Officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recently led the turn-over of motorized boats as livelihood assistance to people of Davao Oriental who were victims of supertyphoon “Pablo” that hit Southern Mindanao in December 2012.
DPWH Region XI Director Mariano R. Alquiza, President of National Union of Career Executive Service Officers (NUCESO) and Association of Regional Executives of National Agencies (ARENA – Region XI) turned over the certificates of ownership of 22 units of 18.5 feet long boat powered by a 6.5 horsepower engine which were distributed to fisherfolk, 12 from the municipality of Boston and 10 from the town of Baganga in Davao Oriental.
The motorized bancas valued at P35,000 per unit were given to deserving fishermen who lost their boats and livelihood during the onslaught of typhoon “Pablo”. Funds used in buying these bancas were sourced from the NUCESO, ARENA-XI and DPWH District Engineers League of the Philippines (DELP) members.
Witnessing the turn-over were DOTC Assistant Secretary Dante Lantin and Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) Region I Director Joel Salvador together with Leonor Ocabone of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and DPWH District Engineers Joselito Caballero, Silvino Cortes, and Cynthia Tiu, and the families of the 22 fishermen beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, three (3) contractors who participated in the construction of bunkhouses in Eastern Visayas have also decided to donate the completed six (6) bunkhouses worth P5 Million.
In his letter to DPWH Secretary Rogelio L. Singson, DPWH Region 4-B Director Subair Diron requested the negation of the P5 Million government fund for disaster related rehabilitation projects particularly for the construction of bunkhouses as the contractors tapped by DPWH Region 4-B opted to donate for humanitarian reason their expertise, materials and labor their completed bunkhouse projects.
Diron said that the completed temporary shelter projects were also in accordance with the DPWH standards as noted deficiencies were already corrected by the contractors. Six (6) bunkhouses were completed by DPWH Region 4-B at the Motocross Area along Daang Maharlika in Caibaan, Tacloban City with two (2) units each undertaken by Goldrock, A.R. Lustre, and Kings Builder & Development Corporation.