‘Yolanda’ survivors appeal for release of shelter aid

ILOILO CITY—Iloilo officials and survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” have called on the national government to release the remaining Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA), nearly a year and a half after the disaster.

“The people have been waiting for this for so long,” Vice Gov. Raul Tupas told reporters at the sidelines of a public hearing conducted by the provincial board on the delay of the release of the ESA.

The provincial board has passed a resolution calling on Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman to expedite the release of the ESA amounting to P30,000 each for families whose houses were destroyed and P10,000 for those with damaged ones.

Tupas said the estimated ESA needs for the province is P3,007,260,000 (P3 billion) for 75,048 destroyed houses and 75,582 damaged houses. This is part of the P8 billion ESA intended for Western Visayas.

But based on reports of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Western Visayas, only P312,950,000 has been released for those with destroyed houses in the towns of Lambunao, Ajuy, Concepcion, Estancia and Sara, according to the resolution of the provincial board.

A Special Allotment Release Order covering P595,950,000 has been issued for ESA for Passi City and the towns of Barotac Viejo, Concepcion, Estancia, San Rafael, Carles, Ajuy, Cabatuan and Alimodian but the DSWD regional office is still waiting for the issuance of a notice of cash allocation.

Leo Amisco, spokesperson of Task Force Buliganay, said that in his hometown in Estancia, only 300 families whose houses were destroyed had been given ESA. The beneficiaries were from 25 barangays with 12 beneficiaries per barangay.

In its resolution, the provincial board also asked Soliman to insulate the assistance from “partisan politics.”

Tupas said they received reports that politics has interfered with the identification of beneficiaries and the release of assistance.

Board member June Mondejar, chair of the provincial board’s committee on social welfare, also questioned the continued absence of DSWD Western Visayas director Evelyn Macapobre in two public hearings of the committee despite being sent invitations.

“People are left hanging because Macapobre is not here. The partial release (of assistance) has caused more problems because survivors are asking why some were given and others were not,” Mondejar said.

May Rago-Castillo, public information officer of the DSWD in Western Visayas, did not respond to phone calls of the Inquirer.

Mayor Peter Paul Lopez of San Dionisio town said he and other mayors of the affected municipalities would draft a petition to Soliman and President Aquino seeking the removal of the income cutoff in availing of the ESA.

He said the DSWD guideline excluding survivors with monthly income of P15,000 and above from the ESA should be changed. “How did they come up with P15,000? There should be no restrictions. Yolanda did not choose its victims,” Lopez said.

He said teachers and policemen are some of those who cannot avail of the assistance because of the income cutoff.