Ground Breaking Ceremony held in the Gawad Kalinga Housing Project site.

GK Community Resort Project in San Vicente inevitable.

Press release: Municipal Information Section

A "Ground Breaking Ceremony" was successfully held last Friday, 26th of July 2013, on the construction site of Gawad Kalinga (GK) Housing Project at Bgy. Alimanguan, municipality of San Vicente, Palawan. The ceremony was attended by Mayor Maria Carmela E. Alvarez, more popularly known as Mayor Pie together with the GK Provincial Team, GK San Vicente Team, local government unit (LGU) officials & employees and members of GK Neighborhood Association San Vicente chapter as well as several French volunteers who were helping to carry out GK housing projects. According to Mr. Rafael P. Escamilla GK Provincial Team, there are already six (6) existing GK housing project in the province of Palawan and this Mayor Pie led the Laying of Time Capsule. project in San Vicente will now be the seventh (7) GK housing project in existence to date. According to him, it took more than two years of preparation and waiting for the fulfillment of this housing project that has only been a dream before that seems impossible to come true, if not for the unity, teamwork, and determination of the local government led by the enthusiastic and keen Mayor of the municipality of San Vicente. Along with Mr. Escamillas Team were Manuel C. Ballares, Rommel B. Gabinete, Noel C. Callorina, and Roland M. Ustares members Palawan GK Team. From GK Team Roxas were Alfonso Cervancia project director Iratag Hiltop GK Village, Roxas Palawan and Apolinario Dangan, Jr. a Community
Mr. Rafael P. Escamilla ng GK Provincial Team talks about GK Projects

Infrastructure Program Head. Also present in the ceremony were the French interns assigned with GK El Nido in the persons of Adelaide Duguey group leader, Romain Gurvan, Geoffroy Daniel and Angelina Francoise. They were all volunteers for Gawad Kalinga projects. On Mayor Pies speech, she enlightened the beneficiaries of GK housing project and all who attended that only one house will be built at this point in time so as to see first the actual structure and feel of the design of the proposed houses to further observe if its structure and design will fit-in to the holistic concept of a housing community that will have families and their livelihood integrated into the housing project. According to Mayor Pie, what will be constructed around the site is different from other GK housing project elsewhere, because this is not just an ordinary housing Mayor Pie unveiling of Subdivision Plan. project but a "GK Community Resort Project", a formation of a self-reliant community with livelihood already incorporated, with a set of community rules that will help them live in harmony and prosperity. The Mayor also added that we still need more perseverance and patience since we are not rushing this project up as we are cognizant of the fact that we still need to study further every angle and aspect of this project to ensure the success and fulfillment of our goals. The GK Community Resort Project has a total lot area of 3.2 hectares that was donated by Hon. Jose Chavez Alvarez (JCA) now the current Provincial Governor of Palawan. Included in this community housing project are one hundred and twenty (120) "Bed and Breakfast houses" and "shop houses" as homes, it also has a piggery & Poultry area, welding machine shop, Fish drying spot, school, sport facility, wet market, multipurpose area and more. The majority of the beneficiaries for the first GK Housing GK Team looks at the housing design Project in San Vicente came from the informal households or families living along the riverside in Bgy. Alimanguan. These families were also found to be living along the identified "High risk" or vulnerable location basing on the actual Hazard Risk

Vulnerability Assessment (HRVA) recently conducted by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) led by its officer Mr. Edwin Opus. Parts of this Ground Breaking Ceremony were the "Revealing of Subdivision Plan", the "Ceremonial Laying of Time Capsule" and the Lay-outing of the First Model House" of the housing project. There was a traditional system of Bayanihan where the project beneficiaries together with the staff of local government, GK French volunteers, GK teams and other guests joined hands in the laying of the foundation of the very first house to be built on the GK site. The GK Community Resort Project is one of the programs that is earnestly pursued by the administration of Mayor Pie as a direct response and to directly address the basic needs of the recognized "poorest of the poor" in the Municipality. The current official members of the GK San Vicente Team is led by Mr. Tito D. Arias as Project Director and his staff namely Mr. Hercules Generale, Mr. Kim Basio, Mr. Hazel Madarcos, and Mr. Mark Ponteras who were directed to organize this project from the beginning two years ago. According to Mr. Raul Becamon one of the beneficiaries interviewed, he could not tell if he was just dreaming because not even in his wildest expectations did he thought that it is going to become a fact and that he will soon have his own home, and not just a small or ordinary house but a nicely designed house, more like a vacationers house as he gazed at the sketch or perspective of the house in-front of him designed to be the beneficiaries abode.

LGU employees doing bayanihan at the ground breaking ceremony.

Mayor Pie, Planning Officer & Mun. Treasurer look at the layouting of the foundation of the very first house in the GK site.

All praises and thanks also were the words of the President of the GK Kapitbahayan Association, a group of housing beneficiaries, who was afforded the opportunity to respond after the speech and the declarations of towns Mayor. - xxx -