MAASIN CITY (PIA) -- The Southern Leyte District Engineering Office (DPWH-SLDEO) has finished constructing 38 out of 55 multi-purpose buildings, and vowed to complete the other 17 more before this year comes to an end.

The total cost of the finished multi-purpose building projects amounted to P112.292 million funded under the 2021 General Appropriations Act, the DPWH-SLDEO reported.

“Construction of these structures is always one of our top priorities since the community needs them,” District Engr. Manolo Rojas was quoted as saying in the report.

The completed structures “will be used not only for public meetings and social and sports activities but also as an evacuation center for local residents during typhoons, earthquakes, and other natural disasters,” Rojas said.

Aside from providing a safe place to hold community council gatherings and meetings, the projects can also serve as temporary education centers for students and a venue for medical mission programs for the elderly, Rojas said.

Location of the finished 38 multi-purpose buildings are as follows: Maasin City with 6 units;  Limasawa, 5 units; 3 units each in Hinunangan and Padre Burgos; 2 units each in San Francisco, Hinundayan, Pintuyan, San Juan, Tomas Oppus, Saint Bernard, Macrohon, and Malitbog; and 1 unit each in Bontoc, Anahawan, Libagon, San Ricardo, and Silago.

“These buildings were placed in strategic areas in the villages and were structurally designed to withstand typhoons and other catastrophes in order to ensure the safety of residents,” the DPWH-SLDEO further said in its report.  (NBQ/MMP/PIA 8-Southern Leyte)