Marcos taps modular shelter units for Davao Oriental quake victims

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the setting up of modular shelter units to provide a more comfortable temporary shelter for residents displaced by recent earthquakes that hit Davao Oriental.

The President issued the directive in a situation briefing in Tarragona, Davao Oriental on Monday which was held outside the Tarragona Municipal Hall.

Marcos said the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) would put up 150 modular shelter units in the province for those displaced by the Oct. 10 magnitude 7.4 earthquake and the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that followed in the evening.

“‘Yung naging solusyon namin sa Cebu was tent city. Pero mayroon tayong mas bagong sistema,” the President began.

(Our solution in Cebu was a tent city. But now we have a newer system.)

“We will change the tent cities into the modular shelters that we have found to be mas matibay, mas kumportable, para kahit na medyo matagalan,” he added.

(We will change the tent cities into the modular shelters that we have found to be sturdier, more comfortable even for slightly prolonged stays.

This is because rebuilding homes damaged from the earthquakes would take some time.

In response, the DHSUD committed to begin the assembly of modular shelter units on Friday. The modular shelter units may be occupied by displaced residents by Monday next week.

The modular shelter units are equipped with basic amenities such as toilet facilities, water and electrical supply and common kitchens.

The modular shelter units will be built under the DHSUD’s Integrated Disaster Shelter Assistance Program (IDSAP).

On Sunday, DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said the government agency is ready to deploy its modular shelter homes to Davao Oriental.

The modular shelters will serve as temporary shelters for families displaced by the earthquakes and will be set up inside Bayanihan Villages to be identified by LGUs.

Earlier, the DHSUD also deployed modular shelter units in Bogo City, Daanbantayan, San Remigio, and Medellin in Cebu which were among the hardest-hit by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that rocked the province on Sept. 30.

Aliling said the modular shelter units will be assembled at “Bayanihan Villages” that Marcos established as temporary shelters for the earthquake victims. — JMA, GMA Integrated News