2015-08-08 12:32:00

Caritas Philippines slams government management of Yolanda funds


(Vatican Radio) NASSA/Caritas Philippines Executive Secretary Fr. Edwin Gariguez on Thursday expressed concern about the possibility that continued delays in the release of the government's Typhoon Yolanda rehabilitation funds could overlap into the period of next year's elections.

The government funds for the victims of typhoon Yolanda are not being destined to ongoing assistance, rehabilitation and recovery operations a but to cover the costs of the next general election, scheduled in 2016.

This is the stark warning of Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of Caritas Philippines, who has publically expressed his dissatisfaction with the progress of the rehabilitation work in the affected areas. Almost two years after the tragedy, he warns, many people are still living in poor conditions and the intervention promised by Manila absent.

Data from a recent study by NASSA/Caritas Philippines, Development and Peace, and other advocacy groups showed that only P73.51 billion or 41.61 percent of the total P170 funding requirements have been released as of March 2015.

The study further indicated that, only P2.4 billion of the targeted P26 billion for social services was funded in 2014, apart from the P13.6 billion released for resettlement (out of the required P75 billion), P2.4 billion of P26 billion for target social services, P9.8 billion of P33 billion funds for livelihood, and P21.5 billion of P35 billion budget for infrastructure. 

The priest asked several times: "When will these funds be allocated? Are they waiting for 2016? ". He adds that this delay is unacceptable, when there are still tens of thousands of displaced families waiting for help and assistance in the face of a tragedy dating back to November of 2013.

Fr. Gariguez also laments a "lack of transparency" in the management of funds; he would have liked "clarification" from President Benigno Aquino "in his latest address to the nation", but "unfortunately, this has not happened." An analysis showed that part of the funds for Yolanda were diverted to other disasters like the earthquake in Bohol. This "is a source of further concern," said the priest, and a confirmation of "major inefficiency" of the government.

At the end of 2014 the government had completed only 2,100 new homes for survivors. A number, according to the executive secretary of Caritas, which "is far less than the 205,128 lodgings needed" to meet the needs of the entire population.

NASSA/Caritas Philippines is currently heading the Catholic Church's three-year rehabilitation program for Yolanda survivors, called REACHPhilippines, which amounted to P816.96 million in the first year alone of the program implementation.

In 2014, it was able to construct 3,117 houses for typhoon survivors of the nine worst-hit provinces. For the second year, it intends to continue building more houses and provide various interventions, to be announced this week.

The Philippine Church has already committed around EUR 9.7 million in recovery projects, assistance, rehabilitation in favor of more than two million people affected by Typhoon Yolanda.

Haiyan/Yolanda hit the Visayas Islands on 8 November 2013, affecting some 11 million people, in 574 different cities and municipalities. Returning to a normal life has been priced at US$ 8 billion.

Although President Aquino took a conservative line, noting that the first estimates of more than 10,000 dead was the result of an emotional reaction to the tragedy and that the death toll stood at around 2,500, the actual death toll is thought to exceed 5,000.

Assistance has been particularly hampered by the fact that the natural disaster affected a vast area of scattered islands, compounded by specific local difficulties.

In the weeks following the tragedy, the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions PIME also launched a fundraising campaign to help survivors.

Pope Francis visited the survivors of the typhoon Yolanda last January 17.

 (source: AsiaNews) 








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