PIA Press Release
Tuesday, January 03, 2012 Region X school evacuation centers decongested –DSWDQUEZON CITY, January 3 (PIA)- - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started decongesting school gyms that served as evacuation centers to “Sendong” victims.The move was in relation to today’s opening of public school classes. The Department of Education (DepEd) of Region X stressed that only evacuees in covered gyms of public schools will be transferred to give space for alternative mode of learning. Meanwhile, as of January 2, 5:00 pm, some 204 families have been transferred to temporary shelters: 38 families transferred from Macasandig Covered Gym to Agusan Elementary School, 75 families transferred from Macasandig Covered Gym to Mandumol Basketball Court, 13 families transferred from Macasandig Covered Gym to Buena Oro Covered Court; 30 families transferred to Camaman-an St Mary’s Parish Hall from Macasandig Covered Gym, and 47 families transferred to Mt. Carmel Church from West City Central School. The DepEd also said that teachers who were trained by the United Nations Children’s Educational Fund (UNICEF) will conduct psychosocial processing to elementary and high school students starting today. DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano Soliman while on her visit to the devastated place declared that one community kitchen, two multi-purpose huts, and one multi-purpose operation center will be installed anytime at the Calaanan Tent City where the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Rotary International have installed 408 tents in the 3.5 hectare lot. She added that Xavier University has offered its five-hectare lot in Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City as temporary resettlement area and another five hectare for permanent resettlement. Likewise, a tripartite memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the establishment of permanent shelter for Sendong victims in Calaanan is now being prepared. The MOA will be signed by the DSWD Region X, Cagayan de Oro LGU, and the Habitat for Humanity. (PIA-NCR/DSWD/RJB/LFB) | 
