Final hurdle Cabinet men to review Yolanda rehab plans in Cebu

MEMBERS of the Cabinet will be in Cebu on Friday to review the rehabilitation plans for Yolanda-devasted provinces, a Cebu provincial government official confirmed yesterday.

Baltazar Tribunalo, chairman of Cebu’s Task Force Paglig-on, said it was Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma who confirmed the Cabinet men’s arrival.

“We take this as positive gesture from the Cabinet. The officials themselves will go down here to the part of the country where the events of Yolanda happened. It is very fitting,” he told Cebu Daily News.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, the de facto housing czar, will join the Cabinet officials which includes Rehabilitation Secretary Panfilo Lacson, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, Trade Secretary Gregorio Domingo and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.

Local government officials from Cebu, Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar and Tacloban City will each present their rehabilitation plans to the Cabinet members.

Tribunalo said he believes that the presentation is the last step before it gets final approval from President Aquino.

“We feel pretty confident that we will get the approval because PARR (Presidential Assistant on Rehabilitation and Recovery) already gave a thumbs up the last time. We’ll see,” he said.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III will make the presentation on the province’s P10.5 billion rehabilitation plan, which took the task force close to five months to complete.

Each presenter is given 10 minutes to go over their plan.

An executive summary of the rehabilitation plan will also be given in advance to the Cabinet officials.

Lacson lauded Cebu for being the “first to submit a rehabilitation plan” among the six provinces hit by supertyphoon Yolanda in November last year.