Noy vows to revisit Yolanda-devastated areas

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino yesterday ruled out “band aid” solutions to problems still pestering survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda even as he promised to revisit devastated areas and make a personal pitch for the government’s P360-million rehabilitation plan.

He said a visual presentation being readied for affected families and concerned officials would give them a better appreciation of the progress of rehabilitation efforts. The President is also set to visit areas in Zamboanga laid siege by forces loyal to Moro National Liberation Front founding chairman Nur Misuari.

Last Monday, thousands of Yolanda survivors marched to Malacañang to dramatize their desperation and demand P40,000 cash assistance for each of the 1.4 million affected families.

The marchers also requested that the government abandon its “no-build zone” rule.

He said the amount would total around P56 billion and would not be feasible in the long-term. He said 918,000 alone need housing assistance.

In an ambush interview, Aquino promised to closely examine proposals as he cited the need for judicious use of government funds, given the country’s limited resources.

Aquino gave the interview after inspecting micro medium-rise building model units for informal settlers’ relocation in Manila.

He also scoffed at suggestions that the “no-build zone” rule be dropped. He said storm surges – similar to what had caused the most deaths during Yolanda – should be taken seriously as more of them would likely devastate coastal communities in the future, based on simulation made by the Department of Science and Technology.

The President said it would be easy to convince people to conduct protest actions by telling them their families could receive P40,000 each from the government, but he urged organizers of the  protest actions to think about how long this amount could sustain them.

Aquino said they even had to shift from labor-intensive construction of bunkhouses to allowing Yolanda survivors to build their own shelters to save time and effort. This way, he said the families would not have to stay in tents much longer.

He said the national government is providing water and power supplies to relocation sites as the local governments are heavily indebted to electric cooperatives.

Help continues

Meanwhile, donations continue to pour in for victims of Yolanda, the International Labor Organization (ILO) reported yesterday.

ILO said the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs donated $2.5 million on top of the $500-million aid given by the Japanese government immediately after Yolanda’s devastation.

Yoshiteru Uramoto, the ILO regional director for Asia and the Pacific, expressed his gratitude to the Japanese government for the donation.

Uramoto said providing decent work and employment opportunities for typhoon victims is key to sustainable recovery.

A high-level delegation led by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz flew to Japan recently to learn more about natural disaster recovery and gather inputs that can help the government create a long-term rebuilding strategy for Yolanda victims.

The delegation, including representatives from the Philippines’ labor unions and the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), visited coastal areas of Iwate Prefecture, one of the three provinces severely devastated by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami three years ago.

“It is good to be able to share knowledge and experiences of responding to disasters between Japan and the Philippines. We are committed to supporting such endeavors and this study trip and the financial support shown by Japan shows others also believe this approach is the way forward,” Uramoto said.

Baldoz met some local residents in the disaster areas and expressed her sympathies.

Baldoz said rebuilding should not only focus on roads and infrastructure but also on people’s lives and livelihood.

Lawrence Jeff Johnson, country director of the ILO in the Philippines, said successful rehabilitation work should include employment opportunities for affected families.

“The World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines (WWF-Philippines), for its part, has launched a campaign to deliver 600 fiberglass fishing boats to Yolanda-affected fishing communities in Palawan and Leyte. WWF-Philippines vice chairman and CEO Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan also said Earth Hour will be marked on March 29 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Earth Hour, organized by WWF, started in Sydney, Australia in 2007. – With Mike Frialde, Mayen Jaymalin