MANILA, Philippines - The national government has allocated almost P1.8 billion for the rehabilitation of vital public buildings owned and operated by local government units in Yolanda-affected areas, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas announced on Thursday.
Roxas said the government, via the DILG, will release the funds, amounting to P1.7914 billion beginning this month of April subject to the complete submission by LGUs of required documents.
Roxas toured Yolanda-affected areas in Leyte province to personally distribute the check for the rehabilitation fund to mayors who had submitted all the needed documents.
He noted that the P1.79 billion fund comprises only the first batch of rehabilitation fund for LGU-owned buildings. The second batch, amounting to over P358 million is still being processed by the Department of Budget and Management.
Roxas said that the special funding was made possible through the Reconstruction Assistance on Yolanda — the national government’s strategic plan to guide the recovery and reconstruction in areas devastated by the super typhoon.
The objective of the plan is to restore the economic and social conditions of Yolanda-affected areas to their pre-typhoon levels, while also establishing a higher level of disaster resilience.
"Sinisimulan na namin ngayong buwan ang pagbibigay ng pondo para masimulan na ng mga LGUs ang pagpapagawa ng mahahalagang gusaling pampubliko na winasak ng Bagyong Yolanda," Roxas said.
"Bahagi ito ng pagsisikap ng pamahalaan na pabilisin ang normalisasyon sa mga lugar na nasalanta ng bagyo at maibalik ang regular na serbisyo ng LGU sa mamamayan sa lalong madaling panahon," he added.
The DILG has instructed all LGUs affected by Yolanda to submit their Program of Works for the rehabilitation of damaged public buildings in their respective areas, particularly the provincial, city, and municipal halls, public markets and civic centers.
Of the 14 provinces and 171 cities and municipalities falling within the 50 km. radius of Yolanda’s path, four provinces and 146 municipalities and cities were reported to have sustained significant damages on the three priority facilities.
Reported damages of critical governance facilities in the 150 LGUs ( four provinces and 146 municipalities and cities) reveal that 92.3 percent, or a total of 323 facilities, are partially damaged while only 27 (7.7 percent) are totally damaged.
The total cost of approved POWs for the partially-damaged facilities is P1.245 billion, while total cost of submitted POWs for the totally-damaged facilities is P853.8 million.
The biggest chunk of the rehabilitation fund for cities and municipalities will go to Tacloban City, which was allocated more than P230 million for the repair of the city hall, public market, and civic center.
For the provinces, Leyte received the biggest funding with allocation amounting to P801.8 million, or about 45 percent of the total rehabilitation fund.
Allocation for the other provinces in Region 8 includes P19.9 million for Biliran; P100.2 million for Eastern Samar; and P16.5 milion for Western Samar.
In Region 6, the rehabilitation budget was divided with Iloilo getting the biggest slice of P78.8 million; followed by Capiz with P66 million; Aklan with P27 million; Antique with P24.8 million; and Negros Occidental with P5.15 million.