Xavier Ecoville opens; 40 families move to temporary shelters

Sendong’ is out, and the recovery begins.         

“Bag-o tanan namo mga gamit, gikan sa mga kaldero padulong sa mga habol. Di ra kay sa gamit rani, bago nani nga knabuhi para sa amo kay survivor mi sa baha!” says Manang Winnie, one of the beneficiaries of Xavier Ecoville, the relocation site donated by Xavier University for ‘Sendong’ victims.

Xavier Ecoville, located in Brgy. Lumbia, officially opened on January 25, the 40th day since the ‘Sendong’ flashfloods. The site is one of the seven proposed permanent relocation areas identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The other six are located in Calaanan, Indahag, Balulang, Camaman-an, Taguanao and a 50-hectare lot in the municipality of Villanueva.

Relocation in batches

There are currently 40 families – the first batch of relocates – living in bunkhouses constructed by the 52nd Infantry division of the Philippine Army, DSWD, and the International Organization for Migration.

Other batches will be brought to the relocation site once more houses are made ready. The bunkhouses will eventually be housing 500 families, an estimated 2,500 people.

The Ecoville currently gets its water supply from Rio Verde, and its electricity from CEPALCO. The Human Resettlement Consortium has built communal sustainable sanitation toilets and washrooms, part of the green technology being put in place for the Ecoville. The masterplan for the site also includes waste water treatment facilities and solid waste management.

In an interview, Roel Ravenera, the Ecoville resettlement head, explains that the families relocated to Lumbia were chosen based on a criteria. This was echoed in the press release stating that “Priority has been given to families whose houses had been completely washed out and those from barangays that have been declared as no-build zones.”

The permanent homes, which will be built in collaboration with Gawad Kalinga, Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross and other private sectors, are expected to be finished in six to twelve months.

In his welcome address, University President Fr. Roberto Yap, SJ clarified the usufruct, stating that XU will eventually donate the land to the beneficiaries after a few years.

Becoming a community

Despite the families coming from different areas in Cagayan de Oro, the University intends to integrate them into the Lumbia community. For this, community organizing and community development programs are being planned. They will engage the new residents to interact with each other and with the original residents of Lumbia.

The families will not be left to live off donations. There are cash-for-work opportunities to be given to the families, particularly for community development purposes like construction of bunkhouses and resettlement operations.

So as not to disrupt the schooling of the children, the Department of Education (DepEd), UNTV and Ang Dating Daan provided a bus to serve as a mobile school. The emergency education curriculum will be a collaboration of Xavier University and DepEd. They will then be integrated into the Lumbia Elementary School and Lumbia National High School.

The Jose P. Rizal School of Medicine also assists in operating the Barangay Health Center at the entrance of the site.

Because the area is far from the highway, Ravenera says that plans are underway for transportation assistance from benefactors, in the form of buses and public vehicles that could take the people from the site to SM, where most public vehicles collect their passengers, and vice versa.

From the local gov’t

In his speech, Mayor Vicente Emano acknowledged that, while the Ecoville is in partnership with the local government, most of the work was done by XU. “'This is not a genuine joint project,” he admitted, stating that his contribution will come after.

He asked the donors to continue their support. “Take note that these are non-politicians,” he points out. “They have no political intentions.” Underlining the division, he goes further to say, “Dili kani proyekto ni Mayor Emano; proyekto ni sa Xavier University.”

The mayor left early, explaining that “I’m in the eye of the storm myself”, referring to the calls for his suspension from office.

The ad hoc committee

Dr. Dixon Yasay, the master of ceremonies, introduced the ad hoc committee for the Ecoville, composed of Elpidio Paras, chairman of XU’s Board of Trustees; Gail Alegrio, representative from STEAG; Roel Ravanera, dean of the College of Agriculture; husband and wife Nadya Emano-Elipe and President Elipe, city councilors. The ad hoc committee will oversee the management of the Ecoville.

The masterplan for the development of the Ecoville is currently still in progress. Fr. Yap alluded to the masterplan in his welcome address, citing that A. Brown and Xavier University will be instrumental in its creation. Ravenera also said that more details will be forthcoming after the masterplan is presented. C