CEBU CITY – Post-Haiyan rehabilitation in-charge Panfilo Lacson and other cabinet members that form part of the ‘Yolanda Rehab Cluster Team’ recently signed development plans for Cebu, Leyte, Samar and Tacloban City to hasten infrastructure, social services, shelter and livelihood of areas affected by last year’s deadly typhoon.
Some P60 billion in funding has been allocated for those areas – Tacloban City P25.6 billion; Leyte with P22.7 billion; Cebu at P10.9 billion and Samar P5.1 – and these will go to infrastructure, shelter and resettlement projects.
Governors Governor Hilario Davide III of Cebu, Dominic Petilla, of Leyte and Sharee Ann Tan pf Samar, including Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez presented their respective rehabilitation and development plans.
Many typhoon survivors still need shelter, among other support infrastructure. Part of the funding will go to the Department of Health and Department of Education.
“Our objective is to alleviate the suffering of the survivors in the most expeditious but efficient manner. Our goal is to build back better, so the typhoon prone areas will be better prepared for future disasters as powerful if not stronger than Yolanda, which we now regard as the new normal,” Lacson said.
Lacson expressed optimism that the rest of Yolanda-ravaged areas like Iloilo, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Biliran, Negros Occidental, Palawan can also submit their respective rehabilitation and development plans to fast track their recovery.
Typhoon Haiyan, whose local code is Yolanda, killed thousands of people in the Visayas and destroyed many infrastructures provinces. (Fayette Rinen)
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