[Xavier University president Fr Roberto C Yap SJ recounts how Xavier Ecoville came about and shares the lessons from the whole experience, the challenges the university encountered along the way and how they were addressed.]
By Wilson J Hormeguera
The Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), the lead government agency to undertake financing of social housing programs, embarked on a learning visit to Xavier Ecoville, the Xavier University-led resettlement community, on October 6 to gather good practices in estate management.
These practices “will help finalize the capacity building program for SHFC Board-approved projects,” said Abigail P Genito, community development officer of SHFC.
The said visit was facilitated by Xavier University’s Governance and Leadership Institute (GLI) and Xavier Ecoville Project (XEP) team.
The participants were composed of representatives from accredited civil society organizations that serve as mobilizers for High Density Housing projects, namely the Foundation for the Development for the Urban Poor, Kilos Maralita, St Hannibal Empowerment Center, Isabela Faithful Servants Foundation Inc, Center for Urban Poor Services Inc, Urban Poor Land Acquisition Networks and Development Inc, SHARE Foundation Inc, Humanitarian Intention for Community Empowerment and Reform Inc and the Housing and Community Development and Resettlement (HCDR) unit of the Quezon City government.
After the site visit at Xavier Ecoville, GLI director Dr Dixon Yasay showed them the community engagement framework of the said resettlement village for Typhoon Sendong survivors in Barangay Lumbia.
The lecture highlighted the crucial role of engaging the barangay council as manifested in the Xavier Ecoville experience. Yasay’s input served as guide for the participants’ workshop on Community Development Engagement Planning.
In his special message, XU president Fr Roberto C Yap SJ recounted how the project came about, the lessons from the whole experience, the challenges the university encountered along the way and how they were addressed.
XU is currently engaged with SHFC for the urban housing initiatives for Cagayan de Oro City.