POPE FRANCIS VILLAGE

The Integrated, People-Driven

Model Community in Post Yolanda

FRANCESCO INCORPORATED
2015
Pope Francis Village The implementation of an In-City relocation for 550
typhoon-affected families of Super Typhoon- Yolanda and the restoration of
sources of income and regained self-sufficiency of the project beneficiaries

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INTRODUCTION

Pope Francis Foundation for Resilient

and Co-Empowered Sustainable
Community (FRANCESCO)
FRANCESCO, a consortium of organization
composed of the Associates of the Urban Poor
(UPA), Canadian Catholic for Development and
Peace (CCDP), Catholic Bishop Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP-NASSA), The
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, and
Roman Catholic Church of the Archbishop of
Palo (RCAP), Leyte is establishing a
permanent in-city relocation site acceptable
to the affected communities where they
could have bounce back - build their resilient
houses, rebuild their livelihoods, and to
continue to strengthen their organizations
that were formed with assistance from UPA so
that they will fully participate in community
governance as well as to effectively engage the
local governments.

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PROJECT BACKGROUND

Greatly influenced by the values of Mercy and Compassion taught by

Pope Francis, The Integrated, PeopleDriven Model Community Building
in Post-Yolanda project adapts a process where the most vulnerable
typhoon-affected families in Tacloban City will be able to restore the
normalcy of their living. The Model Community will strive to be a
prototype community that will integrate a supportive social
environment that will not only cover the building of permanent houses
but also restoration of the livelihoods as well as the formation and
strengthening of organizations of the beneficiaries. The model
community will greatly involve the people in decision making in all
aspects of the project. The plan will further integrate various aspects of
ecological design, permaculture, ecological building, green production,
alternative energy, community building practices, and any other
approach to ensure the welfare of the people in the nine target
communities.

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PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The objectives were identified and group to 5

main items as follows:
1. 550 displaced and affected households have
access to safe, permanent and sustainable
housing with resiliency features and
complete with toilets, water pipes and
electrical lines, better equipped to face
natural disasters
2. Restored sources of income and regained
self-sufficiency by providing livelihood
recovery program and empowering the
community to manage their own livelihood
and enterprises, or gainfully employed in
one of the enterprises developed under the
program.
3. Develop DRR measures to mitigate the
effects of disasters
4. Organize a strong community with a
Community Council and empower them in
the areas of estate management, local
governance, networking, and advocacy for
basic social services such as health and
education and conflict resolution.
5. Build a community that is ecologically,
economically and socially sustainable. The
eco-village will be adapted including the
use of locally available building materials,
recycling, wastewater treatment, use of
renewal energy sources, organic farming
and planting of trees.

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PROJECT COMPONENTS

In implementing the project, the members of the

community will be the first in line, with the Consortium
acting as guide and support. The major role of the
community therefore is the participatory designing and
construction of their permanent shelter, identification of
the livelihood options ant their implementation, and
Disaster Risk Reduction planning. As a People-Driven
Model Community, the project covers two components,
namely: technical and social. The integration of these two
components is essential in giving priority to the
preferences of the community in building their
permanent shelter, restoring their livelihood, and
reformation of their social organizations. In conjunction
with the technical team, the social component will form
committees and the establish of community councils
whose members are from the barangays. A part of these
committees will form part of the technical component,
hence crosscutting both the two components.

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PROJECT COMPONENTS
TECHNICAL TEAM
The technical team of the project will do all the necessary works pertaining
to the design and construction of permanent houses and structures in the
site. In conference with the community, the technical team will complete
the site development plan of the project, complete the detailed housing
type using participatory designing methodology, complete the detail
budget, create community workshops for construction supplies, and
implement and complete the entire construction process. The technical
team is composed of architects, engineers, community construction team,
and any other relevant technical experts

The project is moving forward with the delivery of designs of houses, multipurpose building, commercial buildings, chapel, school, and livelihood
infrastructures in the project site. The very first process in the design
preparation is community consultation. The community organizers of the
social team will guarantee the attendance, participation, and involvement
of the project beneficiaries in the workshops and trainings headed by the
technical team. The secretariat on the other hand supports both the social
and technical teams in their needs. After the consultation, the technical
team integrate the decisions and designs drawn by the community with the
goal to come-up with a design that will be approved and accepted by the
project beneficiaries.

