FOR P52,000, a sponsor can provide a temporary shelter for one family displaced by the series of earthquakes in October that struck Mindanao, with parts of Cotabato among those hardest hit. The provincial government said the adopt-a-home project is part of the Comprehensive Provincial Rebuilding Plan (CPRP) that is currently being finalized. Each unit, designed to withstand earthquakes, has a floor area of 20 square meters, built using G.I. pipes, G.I. sheets, plyboard, plywood, and foam insulators, among others. There are two prototypes, one designed by the military’s engineering brigade and the other by the Provincial Engineering Office. The houses will be built at temporary relocation sites while permanent relocation areas are developed as some earthquake-affected areas have already been declared as no-live zones. Donors may choose the beneficiary family, the local government said. The CPRP will also have an adopt-a-school, and adopt-a-community program. Of the over 65,000 families affected by the tremors, more than 38,000 have been displaced, based on data from the national disaster management agency. Of those displaced, 12,228 families are spread in 105 evacuation centers while 25,873 are taking shelter at the homes of relatives and friends. Aside from Cotabato, there are also communities displaced in several towns in Davao del Sur.

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