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GK, Australian government turn-over housing units to homeowners
[Date Created: November 14, 2014]

*This article was posted on news.pia.gov.ph last November 13.


 
"Streets named after cities in Australia in a GK village that the Australian nation funded where families who survived Typhoon Haiyan will be relocated. i want to honor the sincerity of the Australian government in demonstrating how it is to #buildhope. The hometown of Australian Ambassador Tweddell in Palo, Leyte." - Kuya Luis, Executive Director 



PALO, Leyte, November 13 (PIA) – The Gawad Kalinga (GK) Community Development Foundation, Incorporated represented by Jose Luis Oquinena, National Executive Director and the Australian government represented by Bill Tweddell, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines turned-over in November 8, 2014  12 housing units to the homeowners of GK Village in Barangay San Agustin, Palo, Leyte.

The simple ceremonial turn-over  which was one of the highlights of the first year commemoration of the wrath of super typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas that claimed lives and heavy damage to property was attended by the beneficiaries of the GK housing project together with their families, barangay leaders, staff of GK Foundation and the Australian embassy and other guests.

In his message during the short program, Ambassador Tweddell expressed his appreciation to the resiliency of the homeowners and the entire community as they were able to bounce back to normal life several months after Yolanda.

“Now, you see the results of your labor. Achieve your dreams for you and your family”, Ambassador Tweddell said to the homeowners.

He informed that construction of the 250 housing units at the GK Village in Brgy. San Agustin is progressing for the 250 families that were affected by typhoon Yolanda.

For his part,  Executive Director Oquinena in his message, told the homeowners of the GK village,  “you are not only beneficiaries of the project but homeowners because you helped in building the houses. Make sure to take care of your houses and take care of the community”.

“Take pride because these houses are yours and take pride because this community is built with solidarity and cooperation. When you grow old you will pass this on to your children”, he said.

He thanked the Australian government through Ambassador Tweddell for entrusting their resources to the GK  Foundation  for the construction of the housing units  at the GK Village in Brgy. San Agustin, Palo, Leyte

“The GK Village in Brgy. San Agustin is the first subdivision in the municipality of Palo with  streets named after the streets in Australia. The houses are painted with bright colors of different kinds because bright colors symbolizes hope”, he added.

The homeowners are not really dislocated because they are just near the areas where their farms and other livelihood  were located before Yolanda hit Eastern Visayas in November 8 last year, he said.

For his part, Rodolfo Miralles, Sector coordinator of GK in the municipalities of Palo, Tanauan, Dulag and Alang-alang all of Leyte province informed that the homeowners of the GK Village in said barangay are from other areas in the town of Palo who were affected by the no build zone policy of the government to include Brgy. San Agustin whose houses were totally damaged and were left homeless after typhoon Yolanda.



>> Read the full article HERE

Tags: Poverty,  BuildHope