A CASE STUDY: RESILIENT HOUSING

Baganga, Davao Oriental, Philippines

Introduction

The Philippines is highly vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters. Located within the Pacific Ring of Fire and the typhoon belt on the North

Pacific Basin, it is prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and typhoons. An average of 20 typhoons enters the Philippine area of responsibility

each year. Since 2008, typhoons that make landfall in the Philippines have become stronger and more devastating. Two of the most recent ones, Typhoon

Pablo (Bopha, 2012) and Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan, 2013) were considered category 5 storms with winds exceeding 252 kilometer per hour (kph), the most

devastating according to the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. 2. Super Typhoon Yolanda made landfall in the Philippines on November 8, 2013 with wind

speed of more than 300 kph and storm surges of over four meters, causing unprecedented damage to 9 regions, covering 591 municipalities and 57 cities

spread across 44 provinces. 1 About 16 million persons (more than 3.4 million families) were affected, of which approximately 4 million (about 890

thousand families) were displaced. 2 The sheer strength of the typhoon damaged 1.1 million houses, of which more than 550,000 houses were totally

destroyed.3 Eighty percent of the reported 6,000 casualties were from Eastern Visayas – the second poorest region in the country. Countless more,

especially those in the rural communities, lost their livelihoods. Vital infrastructure and private investments were similarly damaged. The Government

placed the initial estimates of total damage and loss from the typhoon at around USD 12.9B. 4 Table 1 provides a brief profile of the impact of typhoon

Yolanda.
Building resilient housing: Baganga, Davao Oriental

Two months after Typhoon Yolanda, shelter remains the biggest challenge for the Philippine government and aid agencies.

29 housing units completed that consist the first block of the MVP homes
 Manila, Philippines, Two months after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the Philippine government and aid organizations are transitioning from the

emergency and relief phase to the recovery phase, and shelter remains the biggest challenge. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Council (NDRRMC) has reported that more than 1.1 million homes were damaged by Haiyan. Of that number, close to 600,000 were completely destroyed

leaving many more families without a roof over their heads. With availability of construction materials being a challengeand the impetus to “build back

better,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) together with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) are taking lessons learned from last year’s

Typhoon Pablo (international name Bopha) and applying it to the reconstruction of homes in Samar and Eastern Samar.

Basic principles of building resilient houses:

1) Solidly anchor the foundation deep into the ground.

Ideally, the foundation of the house should be anchored at least 40 cm (about 1 foot and 3.7 inches) into the ground.

2) Interlink all elements so the house is just one element.

The elements of the house such as the roof, walls and floors should be interlinked or interconnected so the entire house is just one element.

“A house that is one interlinked element and is strongly anchored to the ground is harder for the wind to move or blow apart,” explained Albertini.
Verandas or overhangs (usually cooking or eating areas) should be avoided. This area is usually made of lightweight or improvised material and is attached,

rather than linked, to the house.

3) Build a roof in such a way that it will be less prone to the impact of the wind.

The less the roof is exposed to the direction of the wind, the less vulnerable it is to its force of impact. The general rule is that the slope of a roof

should not be too high and a four-sided roof tightly strapped together is much stronger than the usual two- sided one.

4) Choose a "wind-smart" location to build

Where exactly a wind smart location is will depend on where the area is. For example, the direction of the wind will differ for coastal and mountain

communities.

Generally, the house should be high enough to allow for wind to circulate for ventilation but not too high that it will be exposed to the impact of the wind.

5) Other construction watch points

Don't build within an area of falling trees or coconut. Don't build in areas prone to landslides.
 Withstanding at least 280 kph of wind during storm, the 266 MVP Housing, which follow a duplex-style design with two bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen.

Survivors get new homes

The 5-hectare village was built with the help of different MVP companies. Meralco, with the help of Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative, made sure there would be
electricity, while Maynilad and the local water utility office provided pipes for water connections.

Makati Medical Center Foundation has provided medical equipment and furniture for the community health clinic located at the entrance of the village. Smart
Communications Inc., on the other hand, provided the Mobile Equipment on Wheels to boost 2G and 3G signals in the town.
 But there were challenges along the way. There was land preparation. And, building contractors had to be replaced twice, until topnotch land developer D. M. Consunji
Inc. (DMCI) took over in 2013. The beneficiaries, however, did not lose hope even if there were delays in the project. As soon as a housing unit—which stands on a 60-square-
meter lot and has a floor area of 26.8 square meter—was completed, pre-identified beneficiaries would immediately move in. All the units, built duplex style with two
bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen, have been occupied even before its formal turnover. Some of the beneficiaries were also tapped to help in the construction. At least 35
men were trained to acquire skills in house building. Some of them, after work at the MVP village was done, were hired in other housing projects.

Napoleon Nazareno, vice chair of PLDT and Smart, said the DMCI-constructed houses “will be models of resilient homes.”

References:

1. Province of Davao Oriental PLDT-Smart turns over houses in Baganga. (n.d.). Retrieved October 06, 2016, from http://news.davaooriental.com.ph/index.php/pldt-smart-turns-over-houses-in-baganga/
2. SHELTER BGA. One of the model shelter houses built in Baganga, Davao Oriental. Photo from ICRC - Google Search. (n.d.). Retrieved October 06, 2016, from
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=SHELTER BGA. One of the model shelter houses built in Baganga, Davao Oriental. Photo from ICRC
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