Govt response on Yolanda meets int’l standards —Palace

A Palace official on Tuesday maintained that the administration's response on the aftermath of super Typhoon Yolanda has met international standards, saying it took the government only eight months to transition its efforts from relief to rehabilitation. 

 

“Sa pamantayan ng mga ahensya sa daigdig na tumutugon sa relief and rehabilitation, ang transition ng Pilipinas mula sa relief patungo sa rehabilitation ay nagsimula noong buwan ng Hulyo 2014 o walong buwan pagkatapos ng kalamidad,” Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) chief Herminio “Sonny” Coloma said at a Palace briefing.

 

“Ito ay maihahambing sa pamantayan sa ibang lugar sa daigdig na kung saan ay mula isang taon hanggang lampas sa isang taon ang panahon na iginugol bago maka-level up doon sa estado ng rehabilitation mula sa relief,” he said.

 

Coloma issued the statement amid criticisms of various organizations over the goverment's slow action on the incident which happned nearly a year ago, especially in terms of providing shelter and livelihood to the affected residents.

 

Coloma pointed out that despite the magnitude of the destructions left by the typhoon, the government was able to mitigate other possible problems that could have stemmed from the incident.

 

“Batid natin na sa kabila ng mga hamon, walang naging major outbreak of epidemics, walang naging major civil disturbance, at naging maayos ang pagtugon ng ating pamahalaan. Habang kinikilala natin na maaaring may mga kakulangan, lahat naman ng mga kakulangang ito ay tinutugunan at sinisikap na mabigyan ng solusyon, at patuloy pa itong tinutukoy,” Coloma said.

 

Since Yolanda devastated central Philippines on November 8 last year, it was only last week when President Benigno Aquino III signed the master plan to rehabilitate the affected areas.

 

Coloma, however, maintained that even before the signing of the master plan, the administration has been implementing various rehabilitation programs in the region.

 

He enumerated the following as among the most noteworthy achievements of the administration in terms of its rehabilitation efforts:

 

 

Coloma said Presidential Adviser of Rehabilitation and Recovery Sec. Panfilo Lacson will deliver a more comprehensive report on November 7 regarding the goverment's rehabilitation efforts.

 

He said Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima will likewise deliver a report soon on the accounting of donations received from international agencies. —KG, GMA News