NEARLY two years after Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) hit the Philippines, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the government has only completed 11,247 houses for those rendered homeless by the super typhoon.
Economic Planning Secretary and Neda Director General Arsenio M. Balisacan said 73,442 houses for Yolanda victims are still under construction.
Balisacan admitted that much still needs to be done with regard to resettling Yolanda victims. He said the Neda is still identifying bottlenecks in the implementation of Yolanda-related rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
“The rehabilitation of Yolanda-affected areas remains a core priority of the government. Neda, with all the implementing agencies and our partners from the private sector, civil society and the international development community, will continue to improve the execution of Yolanda programs,” Balisacan said.
As of August 15, the Neda said a total of 717,404 families have received Emergency Shelter Assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development to repair damaged houses.
The Commission on Higher Education, it added, has rehabilitated 358 or nearly all, save for three, damaged public university buildings.
Further, Neda said around 82,772 people received emergency employment and integrated livelihood programs of the Department of Labor and Employment.
Around 78,840 people benefited from cash for work activities of the Department of Agriculture and 46,719 fishers have received fishing boats from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
The Neda also said some 31,130 people received livelihood and vocational trainings given by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
“Construction work on several resettlement sites in Tacloban City is in full swing. People are starting to occupy some resettlement sites. And a number of livelihood centers and facilities are helping the Yolanda survivors get back on their feet through organic and sustainable farming, as well as aquaculture,” Balisacan said.
Balisacan said a number of small but high-impact projects were implemented in several Yolanda-hit communities.
This was done through the cooperation between national and local government agencies, as well as private, non-governmental and multilateral organizations.
Neda earlier estimated that Yolanda-related Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects amounted to $2.16 billion by the end of 2014.
The Neda said the bulk of the amount, or $1.88 billion, was composed by ODA loans for five projects and the remaining amount of $282.91 million were ODA grants covering 34 projects.
In April this year President Aquino, through Memorandum Order 79, transferred the coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of all disaster-related projects and activities to Neda from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery.