Homeless People’s Federation (HPFP) Reconstruction and Resettlement Update: June 4, 2007

Background

Several super typhoons ravaged different parts of the Philippines in the last quarter of 2006, devastating numerous communities in the southern part of the island of Luzon. On September 27, 2006, typhoon “Milenyo” (international name: Xangsane) battered several provinces in the Bicol region with torrential rain and winds exceeding 150 kilometers per hour, causing floods, landslides, and damages estimated at more than Php 600 million (approx. US$ 12 million). It was also responsible for the death of at least 230 persons.

Damage was most extensive in the provinces of and , where it destroyed 75% of all crops, more than 5,000 houses, numerous schools, road networks, and electricity and communications facilities, plunging both provinces in darkness and inaccessible to relief efforts.

Even as these provinces were still finishing repairs from the damage wrought by “Milenyo”, another super typhoon ravaged the region on November 30. Internationally named “Durian”, typhoon “Reming” brought more rain and stronger winds of up to 225 kilometers per hour. Recently repaired houses and renovated structures were once again destroyed. Worse, it triggered several huge floods – at some places, more than 10 feet deep – that destroyed protective dikes; and mudslides in several localities around Mount Mayon1 that have left more than 208 persons dead and another 261 missing in the Bicol region alone. Aside from the dead and missing, with more than 1,400 families were also rendered homeless because of this mudslide in Legazpi City alone.

Government figures put the affected population at 93,582 families (455,593 persons) in the provinces of , , Albay, and Sorsogon. Of these, 5,612 families (29,790) are in evacuation centers. Assessments put damage costs at Php 19,710,000 (US$ 3.95 million), including close to 100,000 damaged houses. To date, several provinces, including Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsorgon, continue to repair electricity distribution systems, communication facilities, and other infrastructure damaged by the typhoons. Several hundred families continue to stay in evacuation centers as their land has been declared danger zones and unfit for habitation.

Federation Response

With existing links to several communities in the region, the Homeless People’s Federation Philippines (HPFP) sought to establish communication around the middle of October 2006. Discussions were done to assess what types of support may be provided, considering that local government and several aid organizations are already in the process of providing immediate relief assistance to the victims, such as food, water, and medicines.

1 Mount , about 350 kilometers (217 miles) southeast of Manila, is an active volcano with an accumulation of ash and volcanic rock on its slopes. Because of this, the government has established a permanent 5-kilometer danger zone around the mountain and provided input to disaster management plans of local governments located in the vicinity.

Bicol Region Reconstruction and Resettlement Update – June 2007 1 It was in the aftermath of Typhoon “Reming” that the federation decided to initiate steps to assist affected communities in the region. Several options were discussed during initial meetings with national leaders, including the utilization of available emergency funds for the provision of temporary shelters to families who were affected by the disaster. However, it was seen that a more concrete direction would be formulated once the affected communities would be able to give their inputs on what interventions were most appropriate at this stage of rehabilitation efforts. It was decided to send a team of community leaders to Albay in order to obtain first hand information on the situation.

A group of three HPFP leaders went to Albay for an area visit from December 6-8, 2006. During this visit, the group was able to visit six locations in four different localities and establish contacts with key informants from affected communities. In several consultations, the HPFP leaders initiated discussions that introduced community-led activities as a possible way for setting up community structures and facilitating the achievement of long-term solutions. The results of these discussions included the following activities:

• Organizing settlers’ communities, • Surveys of affected communities to gather accurate data, • Institutional strengthening of community associations, • Horizontal exchanges, and the • Promotion of community savings.

With the information the group gathered, the HPFP national leadership decided to concentrate reconstruction efforts in three municipalities, namely: Guinobatan, , and , all in the province of Albay. Aside from the fact that these municipalities had several communities within the Mount Mayon danger zone, other considerations for these choices included the presence of supportive local government officials, self-starting leaders and communities with express interest in the HPFP process, and the absence of sustained relief efforts from aid agencies and other organizations.

From February 8-16, federation leaders met with different community representatives in the three municipalities in order to map out initial activities within the process that was introduced in the previous visit. The group came to a consensus that community members should decide on how activities would be prioritized and who would participate. The federation leaders also used the opportunity to provide inputs on savings, organizational development, community surveys, and the selection of community leaders; and initiate house modeling exercises. On the other hand, communities utilized the opportunity to hold community elections and start the organizing of settlers’ groups. Schedules for horizontal exchanges were also finalized during this visit.

After the community elections, communities began to implement the series of activities agreed upon during the first visit in December 2006. Between the months of March and April 2007, surveys were conducted by community volunteers in the three municipalities. These included families living in high risk areas but were not affected by the mudslide and floods following the typhoons and those under threat of eviction along railway tracks in Guinobatan.

In the different evacuation sites and communities visited by the federation, communities also started to implement the savings program with the arrival of the savings passbooks from Manila.

