Recto wants 'VFA' for Taal-affected communities
Published Jan 28, 2020 12:00 am
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Monday suggested the designation of a "coordinator" who will oversee the government's rehabilitation efforts in the communities affected by the Taal Volcano eruption as well as a "VFA" or Volcano Financing Assistance for the displaced residents.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Recto made the proposal as he pointed out that the rehabilitation of disaster-displaced communities "is always harder" than relief work.
"What now are the national government’s plans for the post-eruption period? In a Cabinet supposedly staffed by the best and the brightest, who is the designated ‘go-to guy’ for Taal rehabilitation?" he asked.
While noting that concerned government agencies have been preparing the rehabilitation plans for the Taal-affected areas in Batangas and Cavite, Recto added that "there are gray areas which they deem outside their mandate or turf."
"We cannot allow people and places to fall into the cracks of these bureaucratic divisions," he added.
Recto said it would be better if the government would "centralize" accountability in helping the families recover from the impacts of the eruption of Taal Volcano, specifically the projects and funds concerning this.
"In terms of reconstruction management, the more bosses there are, the murkier the results. Ang resulta: Turo-turo festival (The result: a finger-pointing festival)," he explained.
The Senate leader earlier filed a bill proposing the creation of a Taal Commission to focus on assisting, rehabilitating, and rebuilding the communities affected by the volcano's eruption last January 12.
On Monday, he admitted that the measure would not hurdle Congress without the support of Malacañang.
"In the meantime, there should be a Cabinet coordinator for Taal, na kukumpas sa iba’t ibang ahensya na 'Ito ang dapat gawin', na 'Ito ang toka mo' (who will facilitate and assign to various agencies what they should do)," Recto said.
He also proposed "the convergence approach, in which agencies combine to maximize impact and avoid duplication of work, may be a good fit for Taal rehab."
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
Recto made the proposal as he pointed out that the rehabilitation of disaster-displaced communities "is always harder" than relief work.
"What now are the national government’s plans for the post-eruption period? In a Cabinet supposedly staffed by the best and the brightest, who is the designated ‘go-to guy’ for Taal rehabilitation?" he asked.
While noting that concerned government agencies have been preparing the rehabilitation plans for the Taal-affected areas in Batangas and Cavite, Recto added that "there are gray areas which they deem outside their mandate or turf."
"We cannot allow people and places to fall into the cracks of these bureaucratic divisions," he added.
Recto said it would be better if the government would "centralize" accountability in helping the families recover from the impacts of the eruption of Taal Volcano, specifically the projects and funds concerning this.
"In terms of reconstruction management, the more bosses there are, the murkier the results. Ang resulta: Turo-turo festival (The result: a finger-pointing festival)," he explained.
The Senate leader earlier filed a bill proposing the creation of a Taal Commission to focus on assisting, rehabilitating, and rebuilding the communities affected by the volcano's eruption last January 12.
On Monday, he admitted that the measure would not hurdle Congress without the support of Malacañang.
"In the meantime, there should be a Cabinet coordinator for Taal, na kukumpas sa iba’t ibang ahensya na 'Ito ang dapat gawin', na 'Ito ang toka mo' (who will facilitate and assign to various agencies what they should do)," Recto said.
He also proposed "the convergence approach, in which agencies combine to maximize impact and avoid duplication of work, may be a good fit for Taal rehab."