Homeless Families Seek New start at Balay Kawayan (Bamboo House)

By ROMA R. GONZALES

cross-posted from http://panaynewsphilippines.com/2015/05/07/homeless-families-seek-new-start-at-balay-kawayan/ published in Panay News on May 7, 2015 (Panay News is a leading local newspaper in Iloilo City).
Photos found herein are courtesy of Base Builds https://www.facebook.com/basebuilds?fref=ts and HPFPI http://www.hpfpi.org/

ILOILO City – Twenty bamboo houses were turned over to homeless family beneficiaries at Uswag Subdivision, a city government resettlement site for informal settlers, in Barangay San Isidro, Jaro district.

Beneficiaries were those affected by road-widening projects or those who received court ejection orders. They were screened by the Homeless People’s Federation Philippines, Inc. (HPFPI) in cooperation with the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO).

With bamboo as the main structural material clad in concrete, “the houses were engineered to withstand intensity 8 earthquake and winds up to 220 kilometer per hour,” said Base Bahay, Inc. operations manager Jose Angelito Alburo, citing studies.

The two-storey duplexes were made possible through Iloilo Reference Project’s Balay Kawayan Housing Initiative funded by Hilti Foundation and implemented by HPFPI in partnership with Base Bahay, Inc., Technical Assistance for People and Environment, Inc., Philippine Action for Community-led Shelter Initiatives, Inc. and the city government of Iloilo.

One of those who will start a new, decent and comfortable life in these houses built using innovative bamboo technology is Joelito Torres.

During the turnover early this week, Torres was thankful to the city government and partners for giving him and his family a fresh start.

Torres has been a resident of Barangay Ungka, Jaro for the past 25 years. His house was demolished to give way to a road-widening project.

“This bamboo technology was studied in the laboratory. The engineering done to the houses was in such a way na magiging resilient siya at hindi basta-basta masisira ng typhoon,” said Alburo.

Alburo claimed that three houses built with the same technology in Bicol remained standing when typhoon “Glenda” struck while nearby coconut trees were felled.

He also said using bamboo is more sustainable than wood because felling trees causes deforestation.

Bamboo is also a lot cheaper than using steel thrusts, Alburo added.

Measuring about 25 square meters per storey per unit, each house costs P350,000.

Furthermore, the project promotes the use of bamboo as a major structural matter for housing constructions.

Regan Schegg, strategic developer from Hilti Foundation, said they developed the “low-cost, affordable housing technology for those in need” three years ago.

“Ultimately, it is not about the house. It is about the community standing up together,” Schegg said.

Raoul Imbach from the Swiss Embassy said the “Balay Kawayan” technology can be replicated.

The Swiss government is active in Western Visayas helping those stricken by super typhoon “Yolanda” and implementing the Joint Migration and Development Initiative, which encourages overseas returnees to invest in risk reduction and give their knowledge to help the community.

Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said the city government will provide additional two hectares to the project implementers and developers to build more homes for those in need./PN