By LEAH SUMAMPONG

The largest core shelter intervention for the quake-affected families in the 17 priority towns commences with the beginning of distribution of entitlement certificates to beneficiaries. Gov. Edgar Chatto led the distribution of entitlement certificates to some 113 beneficiaries in the municipality of Danao yesterday, in the presence of LGU officials led by Danao Mayor Natividad Gonzaga. The entitlement certificate handed to beneficiaries attests that they are qualified to receive the core shelter assistance after thorough evaluation and validation by the sponsoring agencies. It also signals the start of the Core Shelter Construction Program. Under the partnership of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Habitat for Humanity, the Provincial Government of Bohol, and the Municipal Local Governments, a massive construction of 8,083 core shelter houses throughout the 17 priority areas will be built and are expected to be finished by the anniversary of the earthquake on October 15.

DSWD has allocated over P711M of the total P912.6M budget for housing assistance to fund the core shelter program, each core shelter costing P70,000 with counterpart equity fund from Habitat for Humanity, which implementation will be under the supervision of the Provincial Government. In a ceremony during the MOA Signing and Launching of the project back in February, DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman turned over the first tranche of the assistance worth over P317M to Habitat for Humanity CEO Charlie Ayco. The shelter cluster led by SEEM Cluster Head Liza Quirog reported on Friday's Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) meeting that the information management team has completed final validation for beneficiaries in the towns of Danao, Corella, and Balilihan, distribution of entitlement certificates also scheduled. Validation continues for the rest of the 17 hardest hit municipalities of Antequera, Catigbian, San Isidro, Sevilla, Buenavista, Inabanga, Clarin, Tubigon, Calape, Loon, Cortes, Maribojoc, Sagbayan, and Carmen. In their latest report, 10, 180 of the 11, 777 displaced families with totally damaged houses have been covered by shelter interventions from government and international humanitarian organizations and the private sector. Data gathering is also ongoing for the inventory of partially and totally damaged houses in the rest of the remaining towns across the province.

The governor on Friday's Kita Ug Ang Gobernador has announced the approval by President Noynoy Aquino of the P2.387B budget for local infrastructure rehabilitation in the quake-hit towns. The budget allocation of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and coursed through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will fund city and municipal halls, public markets, civic centers, barangay facilities including barangay halls, health centers and day care centers, provincial and municipal bridges, and water works systems as reported by LGUs and compiled in the comprehensive Bohol Rehabilitation Plan. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is also finalizing technical aspects for the replacement of temporary steel bridges of Abatan, Moalong, Desamparados, Tultugan, and Tagbuane for which project is set to begin in June and completed in October. The action is indeed far from over as Bohol propels towards full recovery, Gov. Chatto stated at the recent Bohol Earthquake After Action Review sponsored by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), where government, non-government and international organizations gathered to draw lessons from the earthquake response.