Editorial Cartoon, February 13, 2014
At least P3.6 billion in government pledges look good on paper until you find out that Cebu province needs P26.8 billion total for total rehabilitation of northern towns hit by supertyphoon Yolanda.
Three months after the devastation, the spotlight remains on Tacloban City as the prime recipient of foreign and national aid.
The city, according to some geologists and a study commissioned by a banking institution, was found to be below sea level and a perennial target for storms as vicious as Yolanda.
The figures of how much is needed are overwhelming at least until one realizes that government planners project that total rehabilitation would take slightly more than three years or even longer than President Benigno Aquino III’s remaining years in office.
That somehow makes the challenge of rebuilding a little less daunting. That also doesn’t mean that the victims can afford to wait that long to regain their own houses and livelihood.
If it were at all possible, the reconstruction should be done within six months to the end of this year. But that would take a Herculean effort and overflowing resources from the national and local governments and the private sector to achieve this.
One small assurance was Task Force Paglig-on chairman Baltazar Tribunalo’s assessment that Cebu has better capability of raising funds for reconstruction process than the other local governments. A big part of the reason is the active private sector, that goes out of its way to fill in gaps left by the government.
But again, that doesn’t mean Cebu can’t lobby and demand for bigger aid than the P3.6 billion government line agencies pledged for Cebu rehabilitation.
With the trickle of projects the Aquino government has given to Cebu (after setting aside the much-needed Bus Rapid Transport system), the Capitol should step up and pressure the national government to prioritize the rebuilding efforts here.
Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III could mobilize Metro Cebu officials and business groups to send a delegation to accompany Task Force Paglig-on to Malacañang and ask President Aquino to direct rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson to give more than ample attention and assistance to Cebu.
Could we count on former Cebu governor Lito Osmeña, an ardent Cory Aquino supporter who steered the rebuilding of the province after it was devastated by typhoon “Ruping” in 1990 to lead the lobby with his cousin, former Cebu city mayor and congressman Tomas Osmeña?
The private sector continues to tap a wealth of volunteer spirit among socially conscious citizens.
The Aquino administration should step up to the plate and give more as well.
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