BY: FERLIZA C. CONTRATISTA
CEBU CITY, May 30 (PIA)--- Rehabilitation plans of three provinces and one city that were badly-hit by typhoon Yolanda last year received the strongest endorsement from government line agencies today for approval of President Benigno S. Aquino III.
Local chief executives of the provinces of Cebu, Leyte, and Western Samar as well as the City of Tacloban presented their respective Provincial Rehabilitation Recovery and Development Plans (PRRP) to the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Recovery and Rehabilitation (OPARR).
The plans were presented before OPARR chief Sec. Panfilo Lacson along with cluster cabinet heads essential in the undertaking of the different rehabilitation areas in said areas from infrastructure, social services, housing, and health.
After the presentations, Governors Hilario Davide III (Cebu), Stephen James T. Tan (Western Samar), Carlos Jericho Petilla (Leyte), and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez went home with a signed Commitment endorsing their PRRP as a document guide in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of their places.
The PRRP is in compliance with the instruction of Aquino to accelerate recovery and rehabilitation and promote the effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of government assistance to these Yolanda affected communities.
It also affirms the mainstreaming of the “build back better” approach in the design of plans, programs, projects, activities and also regulatory policies.
The Cabinet clusters are Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) for resettlement; Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for infrastructure; Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for social services; Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for livelihood; and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) with the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) for support.
Lacson said the PRRPs will be submitted for approval by Pres. Aquino and will be implemented immediately.
Cabinet secretaries present in today’s presentation and signing were Budget Sec. Florencio Abad, Public Works and Highways Sec. Rogelio Singson, Social Welfare and Development Sec. Dinky Soliman, and National Economic Development Authority Sec. Arsenio Balisacan.
Department of Interior and Local Government Sec. Manuel Roxas was also present during the gathering.
To date, only four out of the 14 Yolanda-affected areas covering 171 cities and municipalities were able to submit the PRRP.
Around P105 billion is initially set aside by the Philippine government to cover the entire reconstruction and rehabilitation process.
Typhoon Yolanda was described as the strongest typhoon ever to make a landfall in history in the Philippines causing thousands of casualties and families homeless. (rmn/fcc/PIA7-Cebu)