P42-million Yolanda funds to finance water system in Tacloban
Published Jun 15, 2019 11:35 am
|
Updated Jun 15, 2019 11:35 am
By Aaron Recuenco
The remaining P42 million ‘Yolanda’ funds at the hands of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) have been turned over to a local water district to finance the water supply system for resettlement sites in Tacloban City.
(PHOTO FROM PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY / MANILA BULLETIN)
NDRRMC Executive Director Ricard Jalad said the money was turned over to the Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LWMD) in a ceremony attended by top government officials at the Department of National Defense office at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
“The said funds will be utilized for the procurement and installation of 14,000 units of water meters for the homes built in the resettlement sites in Tacloban City,” said Jalad.
The LWMD, according to Jalad, is presently constructing a water supply system to provide water for the Tacloban City North Resettlement Sites.
“But since there is not enough funds to procure the necessary water meters to complete the project, LWMD requested the NDRRMC, through the Office of Civil Defense, for funding assistance,” said Jalad.
“Considering that there are no more claimants for financial assistance despite exhaustive efforts on the part of the OCD, the remaining donated funds have been earmarked to procure the needed water meter units to pursue the project to provide water supply to residents in said resettlement sites,” he added.
Tacloban City is one of the hardest-hit areas of supertyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in November 2013.
More or less 10,000 people either died or remain missing due to the strong storm surge and strong winds unleashed by the supertyphoon especially in the communities living near the shorelines.
Billions of money were poured in to assist the typhoon victims but lawyer Lesley Cordero, former Undersecretary of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR), said in a Manila Bulletin report that only a few of the pledged donations in cash and kind actually arrived.
The fund given by donor countries for Typhoon Yolanda relief assistance went to different non-government organizations, UN agencies, and international organizations chosen by donor countries to implement the projects.
This led to the perception that the past administration stole all the foreign donations and all the funds allocated for the relief and rehabilitation.
After the election, the Commission on Audit reported that the Tacloban City government has misspent some P1 billion Yolanda funds.
In her briefer “Where Did the Money Go– Tracking Disaster Aid for Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)”, Cordero said the perception of corruption and slow repose was mostly due to the failure of the government to timely share relevant information to affected communities and the public immediately and regularly.
The government, she added, failed to give an update of the projects done, timeline of implementation, and programs delivered for every province, city or municipality.
(PHOTO FROM PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY / MANILA BULLETIN)
NDRRMC Executive Director Ricard Jalad said the money was turned over to the Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LWMD) in a ceremony attended by top government officials at the Department of National Defense office at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
“The said funds will be utilized for the procurement and installation of 14,000 units of water meters for the homes built in the resettlement sites in Tacloban City,” said Jalad.
The LWMD, according to Jalad, is presently constructing a water supply system to provide water for the Tacloban City North Resettlement Sites.
“But since there is not enough funds to procure the necessary water meters to complete the project, LWMD requested the NDRRMC, through the Office of Civil Defense, for funding assistance,” said Jalad.
“Considering that there are no more claimants for financial assistance despite exhaustive efforts on the part of the OCD, the remaining donated funds have been earmarked to procure the needed water meter units to pursue the project to provide water supply to residents in said resettlement sites,” he added.
Tacloban City is one of the hardest-hit areas of supertyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in November 2013.
More or less 10,000 people either died or remain missing due to the strong storm surge and strong winds unleashed by the supertyphoon especially in the communities living near the shorelines.
Billions of money were poured in to assist the typhoon victims but lawyer Lesley Cordero, former Undersecretary of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR), said in a Manila Bulletin report that only a few of the pledged donations in cash and kind actually arrived.
The fund given by donor countries for Typhoon Yolanda relief assistance went to different non-government organizations, UN agencies, and international organizations chosen by donor countries to implement the projects.
This led to the perception that the past administration stole all the foreign donations and all the funds allocated for the relief and rehabilitation.
After the election, the Commission on Audit reported that the Tacloban City government has misspent some P1 billion Yolanda funds.
In her briefer “Where Did the Money Go– Tracking Disaster Aid for Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)”, Cordero said the perception of corruption and slow repose was mostly due to the failure of the government to timely share relevant information to affected communities and the public immediately and regularly.
The government, she added, failed to give an update of the projects done, timeline of implementation, and programs delivered for every province, city or municipality.