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PROJECT COMPONENT
SOCIAL COMPONENT
The social team of the project is composed of Community Organizers who are
working closely with the program beneficiaries. The Social Team, headed by
UPA, will determine final selection of the beneficiaries, criteria of which they
also formulated in conference with the Consortium members. In coordination
with the Technical team and the secretariat, their functions include formation
of Community Construction team, mapping of Community skills and talents,
and training of community leaders, formation of Community Committees on
Livelihood, monitoring of the construction processes and any other function
concerning the welfare of the people in the nine target communities.
In order to realize the people-driven approach of the project, the social team
assures that the participants will be able to feel that the project is theirs, that
active participation is needed in order to address their needs. With the
formation of different committees, leaders are chosen to prepare the project
beneficiaries for a greater responsibility that encompasses not only managing
their lives in the Pope Francis Village but also resorting to sustainability
measures in adapting to the diverse challenges of living.
In the aspect of livelihood restoration, the selection of livelihood projects
includes local adaptability and acceptability, market viability, and possibility of
addressing environmental concerns. As most of the project beneficiaries were
fishermen, the challenge is the introduction of agricultural livelihoods to
acclimatize the environment in the project area. Progressively, the social team
is on the peak of establishing natural farming to the community members.
Demo farms have been created with the support of local partners. These farms
serve as a training ground of the project beneficiaries for the incorporation of
natural faming and livestock. Natural farming and livestock are the most
preferred livelihood of the community in the relocation site.

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PEOPLE-DRIVEN ACTIVITIES

People-Driven Activities
In the implementation of the Pope Francis Village, the utmost consideration
is the welfare of the project beneficiaries. In most instances, favor is always
inclined to their needs. The team makes sure that the project beneficiaries
are always involved and part of the processes of the development of the
project.
Among those activities were the Site Development Training Workshop
where the project beneficiaries examined the site and illustrated through
the use of art materials their preferred physical plan in the site. It is through
this workshops that the community were made aware of the hazardous
areas in the project site, discouraging them to put their houses on those
specific zones. After the site planning, the Participatory Housing Design
Workshop was also conducted. At the end of the workshop, the project
beneficiaries were able to identify four (4) types of housing designs. As a
final output, the project communities voted to have the row house design.
The project architects on the other hand finalized and presented the final
design, incorporating and consolidating the submitted designs by the
community. A Community Workshop on Livelihood and Economic

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PEOPLE-DRIVEN ACTIVITIES

Activities were also directed aimed to analyze, create and finalize plans on
livelihoods on the site. Possible livelihood activities were introduced to the
project beneficiaries. After which, they were made to list down their desired
livelihood activities on the place. The social team tallied the output and
presented it to the community. Nevertheless, a Technical Training was
given by the technical team that included plan reading on Architectural,
Structural, Plumbing, and Electrical plans, respectively. In this manner, the
community are given basic knowledge on how to read plans and
specifications that they will later use in the construction of their houses. In
line with the technical training, a Participatory Workshop on Day Care
and Chapel Design was also undertaken. In this workshop, the community
were asked to draw their ideal proposals in the chapels and Day Care
Centers. Architect Albert Zambrano amalgamated the designs of the
community and finally ended up with a final chapel design which were also
presented to the community for approval.

In the creation of committees, the Procurement Training was lately

facilitated by the Procurement Officer and the Technical team that enabled
the participants to be equipped with basic knowledge in procuring
materials all throughout the project implementation.

