A huge majority of survivors of supertyphoon Yolanda that hit the
country almost a year ago continue to wallow in “poor and vulnerable
conditions” despite considerable resources already at hand, a local
research organization said yesterday.
According to Ibon Foundation, government efforts for the recovery and
rehabilitation of Yolanda-affected areas have been moving slowly,
underscoring criticisms of “poor emergency response and relief work”
immediately after the disaster struck on November 8, 2013.
Ibon executive director Sonny Africa said slow government efforts to
re-build the lives of thousands of Filipinos continue even if
considerable resources from international, national, and local sources
are already available.
“Millions of victims who were already in very poor and vulnerable
conditions even before the typhoon Yolanda continue to endure barely
survivable conditions,” he added.
The research group said reports from the Office of the Presidential
Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR), itself, show that
repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction work revealed that “Yolanda
victims are still in the relief phase and barely starting to recover
almost a year after the typhoon struck.”
Based on the OPARR data, typhoon Yolanda affected 1.5 million
families, 918,261 of which were outright displaced. Casualties included
6,300 deaths and 1,061 missing aside from 28,689 injured.
“The government subsequently drew up targets for repair,
rehabilitation and construction which, according to OPARR data available
as of end-September 2014, are still far from being met,” Ibon noted.
The group also pointed out that the largest number of Yolanda victims
remains in uncertain and unstable conditions with abnormal and
uncertain livelihoods.
“Although 1.5 families were affected, only 215,471 families are
reported to have benefited from Cash for Building Livelihood Assets
projects. Only 44,870 fisherfolk were provided fishing gears and 32,081
fisherfolk had their bancas replaced or repaired; only 4,507 seaweed
farmers were assisted,” it said.
“Only 9,149 farmers were provided farm implements, 2,482 farmers
given seeds and 160 farmers helped with animal restocking. Just 27
public markets out of the target 132 have been repaired or
rehabilitated. Just 58 kilometers of farm-to-market roads out of the
target 315 kilometers have been rehabilitated or constructed,” it added.
Likewise, Ibon reported that victims remain largely in temporary and
transitional shelters, and children are still unable to return to school
buildings and classrooms, as well.
Some 1.2 million houses were damaged or destroyed, of which some 500,000 were completely destroyed.
“The OPARR however only reports 364 housing units completed in Tacloban and Tanauan, Leyte,” Ibon said.
