Legislator, 3 bishops urge speedy ‘Yolanda’ rehab

MANILA, Philippines—Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Wednesday urged rehabilitation officials to speed up the construction of new homes for survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda to prevent more tragedies in the tent cities serving as their temporary homes, such as the fire that killed a mother and her five children.

Romualdez said the deadly fire, reportedly caused by a kerosene lamp, could have been avoided had they been staying in permanent shelters.

He added that the construction of new homes has been moving at snail’s pace. Lawmakers aired similar observations during a recent hearing on the rehabilitation efforts.

“The construction of new shelters are at snail’s pace and we hardly hear anything about it. But if it’s about the Napoles lists and the ‘pork barrel scam suspects, especially if the suspects are from the opposition, we read or hear about it in media every single day. Every single detail of it, especially now with no less than President Aquino talking,” Romualdez said.

“Especially since Yolanda survivors are victims, too, of the ‘pork barrel’ scam, having been part of those who had paid the taxes and government fees which were stolen through the fraud,” he added.

Romualdez said the independent bloc would seek an investigation on the rehabilitation efforts for Yolanda-stricken area, to check how the funds were used and where the relief items went.

“Yolanda victims definitely do not deserve this very low priority from the government,” he added.

Three Catholic bishops also called on the Aquino government to hasten the release of money intended for the Yolanda victims.

Bishops Isabelo Abarquez of Calbayog Diocese and Crispin Varquez of Borongan Diocese said the rehabilitation effort of the government appeared “a little bit slow.”

“Maybe there are reasons. I don’t know,” Abarquez said.

Abarquez said he was surprised to learn that local government units hit by the super typhoon had yet to receive financial assistance from the national government.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo urged the President to work doubly hard to uplift the condition of the hundreds of thousands of families affected by Yolanda in time for the visit of Pope Francis in January next year.

“When Pope Francis comes here, the Philippines will again be put on global spotlight so we must show to the world that we have already done something or else our country will be put to shame,” said Pabillo over Church-run Radio Veritas on Wednesday.

Pabillo, chair of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines National Secretariat for Social Action, said he believed that one of the Holy Father’s purposes for visiting the country was to check on the plight of the Yolanda victims.—With Jocelyn R. Uy and Joey A. Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas

 

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