Three groups from Bicol participated in horizontal exchanges with communities in Quezon City and Rodriguez, Rizal. Participants from Bicol included both community and local government representatives from the three municipalities. Aside from introducing the federation and its

Bicol Region Reconstruction and Resettlement Update – June 2007 2 initiatives particularly to local government representatives, the horizontal exchanges also gave community participants several pointers on community-led activities and processes related to land acquisition, housing construction, savings mobilization, engagement with local government, and community strengthening. They were also able to have hands-on training on community savings procedures. Together with the realization that communities are able to achieve results through their initiatives, participants returned to their communities with doable action plans that focused on engagement, community strengthening, resettlement and land acquisition, and savings promotion

On April 23, 2007, the first regional meeting of the HPFP in the Bicol Region was held in at the HPFP Regional Office in Camalig, Albay. The activity allowed leaders from the three municipalities to meet as one group and come to know each other. The meeting also provided them with the opportunity to update others on what they had already accomplished, share and learn how to solve problems facing their respective communities, and formulate a unified plan of action. These included activities related to additional surveys of communities in high risk areas, community orientations on savings, identification of resettlement sites, supplementary organizational development inputs, and the registration of the newly organized settlers’ groups with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The group was also able to form a regional structure and select a council of leaders.

Recent Developments and Ongoing Community Initiatives

• Survey of Communities. Survey results are currently being consolidated, while two other communities have been identified as living in high risk areas. These are located in Brgy. Gapo, Camalig and Brgy. Quilikao in Daraga. The ongoing community surveys will provide the data necessary for the community to decide on the necessary interventions.

• Land Acquisition. Communities in the three municipalities have been able to select their resettlement sites. The summary of the each community’s land acquisition initiative is found in Table 1 below:

Table 1. Summary of identified community resettlement land in Albay

Identified Resettlement Land Average Price per Lot Size / Municipality Lot Area Total Cost of Buildable Number Cost Per Location Square Family (m2) Land (PHP) Area1 (m2) of Lots Family Meter (PHP) (m2) (PHP)2

Guinobatan Brgy. Doña Mercedes 30,674.00 40.00 1,226,960.00 21,471.80 214 100 5,733.46 Camalig Brgy. Iluluan 50,000.00 40.00 2,000,000.00 35,000.00 350 100 5,714.29 Daraga Brgy. Bongalon 23,653.00 60.00 1,419,180.00 16,557.10 165 100 8,601.09

Note 1. Buildable area is lot area less the 30% which is allocated for open space. Open space allocation include all roads, drainage, and other areas designated as community facilities, e.g., playground, market, or community hall. 2. Average cost per family is lot area divided by the number of lots.

Aside from the problem of finding relatively inexpensive yet safe land, communities face several other issues related to land acquisition. In Guinobatan, the local government unit

Bicol Region Reconstruction and Resettlement Update – June 2007 3 (LGU) has offered by pay for the site identified by the community for their resettlement area. However, the community has refused the offer as it will give the LGU the right to select beneficiaries to the resettlement site. With this development, there are circulating stories that families who avail of the community’s resettlement initiative will not be eligible for the local government resettlement program. This has encouraged the community to further strengthen its savings mobilization scheme while continuing to negotiate with the owner.

Until recently, families in Camalig continued to wait for the local government’s resettlement site which they claimed would be provided for free. In the meantime, some families in the evacuation centers have been sent home because the LGU claims it can no longer support the number of families present in the centers. This has forced a number of families to take the risk of going back to their former dwellings which, at best, is half-buried under mud and volcanic debris. A further regress in this situation is that the former mayor did not win during the recently concluded local elections. This has put the entire LGU resettlement initiative in the back-burner. However, the settlers’ association in Brgy. Bascaran decided to initiate land acquisition negotiations with the owner of the property they have identified.

In Daraga, the association in Brgy. Busay has had two meetings with the property owner. However, some family members are reportedly making negotiations more difficult by asking for cash payment. The community is currently examining its options while continuing to strengthen and improve the savings scheme in the community. Meanwhile, the federation’s national leaders are assisting community representatives in the negotiations which have been transferred to Manila in order to allow the owner’s children to participate.

• Membership and Savings. The summary of membership and savings figures is found in Table 2 below.

Table 2. Summary of membership and savings figures.

Number of UPDF Location Families Savings

Guinobatan Oval Holding Center 126 16,106.00 Sitio Mabalod, Brgy. Tandarora 99 5,003.00 Brgy. Ilawod 52 8,420.00 Sitio Basud, Brgy. San Rafael 22 2,670.00 Sub-total 299 32,199.00

Camalig Brgy. Baligang 17 1,250.00 Brgy. Bascaran 110 5,000.00 Sub-total 127 6,250.00

Daraga Brgy. Busay 141 11,351.00

TOTAL 567 49,800.00

Bicol Region Reconstruction and Resettlement Update – June 2007 4