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STRENGTHENED RELATIONS
Strengthened Relations
The project, which involves an in-city relocation and adapts a people-driven
model approach, needs the skills and assistance of professionals who could
guide the project in the implementation of the Pope Francis Village. As a
result, the Technical Assistance Movement for People and Environment
Inc. (TAMPEI), an organization that promotes a community-led process and
incorporate environmental awareness, Arkomjogja, an organization in
Indonesia composed of Architects and Engineers that likewise promote
community-led projects, Architect Albert Zambrano, a Shelter and Urban
Development Specialist, and the Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU),
region VIIIs only University that offers Architectural courses, were all
tapped to provide technical support in the design of all the structures to be
constructed in the village. Likewise, Ridge to Reef Solutions Inc., was also
tapped to conduct a Flood Study and prepare the Engineering Geological
and Geo-Hazard Assessment Report (EGGAR) in the Pope Francis Village.
The extent of the support of the above-mentioned bodies are the first steps
to realize the visualization and designs of project beneficiaries. In their
guidance, the output of the community in the workshops as a form of
consultation on designs of every structure are transformed into
professional architectural drawings.

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PROJECT MILESTONES
GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY

To kick-off the construction activities of the Pope Francis Village, a

Ground Breaking ceremony was held at the project site in Brgy. 99, Diit,
Tacloban City on August 17, 2015. The activity started with a Holy Mass
officiated by Rev. Fr. John Forrosuelo Du, Archbishop of Palo, followed by a
short program for the ground breaking.
The Ground Breaking was attended by guests from the Development and
Peace, headed by Gilio Brunelli, representatives from the Canadian School
Board, members of the consortium the Urban Poor Associates (UPA),
Canadian Catholic for Development and Peace (CCODP), Catholic Bishop
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP-NASSA), The Congregation of the
Most Holy Redeemer, and Roman Catholic Church of the Archbishop of
Palo (RCAP).
Officials and representative from the different organizations like IOM and
partner agencies like DPWH, NEDA, DSWD, TESDA, OCD, Office of the
Governor, and LGU were also present in the activity.
An estimated 550 beneficiaries of the project also attended the said
momentous event.

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Considering the importance of the partaking of both local and national

government agencies, FRANCESCO solicited the commitment of these
agencies to support, in any manner, the implementation of the POPE
FRANCIS VILLAGE. Among the result were the engagement of the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the
construction of houses and in the financial assistance in the cash-forwork program; the Department of Public Works and Highways
(DPWH) in the provision of the road networks in the Pope Francis
Village; the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in the
creation and preparation of the safety and health program and in a
possible 50-50 sharing in the costs of the implementation of an approved
livelihood program; the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) in conducting the trainings for basic skills to the
project beneficiaries; the Department of Education (DepEd) in assisting
the project in the construction of schools; the National and Economic
Development Authority (NEDA) for acting as a leverage for the project
to ask assistance to the provincial level; and the Philippine Red Cross in
conducting basic life support and first aid; the Office of the Civil
Defense (OCD) in guiding the project for the application of the disaster
risk reduction measures and programs; and the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in providing the project
with fruit-bearing trees.
Then involvement of these government units portrays a key advantage
for the project in accepting support from both local and national
agencies. With these support, the project beneficiaries are being exposed
GOVERNMENT
to the ambitsSUPPORT
of the local and national powers that govern them, thus
making them in any other way, participate or become involve in the
activities of the government.

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PHOTO GALLERY

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PHOTO GALLERY

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PROJECT SITE

SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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HOUSE DESIGNS

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COMMON FACILITIES

MULTI-PURPOSE CENTER
TOTAL FLOOR AREA = 886 SQ.M.
Stage Platform = 57 sq.m.
Covered Court

= 766 sq.m.

