HOUSE Independent Bloc Leader Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez is urging the government to hasten its rehabilitation efforts in areas devastated by Super Typhoon “Yolanda” almost two years ago.
Romualdez issued the statement following the move of a civil society group for a House panel to summon concerned government officials and make them explain how the funds meant for Yolanda victims have been spent.
“The NGOs for Fisheries Reform has asked us to help them compel agencies of government accountable for Yolanda funds, both foreign and local, to explain where the money went. It has been almost two years and yet, many families are still living in unsafe zones and transitional houses,” said Romualdez, who is eyeing a Senate seat in the next year’s elections to push for genuine compassion among less-fortunate groups such as person with disabilities and victims of Yolanda.
The Leyte lawmaker has been consistently pressing for an audit and probe into billions of donations for Yolanda victims and survivors from local and foreign groups and countries.
Dennis Calvan, executive director of NGOs for Fisheries Reform, has written a letter to House Special committee on climate change to compel concerned agencies to explain how Yolanda funds have been utilized.
Calvan explained that thousands of families in affected areas are still living in transitional houses, which lack basic amenities such as clean water and electricity.
Two survivors of super typhoon Yolanda died at the temporary shelter in Tacloban, local officials said.
“Napakataas pa rin ng backlog ng pamahalaan sa pagtatayo ng housing unit. Kaya naman nagtataka ang karamihan kung saan na napunta ang pondo at mga donasyon. Napakabagal talaga ng pagbibigay ng ayuda sa ating mga kababayan na naapektuhan ni Yolanda,” said Romualdez.
The National Housing Authority had only built 16,544 houses since September from the targeted 205,128 housing units in six regions in Yolanda-stricken areas.
“Families who relocated to permanent resettlement sites also complain of the additional costs entailed by the distance of their new homes from their sources of income and their children’s schools,” Calvan said.
A technical working group had been convened by the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development to come up with policy proposals based on a study that documented various issues in post-Yolanda housing.
The PLCPD study on government policies on post-Yolanda housing found out incoherent policies particularly in identifying permanent resettlement sites while some areas in Samar and Leyte have yet to receive any government support to affected communities.
The TWG urged the government to speed up Yolanda rehabilitation efforts, particularly on housing, in Yolanda-affected areas and lay out a clear and concrete plan to ensure that such a disaster will not happen again.
“We need to harmonize and coordinate programs and policies to facilitate immediate and effective disaster preparedness, response, and rehabilitation,” said Romeo Dongeto, PLCPD executive director, said.
