The Climate Change Refugees Resettlement Site, more popularly known as the Jubilee Sheltering Program in Lumang Bayan, Plaridel, Bulacan is home to about 200 families relocated from different parts of Bulacan and Valenzuela. These former informal settlers lived in danger zones highly vulnerable to flooding. After Tyhoon Ondoy, their “little investments” or naipundar were washed out together with their houses. Now, with Jubillee Sheltering Program as their new community, they have decent homes and a sense of hope.
Jubilee Sheltering Program is a 6.4-hectare sheltering program initiated by the Diocese of Malolos through its Malolos Diocese Social Action Center, Inc. with the intention of making decent and safe houses more accessible to climate refugees. To help finish the houses, Pondo ng Pinoy, in 2012 partially financed the labor cost for the installation of water and electricity and in 2016, supported the acquisition of land for expansion of the area.
With these infrastructures and a larger land area, the community started to develop and continues to flourish. They developed a program led by an executive committee composed of members of the community. They manage the day-to-day operations or maintenance of the housing compound.
To date, the housing compound has Bishop Jose F. Oliveros-Refugee and Formation Center that has the staging area of relief goods for the diocese during calamities, formation venue, and recreational facilities such as basketball court, community gardens, day care center, livelihood centers, and chapel. They are also planning to be environment friendly – using solar panels and rainwater collectors for some electric and water needs of the community such as street lights and water for gardening.
From being unrecognized by neighbors and by the Local Government Unit (LGU) because they are relocatees, they are now becoming a model community invited to Barangay General Assemblies. And they have different livelihood initiatives and community services such as the “Bigasan sa Komunidad,” “Jubilee Shelter Project Health Clinic,” and the production of canned sardines “Beatus Vir.”
Fullness of life is for all. But for the poor and marginalized like the families of Jubilee Sheltering Program, this dream is made possible when institutions such as the Church see and hear their plights, and channel their resources to help them help themselves in reclaiming their worth and dignity.
