The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has begun installing modular houses in Tarragona town to establish a “Bayanihan Village” for families displaced by the recent earthquake.

On Sunday, Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling disclosed that the swift action is in compliance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to provide safe and comfortable refuge for families rendered homeless by the quake.

“President Marcos desires to give the quake-stricken Davaoeños a safer and more comfortable shelter, which is why DHSUD, together with other government agencies, is acting immediately to construct the Bayanihan Village in Tarragona,” Aliling said.

“Expect that in the coming days, the modular houses will be fully set up for the benefit of our countrymen,” he added.

The establishment of the Bayanihan Village in Barrio Poblacion began shortly after the president, accompanied by Aliling and other cabinet officials, visited Tarragona and other quake-affected towns on 13 October.

The DHSUD-Regional Office 11, led by OIC-director Naiza De los Santos, is overseeing the installation of the modular shelters intended for families displaced by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Davao Oriental on 10 October.

Aliling said that the project is a collaborative effort with the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Office of the Civil Defense and the Tarragona local government.

“The President’s directive is clear — to extend all possible help to our Davaoeño countrymen as soon as possible,” Aliling said.