After a Year, Government Rehab Program Still Exist? #FamilyLife

Last November 8, 2014 was the first year of killer Typhoon Yolanda who ravaged the Visayas region especially Tacloban. Her fury for three days damaged lives, infrastructures, livelihood and other vital points for Filipinos in that area. The aftermath saw the major devastation which needs emergency funding came from the government.

The DSWD responsibility is to ensure that the survivors get the aid needed to build their new lives. Various private and humanitarian organizations helped meet the need for temporary shelter after Yolanda. A state auditors’ report, however, points out that foreign and local donations weren’t spent quickly enough to reach survivors during the most crucial time, shortly after the storm.

After a year of relief operation done by the Pinoy Administration, still Yolanda victims in Tacloban are disgusted by ways our national leaders treated them for their support. LGUs in the Yolanda-stricken areas should be consulted in the rehabilitation efforts since local officials know better what is good for their people than any other government agency. LGUs are not given enough roles in the rebuilding efforts. .

It’s a fact that government officials are slow in responding for emergency cases like this killer natural disaster. Most likely, they have experience in helping devastated Filipinos in the past. So, planning, coordination among government agencies and local officials, proper inventory and distribution of relief goods are crucial in ensuring that aid reaches the intended beneficiaries immediately.

How come that after a year, it seems that the Yolanda’s victims are not getting the support they need? Limited manpower and equipment hampered some aspects of the relief operations in Cebu. Why and how foreign and local cash donations were not immediately spent to help the survivors in the most crucial time of the relief operations?

They should have knowledge and take positive actions for the good of the victims. I think, the government must have thorough planning and execution of helping the citizens as early as possible. The resources are notably present in which they could enhance the living condition of the Yolanda victims.

The local officials of Tacloban are urging the national government to speed up the rehabilitation and renovation of the infrastructure especially the airport and thousands of houses.

Every now and then, when things get rough, public officials are into media-war each other for ways on how to get the funds. There are more “pinpointing fingers” than actually working it out as a team. What happened then for the people to rebuild? Their action gives them negative effect as public officials, and the job are totally incomplete.

When activities among concerned agencies are well coordinated and strategies in project implementation are improved, disaster funds will immediately cater to the purpose for which they are intended,” the auditor’s report read.

To avoid unnecessary delays in the relief operations, particularly in the delivery of relief goods and other forms of assistance to survivors: Officials should see to it that processing time for requests and release of funds in DSWD and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), respectively, for disaster-related activities is improved to better serve the needs of affected families; disaster preparedness of the local disaster risk-reduction and response operation offices and other staff involved in disaster operations should be strengthened, specifically those facilitating donations and warehouse management; adequate logistics and storage facilities should be available; and existing guidelines in the storage of relief goods should be enhanced, which shall provide for accountable, transparent, efficient, economical and effective relief operations.

To make sure that funds are immediately used to assist survivors of calamities, the implementing agencies must come up with a program of work for the efficient use of disaster funds.

In the middle of an emergency crisis, authorities cannot do away with the call for accountability and transparency. Necessary controls must still be in place to ease the process of monitoring and validation.

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