YOLY BUDGET CUT: Capitol slashes rehab fund request to make it ‘more realistic’

US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg (center) and his staff are shown around the Basilica del Sto. Niño and the Magellan’s Cross pavilion by lawyer Leslie Ann A. Reyes (right) City Hall’s Local/ International Relations Officer after he paid courtesy calls on Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

From P26.8 billion, Cebu is now asking Malacañang to just shell out P9.4 billion to bankroll the rehabilitation of towns flattened by supertyphoon Yolanda.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III yesterday said they revised their funding request to make it “more realistic” as the original amount submitted to the Central Visayas Regional Development Council (RDC)  was “too big” considering that the province has received aid from private and foreign donors.

“My instruction to the (local rehabilitation) task force was for them to be realistic because for me the budget that we endorsed to the RDC was too big,” he said.

“We also have a lot of brothers (who) can afford to rise up on their own. In fact, they’ve already repaired their houses. Our direction here is to help the indigents who cannot really afford,” the governor added.

The RDC had approved Cebu’s rehabilitation and reconstruction plan  last December. The RDC headed by National Economic and Development Authority Regional Director Efren Carreon also approved the rehabilitation plan for areas affected by the 7.2-magnitude  earthquake last October 15.

The rehabilitation in Cebu will cover at least 15 towns and a city where public infrastructure including town halls, school buildings, roads, piers and  bridges, sea ports and public buildings were destroyed.

The areas include: Bantayan, Sta. Fe, Madridejos, San Francisco, Pilar, Poro, Tudela, Tabuelan, Tuburan, San Remigio, Tabogon, Borbon, Sogod, Daanbantayan, Medellin and Bogo City.

Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., head of Task Force Paglig-on — the local counterpart of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (PARR) which former senator Panfilo Lacson heads — said the plan’s livelihood component will cover  fishing, farming and tourism sectors, while the emergency employment element includes the cash-for-work program.

Davide said the revisions on the budget proposal were based on plans forwarded by the affected LGUs to the Capitol last week  following an announcement from the PARR that all requests for funding and projects should be directed to them.

The governor said the rehabilitation budget proposal is good as approved following assurances given him by the President who was in Cebu Tuesday to lead the 28th anniversary ceremony of the People Power revolution.

“I told him that (budget) and he said okay, you just send us a report and he said he will help. It just has to follow a process because these are government agencies and public money,” he said.

Davide was with the President when he visited Bantayan Island.

He said he briefed Mr. Aquino on the actions taken by the Cebu provincial government to help the storm-affected areas.

He said rehabilitation “czar” Lacson and his local counterpart, Tribunalo, also had the opportunity to have a discussion on pertinent matters.

Meanwhile, Davide echoed the President’s sentiment on criticisms on the government’s “slow response”.

Davide said he also found it “unfair to say that the government has not done anything to help.”

He went on to cite the projects implemented by regional line agencies for typhoon victims in north Cebu.

“From the start, they were already there. The relief packs from DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), food for work programs, those are coming from national agencies,” he said.

“Sometimes, I think the LGUs have big expectations but the national government is trying its best. They can’t give attention to everything,” added Davide.
undelivered aid

In a related development, thousands of typhoon Pablo survivors yesterday marched to the regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Davao City to condemn the alleged failure of the agency to meet the needs of devastated communities.

The march happened a year after protesters barricaded the DSWD offices and “raided” the agency’s warehouse. But the protesters said they only “confiscated” relief goods, which had not been  delivered to their area.   Several scuffles between the typhoon survivors and the police resulted in injuries to both sides.

The tension ended after the protesters and representatives from various government agencies were able to ink an agreement, which included the joint distribution of 10,000 sacks of rice that had earlier been committed by Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman.

The agreement also stated that both the protesters’ group, Barug Katawhan, and the DSWD would coordinate with each other in monitoring the delivery of relief and rehabilitation services in the provinces of Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental. /with Inquirer