‘Yolanda’ rehab summit set for Capiz, N. Panay

THOUGH barely visible from this vantage point, the destruction left by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” is life-changing for residents of Olotayan, an island village of Roxas City in Capiz province. INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON FILE PHOTO

ILOILO CITY, Philippines—Various groups and sectors in Capiz will hold a summit next week to map out specific recovery and rehabilitation plans in the aftermath of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

Participants of the summit on Jan. 22-23 aim to identify priorities and directions in rehabilitation and recovery projects, according to Danilo So Chan, chair of the Capiz Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council (CMSMEDC).

Chan said the two-day event would involve strategic planning to cover not only Capiz but northern Panay.

The event is expected to be attended by business leaders, local government officials, representatives of national government agencies and officials of international and Philippine-based nongovernment organizations and relief agencies, he said.

Among the business groups are members of the Joint Chambers of Commerce-Capiz (JCCC). The JCCC is composed of the CMSMEDC, Roxas City Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Capiz, and the Capiz Travel and Tour Operators Association.

“We hope to discuss and agree on priorities for economic and livelihood recovery,” Chan said by phone on Sunday.

He said the output from the activity would serve as a guide and specific action plan for the various groups involved in the rehabilitation of the province and northern Panay.

Capiz was severely affected by the supertyphoon with 94,719 houses destroyed and 38,910 others damaged, according to the Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas.

Seventy-eight persons died and 2,934 were injured in the province.

The damage of the supertyphoon to Capiz was estimated at P3.99 billion for infrastructure and P797 million in fisheries alone.

Chan said the plans resulting from the summit would not only be for reconstruction but also for the sustainable development of northern Panay.

“The rehabilitation program and projects will provide opportunities to correct whatever weaknesses [we have] in planning and development, including the lack of an integrated development plan,” he said.

Among the key issues to be tackled are the perennial flooding in the province and the low productivity of the fisherfolk and farmers, he said.