AN environmental group called on the government yesterday to resume funding for housing projects for victims displaced by supertyphoon Yolanda five years after it devastated Eastern Visayas.
The Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) converged at the Fuente Osmeña Circle and marched to Metro Gaisano Mall in Colon Street to denounce the government’s allocation of Yolanda funds to victims of the Marawi City siege.
PMCJ Cebu Coordinator Teody Navea recalled Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s disclosure that P5 billion out of the P7.5 billion intended for Yolanda victims were diverted to fund temporary shelters for Marawi City siege victims.
“There were complaints that the houses were not properly built and unfit for occupancy. Funds were released to contractors but the houses were poorly built suggesting that corruption was involved,” Navea said in Cebuano.
He said 209,000 houses were targeted for construction but only 99,000 were built, with some unoccupied to this day.
“Until now, rehabilitation is far from over. Looks like there’s no end to this because there’s no funds. How about the victims, where is the justice for them,” PMCJ Visayas Coordinator Larry Pascua said.