Sheltering
the Homeless in Town: The Bayambang CFC-ANCOP-KKSBFI Ville Story
by Resty S. Odon and Patricia M.
Espino
Shelter is one of
the three basic needs of man, the other two being food and clothing. In
Bayambang, a sizable number of families do not have their own home nor do they
possess a decent shelter, thus the town is good candidate for a socialized
housing project.
How to even begin
tackling the problem boggles the mind, but the proverbial ball started rolling
when Bayambang Municipal Trial Court Judge Dominic Sanchez one day connected
Mayor Cezar T. Quiambao to the kind-hearted souls looking for deserving folk to
help in meeting the urgent need for housing: the Couples for Christ-Answering
the Cry of the Poor (CFC-ANCOP).
Of course, Mayor Quiambao
brightened up to the idea, until the project being broached soon became a
reality in concrete and stone.
The main sponsor
of the project was the Mojares family of Vancouver, Canada, who are active
members of CFC-ANCOP Canada, and since the group is a "covenanted Catholic
charismatic community," they couldn't help but view the project from a
religious perspective. To them, sheltering the homeless is, biblically
speaking, one of the seven corporal works of mercy, which is why it was the project
chosen among so many options open to them.
The major thing
the sponsoring entities required was the availability of land for the project,
and this is where LGU-Bayambang and Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation, Inc.
(KKSBFI) led by Managing Director Levin
Uy came into the picture. "The lot was previously owned by the Castillo
family and is situated at about three kilometers from the town proper, and is
near at public places such as schools, markets, hospitals, and the barangay
hall," CFC-ANCOP noted in its own report.
The other request
is for the list of the beneficiaries to be chosen as carefully as possible. And
this is the point at which the Department of Social Welfare and Development's
local Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program team offered help to CFC-ANCOP
through a thorough validation process, so that only those indigent families who
were truly deserving would be chosen.
Not long after, a
piece of land in Brgy. Sancagulis with an area of 1.9 hectares was found, and
then the initially named "Bayambang Shelter Project" was born.
In the morning of
July 3, 2018, construction officially began.
The first phase
aimed to provide duplex houses to the first 200 beneficiaries.
The
groundbreaking program held in the middle of adjoining rice fields was solemnized
with a mass and attended by the town's top officials.
“Hindi po ito
pangkaraniwang proyekto dahil ito po ay magiging lifetime o permanent na tulong
natin sa ating mga kababayan na nangangailangan dito po sa bayan ng Bayambang,”
Vice-Mayor Raul Sabangan said.
Mayor Cezar T.
Quiambao humorously said that ANCOP is very appropriate for the town, “kasi
angkop na angkop sa programa kong (Bayambang) Poverty Reduction Action Plan,”
pertaining to his administration's comprehensive strategic plan which aims to
eradicate poverty in the municipality within 10 years.
Representing the
Mojares family, ANCOP Canada President Ricardo Cuenca said that the family
provided the funds for the project “out of love for God and out of love for the
poor.”
“Kami ay committed
sa inyo. Ito ay umpisa pa lamang. Pagkatapos po nito, ang isusunod namin ay
pag-aaralin ang mga anak ninyo mula elementary, high school, college o
vocational… at ang susunod dyan, livelihood,” Cuenca said. “Kumpleto, holistic
ang aming approach,” he continued, “dahil gusto talaga namin na ang mga
nangangailangan ay maialis sa cycle of poverty at kayo’y maging maganda ang
pamamahay at maganda ang pamumuhay.”
According to CFC
Pangasinan Area Director Leopoldo Mendoza, the beneficiaries would have to undergo
values formation and seminars before receiving their house.
While ANCOP took
care most of the funds for the housing, with each unit costing P170,000, KKSBFI
shouldered the balance of the total cost, apart from donating the land.
KKSBFI would also
provide the electricity lines, water system and roads in the community.
Among those
present in this history-making event were Councilors Martin Terrado II, Mylvin
Junio and Amory Junio, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Gabriel
Tristan Fernandez, then Municipal Legal Officer Atty. Raymundo B. Bautista Jr.,
various LGU department heads, KKSBFI Managing Director Levin N. Uy, Sancagulis
Punong Barangay (PB) Marcelo Caniezo and other fellow PBs, former San Carlos
City Councilor Vici Ventanilla, ANCOP Pangasinan’s Roehl Bautista, CFC ANCOP
Philippines President Rudy M. Gaspillo, other members of CFC, and the
beneficiaries as guests of the ceremony.
When the units
were nearing completion, CFC ANCOP and LGU-Bayambang gathered the would-be
beneficiaries and LGU officials and employees for a "Volunteers' Build
Day," a clean-up drive and house-painting activity that gave the
beneficiaries a sense of concrete participation in the building of their own
houses.
As though giving
birth to a child, the first phase took nine months until the actual awarding of
the first 30 units transpired on March 25, 2019. The houses were of duplex
type, with each housing unit having a size of 22 sqm or the equivalent of 45
sqm per duplex house. Judge Sanchez noted that this dimension is bigger than
most government socialized housing projects. CFC-ANCOP revealed that among
their plans were "areas for open spaces necessary for common purposes such
as multi-purpose halls, chapel and access roads."
The highlight of
the ceremony were the distribution of Certificates of Occupancy to the first 30
families, plus the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between CFC-ANCOP
Philippines represented by Bro. Chito Mata, CFC-ANCOP Canada President Bro.
Ricky Cuenca, Mayor Cezar Quiambao, and KKSBFI Managing Director Levin Uy.
Bro. Ricky Cuenca
relayed during the ceremony what the donor family told him: “God’s blessings
would have no meaning and value if it’s used for one’s self. He would be
happier if we chose to share it to other people who need it the most."
Cuenca also shared that "the CFC is very eager to help the poor as it is
part of their mission." “This is our faith in action, and kaya namin
ginagawa ito bilang CFC [ay] out of our love for God and out of our love for the
poor,” he explained.
Also present in
the ceremony were CFC ANCOP Global Foundation, Inc. represented by Shelter Head
Bro. Chito Mata and the CFC Area Governance Team of Pangasinan with Provincial
Area Director Bro. Leopoldo Mendoza.
In his message of
thanks, Mayor Quiambao emphasized the
importance of owning a house, as it represents, he said, "the people’s
identity and dignity."
As a way of
closing the program just as ceremoniously, a time capsule containing the
important documents of the project and a letter from Mayor Quiambao was lowered
in the ground, with the understanding that the time capsule would be opened 10
years hence, to mark the end of the revolution in fighting poverty in Bayambang
town. “I hope that by the time this letter is opened and read, you have turned
these houses into your homes. I hope you have filled it with love and laughter,
with your wife, husband and your children,” his letter read.
Not long after,
the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office headed by Lerma Padagas
organized the ANCOP Ville residents into the ANCOP Ville Homeowners'
Association, and then the newly formed Bayambang Poverty Reduction Action Team
headed by Dr. Joel Cayabyab lost no time in finding livelihood training
opportunities, so the beneficiaries, uprooted from their former place of work,
would have a means of livelihood in their newfound address.
From the looks of
it, the ANCOP villagers have not just gained a new home they can call their
own, but together they have also found a new community.
Reference: https://cfcancop.org/articles/ground-breaking-ceremony-held-at-new-ancop-site-in-pangasinan
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