Yolanda survivors rejects relocation houses

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — At least 100 Yolanda survivors gathered at the National Housing Authority-Region 8 office here to serve the "notice of refusal" of the thousands of relocation houses offered by the government in Tacloban City and in Eastern Samar provinces.

Pascualito Ilagan, spokesperson of the Freedom of Debt Coalition told the Philippine Star and The Freeman that the government’s implementation of recovery and rehabilitation programs on areas in the region that were devastated by Yolanda in 2013 needed serious and thorough auditing.

This notice of refusal “is our firm refusal of the worthless relocation site being forced upon us, Yolanda survivors,” Ilagan said.

The protesters submitted to the NHA-8 their notice of refusal stating their firm decision not to receive the so-called permanent shelters for various reasons.

They said the relocation site lacks basic and social amenities such as water and power supply, and the houses are built sub-standard, while they were exposed to job displacement for being located far from their sources of income.

They said that, over the years, they have been requesting the NHA-8 for including them in the planning and decision-making in the construction of houses, but these “fell only on deaf ears.“ Besides they claimed to be under threat of unsecured land tenure here.

The Community of Yolanda Survivors and Partners, an alliance of 163 communities and ten non-government organization partners, in a separate statement, expressed cynicism over the promised government rehabilitation.

During the protest rally, NHA-8 officials who met the protesters refused to comment on the issues raised but only said that their regional manager — the only one authorized to answer — was out of Tacloban for an official travel.

Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez recently announced in a media interview that at least 8,000 families living in a danger zone in the city and those who were rendered homeless during Yolanda were already evacuated early this year.

The mayor also said the Local Water Ulities Administration is now working on the water system that will supply the entire relocation areas in the northern part of this City. (FREEMAN)