The national government will utilize uprooted coconut trees to rebuild the homes that were destroyed by typhoon “Odette” last month.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Chairman and Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he was coordinating with other government agencies such as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to reorganize the affected communities.
However, one big problem was the lack of sawmills that will turn the raw products into quality lumbers.
“Iyong TESDA nag-field din siya ng mga carpenters sa Siargao, iyon din po ang problema nila, walang materials (TESDA also fielded carpenters in Siargao and they had the same problem, there are no materials),” Lorenzana said during the pre-recorded public address of President Duterte on Monday night, Jan. 10.
Lorenzana said he suggested the use of fallen coconut trees which could be turned into lumber through mini sawmills.
“Dahil kung mano-mano ‘yung paggawa ng lumber, Mayor, ay matagal. Matagal makapaggawa ng lumber ‘yung mga coconut trees saka ‘yung mga naputol na mga kahoy (If the production of lumber will be manual, Mayor, it will take a long time. It will take time to produce lumbers from the coconut trees and other fallen trees),” he stated.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), around 1.1 million houses were destroyed by Odette when it ravaged parts of Visayas and Mindanao last month.
Meanwhile, NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad said they have tasked the Shelter Cluster led by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DSHUD) to fast-track the provision of shelter assistance to the typhoon victims.
“We will consolidate our recommendations, Mr. President, regarding the provision of shelter assistance through this Shelter Cluster,” Jalad said.
He said the Shelter Cluster was scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss their strategies in rebuilding the homes of the victims, including the use of fallen coconut trees as materials for the construction.
In return, Duterte vowed to give Lorenzana a specific budget for the procurement of sawmills.
He also tasked Lorenzana to “arrest” illegal loggers and confiscate their sawmill in the affected areas.
“Hulihin mo na lang pati ‘yung nag-o-operate, pati ‘yung may-ari ng sawmill kasi iyon ang ipadugo natin sa mga --- gawain nating padugo doon sa mga --- ulo nila doon sa mga sawmill na maibigay natin (Arrest all the operators including the owners of sawmills because we will use their heads as an offering for the sawmills that we will distribute),” Duterte said.