TACLOBAN City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez on Monday told Presidential Rehabilitation Secretary Panfilo Lacson, with whom he is engaged in running word war, to tell the people that he is not running in 2016 and that he really wants to help the people.
“I can work with Lacson, but he has to tell the people that he is not running in 2016 and he really wants to help the people,” Romualdez said at the sidelines of the Kapihan sa Diamond media forum on Monday.
“Tumigil na siya, huwag na niyang bolahin ang tao, sabihin niya ako ang namumulitika? Sabihin na niya sa mga tao na hindi siya tatakbo at aayusin niya [ang rehabilitation ng giniba ng (Supertyphoon) Yolanda],” Romualdez added in Tagalog.
Last week, Lacson scored Romualdez for the slow pace of Yolanda rehabilitation in his area, and added: “overall, the rate of recovery of local governments depends on different factors including attitude and political will.”
However, Romualdez said the recovery and rehabilitation of Tacloban City would be finished faster than the projected five to 10 years if the recovery efforts continue without disruptions because of the efforts of the private sectors.
“I don’t believe in that, [the five- to 10-year estimate] if the work continues because the private sector has done so much, because of businesses that are opening…then people will get jobs and they will have purchasing power, some of them could afford to rent houses and they would no longer transfer to the north,” referring to the area that was badly devastated.
He said that about 50 percent to 60 percent of the rehabilitation work have been achieved so far: “Iilan na lang natitira sa mga tents, tuloy-tuloy ang pag-gawa ng temporary shelters, na-establish na ang ibang utilities sa norte.
“Maraming nangyayari dito kaya kailangan tingnan natin, but overall were about 50 to 60 percent finished.”
“We really need to boost [the economy], we need our airport to be opened 100 percent, we’re losing 100,000 passengers every month,” he added.
Romualdez said the Tacloban City local government has built about 2,000 shelters since construction started and typhoon victims are waiting for the delivery of the housess a week or two from now.
“We are moving, thanks to the National Housing Authority and we would also like to thank [Justice] Secretary [Leila] de Lima for the identification of the dead with the help of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Asked for his priorities, the mayor said they have to get the people into permanent houses; “they can’t stay where they are now, they will die there, they are in danger zones,” adding that some 3,000 families are in such areas.
The spat Lacson and Romualdez started when Lacson accused Romualdez of supporting anti-government protesters. He claimed that anti-government placards were found at the back of Tacloban City Hall. Lacson said all local government chiefs should put the interest of their constituents before any personal or political agenda.
In a separate news conference, Lacson said Tacloban City had received about P6.1 billion for its projects and programs—the “biggest amount” extended to a local government.
Of this amount, P230.4 million came from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Lacson said.
Lacson also said that he had personally confronted Romualdez about the trucks used to ferry protesters that were seen parked in the mayor’s compound. Romualdez, Lacson said, responded by a text message saying “they will be more circumspect the next time around.”
Lacson said he decided to these issues only now because “I’ve had enough.”
1 comment
Bakit hindi pa kasi papuntahin ang mga auditors from the Commission on Audit para malaman nag buong Bayan kung saan napunta ang pera ng Tacloban rehab. Follow the money and the truth will come out!