The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on Wednesday said the bayanihan spirit is alive in Cebu as private companies started sending workers to help the government build a “Bayanihan Village” in the quake-hit town of San Remigio.

In a news release, DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling reported that two private companies deployed their personnel to assist government workers in installing modular shelter units (MSUs) that will serve as temporary homes for families displaced by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu on Sept. 30.

“Bilang tugon sa panawagan ng Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. para sa whole-of-nation response at agarang pag-agapay sa mga biktima, may mga pribadong kumpanya na po ang tumutulong sa pagbuo natin sa Bayanihan Village sa San Remigio (In response to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s call for a whole-of-nation approach and the immediate provision of assistance to the victims, private companies are now helping us build the Bayanihan Village in San Remigio),” Aliling said.

He said at least 45 MSUs have been deployed and are being set up in Barangay Poblacion, San Remigio.

The additional workers were sent to speed up the installation so that displaced families can occupy the units as soon as possible.

Right after the quake, Aliling also dispatched a team from the central office to augment the disaster response efforts of the regional office in Central Visayas in Cebu.

“Patuloy ang DHSUD sa pagsusumikap upang maibsan kahit papaano ang paghihirap ng mga biktima ng lindol. Hangad ng Pangulo ang agarang pagbangon ng ating mga kababayan (The DHSUD continues to exert efforts to help ease, even in some way, the suffering of the earthquake victims. The President hopes for the swift recovery of our fellow Filipinos),” he said.

The DHSUD said the Bayanihan Village project aims to provide safe and decent shelters for affected families while the government assists in rebuilding their homes and communities. (PNA)