BILLOCA (Philippines); In this impoverished rural corner of the Philippines, traditional one-room thatch houses are giving way to modern brick homes with glass windows, tiled roofs and giant courtyards — the product of a housing boom fuelled by remittances from overseas workers.

As the northern Philippines marks the 100th anniversary year of the first batch of its sons who went to work abroad, a fresh flood of greenbacks is swamping this sleepy village by the shores of Billoca lake, triggering furious development.

Large houses in shades of mint, ecru, cream, or old rose threaten to swallow up the paddy fields. Farmers gleefully oblige the newly rich by selling their plots for up to 12 times what they worth before the construction frenzy.

“This was only the first big house to be built. Now you see them all around the lake,” says Rodolfo Ramos, whose uncle built his 150,000-dollar dream home five years ago on a one-hectare (2.47-acre) lot of rice paddy and woods.

His uncle plans to retire here soon after decades serving as steward for navy ships based in the US port of San Diego.

“He was poor once, just like us. His family lived in a one-room bamboo shack with a wood-burning stove,” Ramos tells AFP. “Without the US Navy they would have stayed that way.”

Various cousins and neighbours have also sought their fortune abroad, from caregivers in Canada to domestic helpers in Hong Kong and Spain; part of the army of four million Filipinos who now work abroad sending back an estimated eight to 24 billion dollars back home every year.

Even Ramos’ 24 year-old eldest son has joined the exodus, one of tens of thousands of Filipino seafarers on the world’s merchant fleets.

“We bought this place for 1,300 pesos (23.21 dollars) a square meter (10.764 square feet) and we considered ourselves lucky. Now land around here goes for 1,800-2,000 (32.14-35.71 dollars) per square meter,” says Rizal Parbo, who runs a garden and landscaping business .—AFP