‘Implementation, not funds delay disaster rehab’

ABOUT P30 billion set aside by the national government will fund ongoing rehabilitation projects for local governments affected by last year’s earthquake and supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

At yesterday’s news conference, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said P20 billion of the amount will go to building shelters while P5 billion will be allotted to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to fund livelihood projects.

“It’s not so much about the budget, the money is there. The challenge lies in the execution and the delivery of the projects on the ground (for the victims),” he told the local media.

He said P2.5 billion will finance welfare assistance to quake victims while P5 billion will be set aside as contingency fund for future calamities.

Abad, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda were in Cebu City to attend the two-day Good Governance Dialogue held at the Crown Regency Hotel.

The dialogue was participated by local government units (LGUs) in Central Visayas as well as stakeholders in the private sector, academe, civil society and government and non-government aid organizations.

Abad said the supplementary budget will complete ongoing and/or unfinished projects under the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) like bridges and roadwork.

Abad said part of the costs of the three-year rehabilitation program for local governments affected by the two calamities will be offset by their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) worth P116 billion.

Roxas, who visited Bohol province as it commemorated the first anniversary of the earthquake last Wednesday, said the DILG allocated P82.789 million for 13 local governments in Cebu that were hit by Yolanda.

“The funds have been with them since the beginning of the year. It’s either they have already bid them out or awarded it or they are doing the work themselves,” he said.

About P7 billion out of the P12 billion approved for use by the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery last May have yet to be allocated to the affected LGUs.

Roxas cited the completed municipal hall in Daanbantayan, one of the hardest hit areas in the province, which cost P2.3 million. “In general, they are all [undergoing] construction. The money is spent, labor has been hired, work is being done,” Roxas said.

The budget was spent for rebuilding markets, civic centers and daycare facilities, he said. “There were some local governments in Bohol that received a bigger share like Loon town in Bohol province which got P196 million,” the DILG secretary said.

Roxas echoed Abad’s point on projects, saying the DILG sent 15 engineers to help municipal engineers in quake-hit areas map out rebuilding programs and finish programs of works for these projects “but they are not enough.”

Of the P2.3 billion set aside by the DILG for the quake-hit towns, about P600 million was allocated for the rehabilitation of damaged heritage churches and other historical sites.

“The source of the damage in Bohol is unique because it is caused by the quake. That’s why we are hiring additional engineers to check whether these structures only need repair or would have to be torn down and rebuilt because there are structures that may have sustained minimal damage and can still be saved,” Roxas said.

Aside from planning, Abad said another factor that contributed to the delay in funding projects is identifying suitable relocation sites for the displaced quake victims.

“The land is available but more often than not it is undesirable because for one, they are located in unsuitable terrain in the countryside. On the other hand, when we look at the city the land prices there are prohibitive,” Abad said.

In a speech during the opening of the Good Governance dialogue, Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III called on the national government to focus rehabilitation efforts of quake hit areas from the ground up, rather than from their end.

“We also hope that the national government and local governments adhere to international standards of accessibility and transparency like in other countries where one can see the status of projects being implemented online,” he said.