Sunday, June 22, 2008 [ sunstar.com.ph ]
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Pampanga Provincial Board (PB) has agreed to help in providing filling materials for Gawad Kalinga (GK) project villages here.
The help would cut a possible 30 percent off on cost for the said housing projects in 10 sites all over the province.
GK management board member Ric Miranda said their visit to the PB last Monday was also to present the various concerns and projects of the organization. At present, GK has 18 housing sites in different towns in Pampanga, 10 of which are still in need of further development.
The group urged the PB to help in the developments of the said villages.
The PB members expressed their desire to help in the GK project, saying they would help in providing filling materials for the villages needing elevation.
Board Member Tarcicio Halili said filling materials would greatly help in the projects of GK.
“I believe we can help in the filling materials, and at such cost it is like sponsoring a village all together,” Halili said, but added that the GK should formalize its request and course it through the executive department.
“We are very happy that our projects here in Pampanga are receiving such favorable action from government officials here,” Miranda said.
He said that if the filling request will push through, it would greatly decrease the expenses of the GK sites and could concentrate more on building the houses.
Miranda said filling materials alone would cost P1.2 million, but with the favorable response from the PB, GK could now concentrate on building the houses. GK houses usually cost P60,000 to P70,000 each to build.
GK officials have clarified the procedure of selecting families for the housing projects. “We prioritize locals and people from the province, and we make it a point that they really belong to the poorest of the poor,” Miranda said.
GK sites are usually donations from wealthy private individuals or from the government. None of the sites are owned by GK.
“We donate these projects to the local government unit or the Provincial Government and nothing stays with GK,” Miranda said. He added that Pampanga has become one of the most favorable sites for GK housing programs.
GK, officially known as the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation, is a Philippine-based poverty reduction and nation-building movement launched by Couples for Christ, a Catholic lay community.
GK is a growing multi-sectoral partnership with the ambitious motto of "No more slums, no more violence, no more poverty".
The foundation continually seeks local and international partners to promote the spirit of community among Filipinos.
The group had also launched the Gawad Kalinga 777 (GK 777) which envisions 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities in seven years.
GK is set to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Provincial Government regarding the filling materials. (IOF)
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