24 - Frequently Asked Questions

1) How long does it take to build a GK village?

Like any construction project, the program will be affected by local conditions such as site location, cooperation of the local utility providers, experience of the Project Director, availability of materials, rain etc. The aim is to complete construction of a single detatched home in 14 to 18 days. A GK village should have a minimum of 30 homes. They usually average 50.

A GK village is not just houses but also includes site development such as water supply (usually artesian wells in the rural areas), drainage channels, waste water treatment (usually septic tanks). It also includes community facilities such as a multi-purpose hall, a pre-school, an office for the neighbourhood association (Kapitbahayan), a model house for visitors and a basketball court. A more established village with a good source of funding may also build a health clinic, a training centre, a youth centre etc.

A rough rule of thumb is 3ha for every 100 families. In the provinces, there is generally a 70/30 split between area for built structures and productivity area (the farm for food security).

2) How much does a GK house cost to build?

The current budget per house is 85,000 Philippino Pesos which at the current exchange rate is about AUD$2,800. This of course is materials only and GK negotiates with suppliers for discounts. The labour is free as the houses are constructed by the beneficiaries and volunteers from the community working together.

3) Who funds the construction?

All the funding for the projects relies on donations. These come from GK’s many and varied partnerships locally and internationally, e.g. corporations, schools, government, overseas Filipino workers, family donations etc.

4) How big is a GK house?

The standard size of a GK house is 24m2. While the designs vary from province to province, it is generally a single room with a toilet/wash cubicle in one corner and an outdoor or semi enclosed space for cooking. The internal partitioning, furniture and decoration is left up to the beneficiary family who will move in. The floor plan is designed such that partitions can be erected to create 2 bedrooms and a living space.

5) How are the beneficiaries selected?

The beneficiaries are usually selected in conjunction with the Local Government Unit (LGU) who have the records of the poorest of the poor in the particular area. In some cases (e.g. GK Hua Ming, Handumanan), it is a relocation project where a community of squatters already exists and is relocated from the land they are squatting on to the GK village. In other cases (e.g. GK Paraiso village, Banago), the GK village is built on the same land where the squatters have been living for decades.

6) Do the beneficiaries have to pay back the cost of their house?

No. But they do have to abide by certain rules to become and remain a GK beneficiary. The main 3 rules are:
· There is no drinking of alcohol in public within the village. They are allowed to drink privately in their homes.
· There is no gambling at all in the village.
· There is no prostitution at all in the village.
The beneficiaries also have to participate in 250 hours of “sweat equity” (working to build the houses) to qualify to become a beneficiary.

7) Do the beneficiaries own the house and land once they move in?

Not immediately. The first big hurdle is security of land tenure. Land is usually aquired in one of two ways. a) Private land is donated to the Local Government Unit for the purpose of establishing a GK village b) land that is already Government owned is appropriated for a GK village. Then a usufruct agreement is drawn up between the LGU and GK which is usually 50 years, renewable. The idea is that this will evolve towards individual ownership by the beneficiaries.

8) Is there a limit to the number of people who can live in one house?

The rule is 1 family 1 house. This is generally a mother, father and their 5 or so children. The accommodation of an extended family within one house is discouraged.

9) Can a beneficiary sell their house?

No. If the beneficiary decides to move out, the house will be returned to the neighbourhood association (Kapitbahayan) who will consult the waiting list and choose a new beneficiary for that house. The Kapitbahayan is comprised of residents and they are assisted by the caretaker team which are the local team of volunteers usually from Couples for Christ.

If the primary beneficiary passes away, the house can be inherited by his/her next of kin.

10) Are the houses all the same?

The construction material and design varies according to location however some standards have evolved based on efficiency of construction by unskilled hands and cost effectiveness. In Manila the houses tend to be row houses and multi-storey developments. In the provinces, the houses are more rural scale and there are standard designs for a single detached house and also a duplex.

All the houses in the same village will usually be the same design to eliminate any tendency for jealousy if one family has a ‘better’ house than their neighbour but also to maximise efficiency of construction through repetition of a standard design. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule such as the proposed eco-village for Nordson, Victorias. It will have a standard house design for the local poor as well as a larger house design for employees of the land owner.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, the houses are more often than not constructed from concrete hollow blocks with steel reinforcing bars, infill cement floor and corrugated metal sheet roof. In many locations this remains the most economical, durable and practical in terms of construction by unskilled hands. However, in areas prone to flooding post and beam construction with fibre cement cladding has been used, and in areas with a prevalence of lime in the soil, compressed earth blocks have been made on site and used like bricks. Eventhough elevated post and beam construction and light weight materials might be the more appropriate response to the tropical climate, it is very challenging to overcome the cultural connotations of such materials – ie. “this is what we had in the slums, we deserve better than that in GK”. Better meaning concrete.