Typhoon Ketsana, locally known as "Ondoy", slammed in Metro Manila and parts of Central and Southern Luzon on 26th September, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 12 hours, putting about 80 per cent of Manila underwater. More than 153,000 houses were damaged. It was followed over the next month by two more major typhoons, Typhoon Parma, locally known as 'Pepeng', and Mirinae, locally known as 'Santi' .The three typhoons affected more than two million families. More than a 1,000 people were reported to have been killed or are missing.



Habitat immediately responded to the disaster and Habitat Philippines started meeting the sanitation needs of families who were (and even now!) not able to return their homes. It has completed 170 toilets and bathing stations in 18 evacuation centers, and is currently working on 86 more toilets and 56 bathing facilities in Cabuyao, Calamba, and Sta. Rosa, Laguna. While the relief efforts has shifted to reconstruction and rehabilitation, there are areas still in south of Metro Manila which are in immediate need of sanitation facilities. In a partnership with Save the Children and with funding from the USAID, Habitat Philippines is building more 190 toilets and 60 bathing facilities.

At the same time, Habitat Philippines was targetting to help repair 10,000 homes through the distribution of shelter repair kits at US$150 (about 13,000 yen) per unit and the assistance of volunteers over the next four months. So far, Habitat Philippines has distributed more than 1,800 shelter repair kits to families affected by Typhoon Ketsana in the Metro Manila cities of Marikina, Quezon City, Pasig, Pangasinan, Bulacan and Rizal. One beneficiary Mangandi said that the repair kit was a big help as it would have taken longer for him to fix his house because of the additional expense. The meager salary he makes as a food vendor is barely enough to feed his family, so repairing his home was not the priority.




In the near future, Habitat Philippines will carry out plans to build 2,000 transitional shelters and, later, 4,000 'core house' shelters which will be constructed in relocation areas or in-situ where it is safe and legal to rebuild. Therefore, the Habitat Philippines team is now assessing what can be done to help in other areas: such as Pangasinan (2,000 damaged homes), Marikina City (2,000 damaged homes), etc.

Donations and firm commitments have reached at least US$800,000 (about 7,500-man yen). The government has committed to provide a 2:1 match for Habitat funds for house repairs. A US$3.2 million (about 3-oku yen). Habitat proposal is also included in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Philippines Flash Appeal.
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2009.10.02　 Habitat to Raise Funds for 1st Phase Response in the Philippines