will be managed by UN Habitat in cooperation with SHFC.
SHFC president Cabling said they have already completed the workshop for the Marawi home partners and are awaiting the release of funds for its implementation.
Among the project’s expected output said UN Habitat manager Rollo are the 1,500 permanent core shelters, 10 community infrastructures, livelihood support for 4,000 families, community and capacity development support, sustained peace and development, and GIS-based maps of tenurial rights of partner communities.
Homeowners will not pay any amortization for 99 years said Cabling. In addition, aside from planning the construction of their house based on an approved model, the families can hire carpenters and other technical personnel.
Rollo said that while UN Habitat will be the manage the entire project, the funds will be given directly to the beneficiary families. “We also have our own construction and technical men who will assist during implementation but the families have the option to hire workers for their respective homes,” said Rollo.
The project has been lauded by the Marawi city government as one of the projects with the highest impact.
