Senate to probe ‘Yolanda’ rehab

Senator Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos Jr. Photo by RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—The Senate will start on Thursday an inquiry into the status of rehabilitation work and international aid in the disaster-ravaged areas, but presidential assistant for rehabilitation Panfilo Lacson will not be attending the probe because of illness.

Officials will be called before the Senate public works committee and questioned over whether they already have a comprehensive rehabilitation plan not only for Tacloban City but other areas ravaged by recent typhoons, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday.

This will cover the issue of substandard and possibly overpriced bunkhouses for the thousands of survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” that tore through the Eastern Visayas on Nov. 8, said Marcos, who chairs the public works committee.

Officials will also be asked to account for the millions of dollars in donations from international organizations and countries for the Yolanda victims, he said.

“I’m really interested to see what’s the general reconstruction and rehabilitation plan. We hear about no-build areas, but as far as I’ve seen I’ve not heard of an overall plan,” Marcos said in an interview.

Nearly three months after the devastating storm, some people were still “living out in the open” and the supply of food remained inadequate, he said.

“And what has happened to the money? There are individuals and organizations, such as the Pinoys in the States, who sent money for their hometowns. We’re talking of big money here,” he said.

Yolanda, packing sustained winds of 235 kilometers per hour and gusting up to 275 kph, tore through the Eastern Visayas, as well as parts of the Central Visayas and Palawan, on Nov. 8, leveling coastal communities and leaving more than 6,000 dead.

The National Economic Development Authority has drawn up a P361-billion Reconstruction Assistance on Yolanda (RAY) plan for areas ravaged by the super typhoon.

Lacson has informed the committee that will not be able to attend the hearing because he is sick. Undersecretary Danilo Antonio and Louie Martinez from his office will appear on his behalf.

“It’s better if he’s there, but if we get the information that we need from his office, that’s fine,” Marcos said.

Architect and urban planner Felino Palafox Jr. and Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson have confirmed their attendance.

The committee had scheduled its first hearing for Thursday last week, but cancelled it because Lacson was unavailable.

Palafox, who accompanied Lacson in the latter’s ocular inspection of the bunkhouses in Tacloban City, had reported the bunkhouses were cramped, had thin plywood walls and two-slope roofs that could be easily torn off by strong storms.

“We have to find out what’s that about,” Marcos said of Palafox’s observations. “Why do we have bunkhouses?”

An international shelter group reported that the bunkhouses being developed by the Department of Public Works and Highways did not comply with internationally recognized standards and best practices.

RELATED STORIES

Temporary shelters not overpriced, says Lacson

Lacson: Tacloban City to be relocated away from shoreline

Senate to probe alleged graft in building of ‘substandard’ bunkhouses