EDITORIAL - Finally, a master plan

Almost a year to the day Super Typhoon Yolanda flattened vast swaths of Eastern Visayas, the master plan for rehabilitation of the devastated areas has finally been approved, with funding of P167.9 billion.

Former senator Panfilo Lacson, coordinator of the rehabilitation effort, said his office had set up a website where utilization of the fund could be monitored and scrutinized by the public. Of the P167.9 billion, P35.1 billion would go to infrastructure projects; P26.4 billion would be for social services; P75.7 billion for resettlement, and P30.6 billion for livelihood assistance.

Officials said the government hoped to complete up to 95 percent of the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan before the end of President Aquino’s term in June 2016. With 18,400 rehabilitation projects, this can only be possible with smooth coordination among all the government agencies concerned. Some of the stories emerging from the disaster area, however, indicate that this has not been the case.

Lacson had earlier lamented that certain officials were holding back the rehabilitation effort. He did not name names and later announced some improvement in the situation. A recent meeting between local officials of the disaster zones and Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas revealed that the release of funds was being held up by the long wait for rules from his department.

Amid scandals over alleged overpricing of government projects, people will be closely watching the utilization of the P167.9 billion. The need to ensure judicious spending of public funds must be balanced with the need for speed in rehabilitation while building for disaster resilience. Residents have complained that the work has been too slow, particularly in providing new settlements for those displaced by the typhoon. The approval of the master plan and availability of funding should speed up the rehabilitation effort.