Some 5600 indigent families of Camarines Sur, whose homes were devastated by last year’s super Typhoon Reining, are now beneficiaries of the Core Shelter Rehabilitation Project funded by international donors through the collective efforts of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC)-Camarines Sur chapter and the provincial government of Camarines Sur.

        The provincial government headed by Gov, LRay Villafuerte helped out in identifying the beneficiaries of the program numbering In the thousands that are actually situated in 49 barangays covering the 22 municipalities of the province of Camarines sur.

        To date, some 640 houses have already been completed since construction began last March 2007, Additional construction on 2,041 houses is also ongoing. About 2,440 of the 5600 dwellings affected by the Typhoon Reming that needed partial repairs and roofing materials were correspondingly provided with the much needed construction materials. The entire project is expected to be completed by July this year.

        The composite team from the International Federation of Red Cross based in Bangkok, Thailand led by Bekele Geleta were here in Camarines Sur recently to conduct project review of the program. The team had visited some selected sites in Milaor, San Fernando and San Jose (Partido Area) and expressed their satisfaction over the implementation of the project.

        According to Nanette Rodrigazo, administrator of the PNRC-CamSur chapter, based from the collated report of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council in the aftermath of Typhoon Reming, the local PNRC chapter acted immediately by appealing for aid through the PNRC national headquarters in behalf of the families whose dwellings were totally destroyed by the super typhoon.

        ‘The request was coursed through the IFRC, and the said federation on the other hand, acted promptly on the request that resulted to an outpouring of international donations for the homeless typhoon victims of Camarines Sur and other provinces affected by the natural calamity/’ Rodrigazo disclosed.

        “IFRC was able to solicit funds totalling P500 Million wherein around 70% of this amount was allocated to Camarines Sur and the rest of the fund were allotted to the provinces of Albay, Catanduanes, Mindoro Occidental, Quezon and Marinduque,” she further revealed. SNIEVES