A Decade of Fighting for a Safe Home
Imagine being decided upon, having your home taken from you overnight and being forced to rebuild with what you have left. For most people this is unimaginable, but for Rodelio and Marivic it became reality. The land their family had farmed for generations has been cleared for development, leaving them facing an uncertain future.
A Shelter Made from Scraps and Resilience
Rodelio and Marivic's family have always called the sugarcane plantations of Panaogao, Silay, their home. Both have spent their lives working on the land, born into families of sugarcane farmers. But in 2009, their world was turned upside down when the landowners decided to develop the area into a subdivision and demolish the farmers' homes. Rodelio, Marivic and 3 of their 6 children were left with nowhere to live. "We felt an injustice when they demolished our house and forced us out of the land where our ancestors had lived," Rodelio recalls. With nowhere to go, they lived on the streets for three days before building a temporary shelter by a creek. Built from natural bamboo and scrap materials, their makeshift home was fragile and barely adequate for their family. Despite the harsh conditions, the couple worked hard - Rodelio drove a tricycle and Marivic grew vegetables to make ends meet.
Life on the creek was precarious. Their home was damaged by an earthquake, and later in 2013, Typhoon Yolanda washed away their vegetable garden. But through it all, they remained resilient. “As long as we could eat three meals a day, we were thankful,” says Rodelio.
Makeshift shelter on a riverbank in Silay City, illustrating what Rodelio’s former house could have looked like.
A Fresh Start with a Home Built to Last
The family had lived under these conditions for ten years, when one day, Rodelio learned of a housing project aimed at helping informal settler families and applied. In early 2019, the family received the news they had qualified, reigniting their hopes. By contributing 400 hours of sweat equity, they helped build their future home, a disaster-resilient house using Cement-Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT), developed by the BASE Bahay Foundation. In March 2020, they moved into their new home, a moment that felt to them like a long-overdue blessing. "We never imagined we would have a house like this,” Marivic says tearfully.
Roledio in his shop, which the family built as an extension to the house.
Today, their new home is a symbol of security and dignity. "We no longer have to worry about being demolished or evicted," says Rodelio. Their new home, built through a partnership between Habitat for Humanity and the Hilti Foundation, has given them not only shelter, but also hope for a better future. With the help of their children, they have expanded their home and opened a small shop. “This house is our life now,” says Rodelio proudly. “It’s something we can leave behind, a reminder of how far we’ve come.”
Cement Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT)
CBFT combines the durability of cement with the flexibility and sustainability of bamboo, creating disaster-resilient homes that are both eco-friendly and cost-effective. This technology is specifically engineered to withstand severe conditions in disaster-prone areas, such as typhoons and earthquakes, offering safe and lasting housing for vulnerable communities.
Partnering to create impact at scale
The Hilti Foundation, in collaboration with Base Bahay Foundation and Habitat for Humanity, is advancing affordable housing projects in the Philippines and Nepal using CBFT. Together, they are working to provide low-income families in the Philippines and Nepal with stable, resilient homes that serve as a foundation for security and long-term community development.