DAYCARE CENTER
TOTAL FLOOR AREA
= 122.6 SQ.M.
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CHAPEL DESIGN

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OTHER STRUCTURES

PROPOSED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUILDING (6-CLASSROOMS)

TOTAL FLOOR AREA = 602 SQ.M.
Classroom Floor Area = 63 sq.m.
Classroom Capacity = 40-50 Student/ Classroom

LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL BUILDING

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BUDGET

Land Acquisition Cost (includes capital gains tax, transfer tax,

documentary stamps, real property tax, estate tax
Engineering drawings and permits
Land grading and earth moving
Land development - Drainage system, culverts, sidewalks, labor
Land development - Utilities: water supply system and
distribution including pumps, piping, labor, water tanks
Land development - Utilities: electricity distribution system;
power posts, distribution lines, transformers, wiring, labor, etc.
Partners/Consultant Fees
Residential Houses
School building
Community Center-cum-Evacuation Center/Multi-purpose
Center
Chapel
Community Park
Sports / Arts Facilities
Commercial Building
Construction uniforms, Insurance and Safety Gears
Capital Outlay - Furniture, Fixtures and Equipments
Staff Costing (Basic and allowance including 13th month pay)
Staff House and Office Administration
Livelihood Development
Community Organizing and Advocacy Work
Meetings,Trainings, Workshops, Others:
DRR Activities

30,361,750.00
1,500,000.00
58,513,795.00
36,194,100.00
30,161,750.00
36,194,100.00
5,460,000.00
137,500,000.00
13,230,000.00
18,000,000.00
6,000,000.00
640,000.00
6,400,000.00
40,000,000.00
7,000,000.00
2,802,000.00
13,455,500.00
2,852,600.00
12,000,000.00
1,200,000.00
3,792,650.00
600,000.00

TOTAL BUDGET PHP 463,858,245.00

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LEARNINGS AND CHALLENGES AS WE MOVE FORWARD

To make the project beneficiaries as the key prime-mover and key players
in the project implementation, there are numerous significant factors and
challenges to be addressed as steps to a people-driven approach:
The 550 project beneficiaries
Focusing on more than 500 identified project beneficiaries coming from
nine (9) different barangays led to an extensive timeframe of selection and
qualification. Setting of beneficiary selection criteria and process from the
typhoon affected families required substantial effort and time, not to
mention the consideration of the beneficiaries actual economic and social
status thereby qualifying the most vulnerable members of the community.
The Creation of Teams
With the integration of the technical, social, and secretariat teams, the
objectives of the Pope Francis Village have been levelheaded. The roles of
each component have been effective from community organizing to
incorporation of plans to their implementation. Gradually, this results to the
active participation of the community from decision-making to project
implementation, the communication between the three teams in realizing
the projected outcome, the coordination with the local and national
stakeholders, and most importantly, the process of empowering the
community members in the daily aspects of their living.
Addressing Preliminary Concerns
Series of preliminary steps in the establishment of infrastructures in the
project site. Various government permits and requirements are needed.
Mobilization and involvement of the community are indispensable.
Integrating the designs and dream houses of the community in a single plan
is a challenge In order to address these, the project team has identified
different methodologies.
One of these is the gathering of support from various local and national
government units, private organizations and civil society organizations.

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LEARNINGS AND CHALLENGES

Support from these organizations allowed the project to obtain certain
financial, technical, and social support. The site development being the
most crucial in the preparation stage is expected to be supported by the
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The institution of
houses is as well supported by the Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) and
Christian Aid. The training of
beneficiaries is handled by
the Technical Education
Skills and Development
Authority (TESDA). The
Local Government Unit of
Tacloban City and the
Province of Leyte were
similarly tapped to support
the project implementation.
Another identified approach is the study of the lessons and experiences of
other community centered projects and people-driven approach scheme
like the Technical Assistance Movement for People and Environment
Incorporated (TAMPEI) and Arkomjogya. With their guidance and
expertise, the project is keen on the actions to be taken to ensure the
effective implementation of the project. The happening of workshops and
trainings serve as a manifestation of the projects concern to gather the
perspective of the community. The output of those workshops is the
incorporation of the communitys idea into a single design.
Empowering the Project Beneficiaries
One of the effective tools in a community-driven approach is capacitating
the community through technical trainings and actual exposure in the field
of construction and various livelihood technology. These give them
confidence from the skills acquired during their practical training which
they can put in practice as they build their own community.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

FRANCESCO Incorporated
Salazar Building Avenida Veteranos
Tacloban City Leyte
09476129243
0916420 POPE
3258340

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