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Brief Backgrounder
2004
• Eviction order effected by RTC-Initao was affirmed by the Court of Appeals affecting some 82 informal families in Masilakon 1, Poblacion, Lugait who sought assistance from the LGU of Lugait for resettlement;
• The local government unit of Lugait (LGU-Lugait) negotiated with and eventually purchased from Naawan Community Rural Bank a foreclosed property with a total land area of 3,069 square meters in the amount of Php460,350 for a resettlement site;
• Initial arrangements were initiated to have the project jointly undertaken by the LGU-Lugait and the Couples for Christ (CFC) under the Gawad Kalinga Program;
2005
• Christian Life Program activities were started in July for partner-beneficiaries in the site;
• LGU-Lugait and the CFC formally inked out a Memorandum of Agreement to build an estimated 82 houses and start the community building efforts in August 25;
• LGU-Lugait and CFC-Lugait care taker teams were formed, the former concerned with fund sourcing and site development while the latter largely involved in community building. They however converged regularly through their representatives to tackle and resolve issues and concerns;
• Site Development Plan, designs and cost estimates were finalized with each household unit estimated at Php75,563;
• Then Mayor Wellie Lim and then Vice-Mayor Bruce Colao opened joint personal account at Siam Bank Lugait with Account Number 01-022819-28 to accept and accommodate donations and facilitate the construction of the target of initial 10 households to be constructed at the GK site with the latter acting as the focal person and coordinator;
• The then 10 th Sangguniang Bayan initiated the momentum in fund sourcing through their fund raisers then followed by the Lugait Government Employees Assosiation (LUGEA), the Lugait Mortuary Fund and several other benefactors;
• Groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 30 with partners and community volunteers mobilized for the GK site physical start.
2006
• Municipal Tourism Month, Fiesta and Foundation Day events were held as fund raisers and online sourcing through http://www.lugait.com was initiated;
• Holcim Phils, Inc. committed 1,600 bags of cement for the GK project in February;
• Trainings in March in masonry, hollow-blocks making and basic plumbing were conducted to train partner-beneficiaries to help them build sturdy and durable houses as well as to open up for them livelihood opportunities in partnership with Holcim Phils, Inc., TESDA and the LGU. Trainings were also held under the DepEd Alternative Learning System (ALS).
2007
• In February 14 the first 10 GK units were raffled off to the partner-beneficiaries;
• Work and fund sourcing were continued to finish 14 units from the initial target of 10 units;
• In May Canadian partner-benefactors committed to help fund to finish the construction of some 62 households;
• GK Foundation, Inc. National Headquarters identified Lugait as 1 of the 100 LGUs who are active GK partners all over the Philippines during the 1 st GK Township Development Summit in August held at the UP-National College of Public Administration and the Ateneo School of Governance.