New village in Cebu for Yolanda survivors named after Pope Francis

A new settlement site for survivors of Typhoon Yolanda in Cebu has been named after Pope Francis, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said Wednesday.

The CBCP said the naming of the site in Bantayan—one of the areas where Yolanda made landfall last Nov. 8—aims to give new hope for the affected families.

"The village consists of 45 houses with each unit costing P150,000. Xavier School sponsored 30 houses, while the ERDA (Educational Research and Development Assistance) Group sponsored 15," it said on its news site.

It said the Pope Francis Gawad Kalinga (GK) Village in Ticad, Bantayan, Cebu had its groundbreaking rites last March 30.

Xavier School's Facebook page said the school held a relief drive and sent proceeds of its 2014 school fair for this project.

On the other hand, the ERDA Group funds came from long-time benefactors of the ERDA Foundation and ERDA Tech Vocational Secondary School.

The CBCP said prospective beneficiaries must be willing to provide “sweat equity,” which is based on the concept of bayanihan.

It added there will be formation and livelihood programs for the community. — Joel Locsin/BM, GMA News