The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has turned over 100 houses and a health facility in a relocation site built for Yolanda survivors in San Remigio, Cebu as part of the organization’s commitment to the ongoing Yolanda recovery program.
During the ceremonial turn over on Friday, Philippine Red Cross Chairman and CEO Richard Gordon said the new houses and health facility would ensure the resilience of Yolanda-affected families to future disasters.
“We did not just build houses here. We also ensured that what we built would reduce the vulnerability of Yolanda survivors in the future. This is the reason why we also trained them how to predict, plan, prepare and practice forany incidences,” Gordon said.
Aside from providing houses, the PRC also built a primary health care facility. Beneficiaries in the relocation site were also given access to water and sanitation facilities as well as livelihood opportunities such as agriculture and micro-enterprise.
Aside from the turnover in San Remigio, Gordon also led the inauguration of the building and facility of the new Northern Cebu branch of the Philippine Red Cross.
The new branch, which is under the PRC Cebu Chapter, will bring the services of the humanitarian organization closer and more accessible to the people of Northern Cebu.
The latest Yolanda recovery project in Cebu was implemented in partnership with the Japanese Red Cross Society, French Red Cross, German Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Present during the activities were PRC Secretary General Atty. Oscar Palabyab, International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies (IFRC) Head of Delegation Chris Staines, IFRC Operations and Programmes Manager Patrick Elliot, German Red Cross Country Representative Martina Schloefer, San Remigio town Mayor Remigio Martinez, and Bogo City Mayor Jose Carlo Martinez.
For more than four years now, the PRC has been implementing its Yolanda recovery and rehabilitation program in 9 provinces including Cebu.
Overall, the humanitarian organization’s Yolanda recovery program has already built 78,769 houses, 107 schools, 90 health facilities and 531 classrooms. The PRC also provided livelihoods to 62,683 families and hygiene promotion trainings to 68,456 families.
The Philippine Red Cross, as the foremost humanitarian organization in the country, has 103 chapters with two million volunteers nationwide that is always first, always ready and always there to provide round-the-clock humanitarian assistance, especially to the most vulnerable.
Aside from disaster responses, the other services of the Philippine Red Cross include blood, safety, welfare, health, volunteer and Red Cross youth.