The master plan was the result of consolidated proposals from the provincial governments of Cebu, Samar, Eastern Samar and Leyte, GMA News TV’s “State of the Nation with Jessica Soho (SONA)” reported Friday evening.
Proposals from other provinces in Eastern Visayas struck by Yolanda such as Aklan and Iloilo will also be included in the masterplan soon, the report added.
The master plan was signed in Cebu City by Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (PARR) Panfilo Lacson, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, Socio-economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and representatives from the Department of Trade and Industry.
Among the subjects covered by the masterplan are the rebuilding of destroyed infrastructure, livelihood programs and relocation of the displaced residents.
According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) there about 3,000 families still living in a tent city in Tacloban.
Soliman said they will begin constructing nipa huts next week to transfer at least 700 families from the tent city.
National Housing Authority general manager Chito Cruz pointed out that though there are funds, they are finding it hard to find lots for the construction of temporary houses.
“Talagang lupa ang problema namin. Even with the transition shelter, talagang importante makapili tayo ng safe na lupa,” Cruz said during their consultation with the local officials.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) reported that Yolanda destroyed 9,420 classrooms.
Soliman said that with the help of private organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), they aim to rebuild about 50 percent of the destroyed classrooms before the year ends.
On May 7, Lacson admitted that the government has yet to come up with master plan for areas struck by Yolanda on November 8, 2013.
Lacson said there were two Cabinet officials who were allegedly derailing rehabilitation efforts.
In the SONA report, Lacson was quoted as saying that all the Cabinet officials are now cooperating with his office. Lacson said President Benigno Aquino III recently assured him that he will personally talk with his cabinet secretaries to get them to support rehabilitation efforts.
“By international standards, we are not lagging behind, we are even ahead. But we understand the frustration and the impatience of the survivors, kasi nga one month is a long time, even one week is a long time if you are suffering from the devastation of a typhoon,” said Lacson
The government aims to finish the implementation of the masterplan before Aquino’s term ends in 2016, the SONA report said.
Based on government records, Yolanda left 6,245 people dead, 28,626 injured and 1,039 missing. The typhoon also damaged P39 billion worth of property. — Elizabeth Marcelo/JDS, GMA News
