No red tape in ‘Yolanda’ rehab plan—Palace

The coastline of Tacloban City on May 7, 2014, still bears scars from the massive damage left by Super Typhoon Yolanda that devastated the central Philippine city six months ago. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Post-“Yolanda” rehabilitation is set to begin smoothly as Malacañang on Sunday assured that there would be no red tapes and delays in the allocation of funds and projects.

Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office said in a radio interview that President Benigno Aquino III met with his Cabinet before the start of the World Economic Forum on East Asia and that they would meet again in the remaining days of May to discuss the updates on the “Yolanda” Rehabilitation Plan.

“There is no red tape in the plans,” Coloma said. “There are steps that are taken here, the assessment of the damage and these are all under the law,” he said.

Coloma added the World Bank itself has lauded the country for its work after Super Typhoon “Yolanda” ravaged Eastern Visayas after criticisms stemmed from the slow implementation of the rehabilitation projects surfaced.

“I would just like to say that the World Bank has said that the progress of the country after ‘Yolanda’ has been very good,” Coloma said.

World Bank has been helping the country on its rehabilitation projects through the Rehabilitation Assistance on Yolanda.

“If there are any critics, they should look at the sources of their stories.”

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