TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 4 -- The local government of Arteche in Eastern Samar has announced that its newly completed halfway house, the Susan-e Center or the Sustainable-Nutrition And Nanay Empowerment Center, will begin operating this month.

The facility will serve as a safe and dignified temporary shelter for pregnant women, particularly those from remote communities who are nearing their due dates, Arteche Vice Mayor Roland Boie Evardone said in a statement Thursday.

Evardone said expectant mothers from outside the town center who have no place to stay while awaiting childbirth may temporarily reside at the center for several days or up to a week, depending on their scheduled delivery.

The SUSAN-e Center can also accommodate watchers or...