Govt hit for rehab bias! • • Published : Tuesday, March 04, 2014 00:00 Article Views : 108 Written by : Ryan Ponce Pacpaco HOUSE independent minority bloc leader and Leyte (1st District) Rep. Ferdinand Martin “FM” G. Romualdez yesterday decried the supposed favoritism in the downloading of rehabilitation and rebuilding funds, saying the national government is “color blind” to areas whose local officials are perceived to be political enemies. In a press conference, Romualdez, a constructive critic of the Aquino administration, appealed to authorities not to politicize the distribution of help after the government partially heeded their call to give the local government units (LGUs) more active role in the long-term rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts in calamity-stricken areas. Romualdez said it is unfortunate that Tacloban City which is believed to be the hardest hit area by super typhoon Yolanda has yet to receive substantial assistance in the rebuilding efforts from the government. “I have gotten information that funds for the reconstruction are downloaded and now apparently done to particular local government units (LGUS) that are closely aligned with the Liberal Party (LP). The help to other hardest areas is still to be seen,” Romualdez complained. “It was so very nice that President Aquino and his Cabinet members are there (in Tacloban City), but to speed up the rehabilitation efforts, there should be no politics and there should be no color blind. The resources should be downloaded regardless of political setup. After all, recipients are accountable in handling public funds,” Romualdez pointed out. Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (Buhay) party-list Rep. Lito Atienza and Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz also explained that LGUs know better what is good for their people than any other government agencies. “We reiterate our call that LGUs should be given strong participation in the rebuilding efforts,” Atienza said as he complained that their proposal to empower LGUs in the rebuilding efforts under the P14.6 billion supplemental budget law for calamity-stricken areas was rejected. For his part, dela Cruz said: “LGUs play vital role and they should be given enough participation. The Aquino administration must recognize the devolution policy. Remember that local officials know better what is good and best for their people.” Romualdez said LGUs should be consulted enough in the rebuilding process especially with earlier complaints of overpriced construction of bunkhouses for the victims of Yolanda in Leyte and Samar. “The President has this realization that things are moving too slow. The solution here is to empower LGU’s than keep them out of the loop. I believe the more effective way is if the national government had downloaded the funds to local officials and start the reconstruction of their respective communities,” Romualdez explained. Romualdez also said the government should make a clarification about the total number of fatalities, saying “actual and proper accounting would give dignity to the dead.” The Leyte lawmaker said LGUs are not also given enough or adequate financial assistance from the government, prompting the Yolanda survivors to stage protest actions. “The assistance being provided by the government is not enough to support the needs of the survivors. Even the restoration of electricity in the affected areas in Leyte remains a problem until now contrary to what has been reported,” Romualdez pointed out. He warned that more Yolanda survivors will continue to hold protest actions to demand the immediate and adequate assistance from the government. Various groups have also urged transparency and accountability on the millions of dollars in foreign donations intended for the typhoon victims
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 01:43:01 +0000
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