Romualdez slams slow Bohol rehab

A senatorial candidate on Wednesday criticized the “excruciatingly slow” rehabilitation and reconstruction effort in Bohol more than two years after the province was devastated by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake.

Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, an independent candidate, urged government to speed up the reconstruction of the badly damaged areas of Bohol, a tourist destination known for its old churches, unusual “Chocolate Hills” and the endangered tarsiers.

In a statement, the lawmaker said there was much to do in Bohol since the Oct. 15, 2013 quake, which forced its residents to endure “impassable roads, mountains of debris littered with dead bodies, entire stretches of coastline flattened, and destroyed homes and livelihoods.”

“More than two years after that devastating earthquake, the pace of rehabilitation and reconstruction in the province has been excruciatingly slow,” Romualdez said.

He cited a report of the Commission on Audit saying only 12 of 1,079 rehabilitation projects covered by the P2.413 billion Bohol Earthquake Assistance Fund had been completed as of the end of 2014.