LUCENA CITY—Stressing that the country needs more people with hearts and a real concern and love for Filipinos, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez thanked the people of Quezon for the empathy they showed after super typhoon “Yolanda” devastated the Eastern Visayas region.
“I am thankful to all the teachers, the non-government organizations, and the students who showed concern during Yolanda,” Romualdez told about a thousand youth leaders during the Quezon Provincial Youth Leaders Convention in Lucena City.
“I can’t forget what you did. The sacrifices you did for us, for Tacloban, for Leyte and the Yolanda victims,” he stressed.
The congressman said they were able to rise from the sufferings wrought by Yolanda due to the empathy shown to them by “people with good hearts.”
“I am thankful for all your concern so we are returning that concern to all of you. We are here because we are giving you back the concern you gave us,” he said.
Romualdez told the youth leaders the country needs not only intelligent and industrious leaders, but it also needs people who have empathy for the sufferings and sacrifices of others.
The congressman made the appeal as the Philippine Legislators Committee on PopulationӬand Development reported that thousands of families still live in gunsafe zones without shelter assistance from the government close to two years after Yolanda.
“Some of them face the threat of forced eviction, like 3,000 families in Tacloban (Leyte) as reported by the National Secretariat”¨ for Social Action/Caritas Philippines in June,’’ PLCPD executive”¨ director Romeo Dongeto said.”¨
On the other hand, those who have been relocated to permanentӬhouses complained about the substandard quality of their houses andӬthe lack of basic utilities, the PLCPD study showed.Ӭ
Resettlement sites were also far from the work places of manyӬresidents, while there were still some who were willing to beӬrelocated, but do not have a suitable place to go.Ӭ
Citing a recent report of another non-government organization, theӬSocial Watch Philippines, only 28.3 percent of the P76.678-billionӬfunding requirement for the Yolanda victims and survivors had beenӬdownloaded for implementation, and that only 73,000 housing units outӬof the 205,128-demand were being built.Ӭ
Indeed, there has been a significant delay in the implementationӬof government resettlement programs. The lack of clear and concreteӬpolicy to hasten post-disaster resettlement compromises post-disasterӬresettlement and adequate housing, h the PLCPD said in a statement.Ӭ
At a forum titled Unsettled Communities, Unsettling Policies in Quezon City, Dongeto said very little has been done to rebuild the”¨lives of the typhoon victims and survivors under a huge budget for the”¨Yolanda Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan, with P75.67″¨billion dedicated for 205,128 housing units in 117 affected towns.
Only 2,265 houses were built, mostly located in Leyte Tacloban City.Ӭ
For his part, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe,”¨chairman of the House special committee on climate change and PLCPD”¨ member, scored the Aquino administration’s snail-paced Yolanda rehablitation program.
He said only 46,129 housing units, or about 22 Ҭpercent of the target, has already been bid out since January.Ӭ
Batocabe noted the non-availability of lands for the shelterӬprograms of the typhoon-stricken Eastern Visayas.Ӭ
“It’s too hard to look for land on the safe zone, and at the same”¨that is affordable,” he said,”¨ urging the government to fast track its resettlement”¨ efforts in the affected areas, and to adopt contingency measures on”¨rehabilitation of victims of future disasters.