Master plan for Yolanda-hit areas completed

MANILA, Philippines - A master plan for areas devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda has been completed.

Speaking over radio dzBB, presidential assistant for rehabilitation and recovery Panfilo Lacson over the weekend said he submitted to President Aquino last Friday a comprehensive rehabilitation and recovery plan covering 171 cities and municipalities in 14 provinces spread in six regions.

“I would just like to emphasize that my office has no power of implementation,” he said in Filipino.

“Our task is to draw up a master rehabilitation plan. I will have to discuss that matter with the President. What will be my next task? Or do I have a task?”

Lacson called for public vigilance in monitoring the implementation of the rehabilitation and recovery plan since the government has allocated about P170 billion for the project.

“With the help of some NGOs, USAID, UNDP, e-PLDT-SMART, which will be our web-hosting, anyone can just click a link in the computer and can immediately see the house built from a certain donation,” he said.

The public can check the implementation of the project through a website “empathy,” or electronic monitoring program accountability and transparency hub, which his office will set up soon, he added.