Guv gets PB nod to sign UN body deal

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) yesterday authorized Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III to enter into an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for a P13.33-million cash assistance for the Capitol’s post-Yolanda rehabilitation programs.

The amount includes P4.5 million for skills training of affected residents in typhoon-ravaged areas of northern Cebu.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), UNDP would also shell out P7.83 million for the cash-for-work program in the towns of Sta. Fe, Bantayan, and San Remigio.

The cash-for-work program would benefit 1, 800 residents, who would help in clearing the debris left by super typhoon Yolanda in exchange for daily wage.

The Bogo United Fishermen Association (BUFA) would also get around P1million for the restoration of “livelihood assets of marginal fisherfolks.”

Finally, the P4.5 million would be used for the purchase of equipment needed for the skills training in carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and electrical installation.

At least 1, 500 typhoon survivors would become trainees who would also receive starter kits from UNDP upon completion of their training.

The project would be supervised by the Skills Training and Emergency Employment towards Recovery in northern Cebu(STEER-Cebu),  which is a convergence project of UNDP, the Cebu Provincial Government, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Department of Labor and Employment.

The Capitol said TESDA Director General Secretary Joel Villanueva already committed an initial amount of P500, 000 to jumpstart the STEER project.

In an interview, Davide said the skills training would bolster reconstruction efforts of local government units in northern Cebu, as it would help address the lack of skilled workers to undertake the restoration of government facilities there.

The respective municipal governments and the Department of Social Welfare and Development would identify the STEER projects’ participants.

Before the approval of the resolution authorizing Davide, however, PB Member Peter John Calderon suggested that the beneficiaries should not only come from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).

“We should also consider those who are not members of the 4Ps,” he said.

Super typhoon Yolanda, which struck Cebu last Nov. 8, heavily affected northern Cebu’s fishing communities.

The National Economic and Development Authority had reported that Yolanda left a total damage of over a billion pesos to livelihood and infrastructure in Cebu. (FREEMAN)