2 senators question pace of rehabilitation

Sen. Francis Escudero INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines—Senators on Friday expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of rehabilitation of communities in Eastern Visayas devastated by Supertyphoon “Yolanda’’ (international name: Haiyan) a year ago.

“The question is, is it fast enough? Even if we say faster than other countries, there are people who are sick and dying. For example, in Tacloban, the tent cities are still there,” Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters.

While Congress allotted P100 billion for rehabilitation, the survivors of the powerful storm were not satisfied, Sen. Francis Escudero said.

“I am far from being satisfied. Even if foreigners claim it’s fast, why can’t it be faster? Besides, it’s not the foreigners who are the victims of Yolanda. It’s the victims that would know and they are very disappointed with the slow pace of recovery and rehab,” he said.

Escudero said it was now the call of the executive department to use the funds allotted by Congress for the rehabilitation of devastated areas.

Should not be this long

Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito agreed that rehabilitation would take “a while,” but said it should not be “this long.”

“Each day may be a mere delay for us and officials in Manila. But for the Yolanda victims, it’s a struggle for survival and against uncertainty. The government could have sped up the rehab efforts if politics, especially in Tacloban, did not get in the way. It’s not the non-LP (Liberal Party) officials who suffer but the victims,” he said.

To fast-track rehabilitation, Cayetano proposed that the government promote transparency.

“If we had a Yolanda website where everything is posted—damaged structures, the needs of engineers, projects to be funded—if everything was complete, it would have been easier,” he said.

Emergency response dep’t

But for the long term, Cayetano proposed the creation of an emergency response department that would focus on risk education and mitigation, and disaster preparedness.

“We have to have one department that is focused, and will take over and supervise the training and development of the municipal, city and provincial risk and disaster mitigating agencies. Because right now, there’s no standard formula,” he said.

In his Senate Bill No. 1940, Cayetano said the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) law lacked provisions for responding to a total or considerable breakdown of authority arising from a humanitarian emergency or disaster.

And such a situation required a response that goes beyond the “mandate and capacity” of a local government, he said.

“Otherwise, there would be paralysis in the disaster response system and people affected by the disaster would not be able to receive critical life-saving intervention and relief,” he said.