Rise Up Aklan and militant groups in Aklan are appealing to the national government for funding assistance and rehabilitation for the remaining 25,000 Typhoon Yolanda victims. Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) ravaged large part of Visayas region on November 8, 2013 that affected more than 1,229,000 families with damaged homes.
Three years after the devastation, more than 19,000 households in Aklan are still waiting for the Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) and other cash for work assistance schemes of the national government, according to Rise Up Aklan coordinator Kim-Sin Tugna said.
“These families were deleted, omitted or replaced in the master list in the many validations conducted by government agencies due to patronage and anomalous implementation of ESA. At our end, more than 6,000 ESA-unserved victims were also documented by Rise Up Aklan or a combined 25,000 were still unable to receive ESA,” he added in an interview.
In a solidarity march held to commemorate the 3rd year anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda devastation in Aklan, some 4,000 survivors of Rise Up Aklan converged at The Aklan Trade Hall at Goding Ramos Park for a forum-interaction with Social Welfare and Development Assistant Secretary Hope Hervilla and regional director Rebecca Geamala.
Rise Up Aklan, a member organization of a broad alliance of Yolanda survivors in Western Visayas under Kusog sang Pumuluyo, also signed a petition urging President Rodrigo Duterte and Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo to scrap Memorandum Circular No 24.
“MC 24 was formulated very far from the context of the actual plight of Yolanda victims...it was discriminating and an injustice. We are also calling the attention of Taguiwalo to reconstitute the original list of beneficiaries and to investigate the past administration with regards to the proper accounting, management and utilization of Yolanda funds and make them accountable,” the petition stated.
As of November 17, 2013 list, there were 55,168 partially damaged houses and 32,088 totally damaged houses or 87,256 houses affected by Typhoon Yolanda in the province of Aklan.
However, in the Office of the Presidential Assistance for Recovery and Reconstruction (OPARR) counter-report, the number of houses totally and partially damaged was reduced to 77,337.
Rise Up Aklan, a member organization of a broad alliance of Yolanda survivors in Western Visayas under Kusog sang Pumuluyo, also signed a petition urging President Rodrigo Duterte and Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo to scrap Memorandum Circular No 24.
“MC 24 was formulated very far from the context of the actual plight of Yolanda victims...it was discriminating and an injustice. We are also calling the attention of Taguiwalo to reconstitute the original list of beneficiaries and to investigate the past administration with regards to the proper accounting, management and utilization of Yolanda funds and make them accountable,” the petition stated.
As of November 17, 2013 list, there were 55,168 partially damaged houses and 32,088 totally damaged houses or 87,256 houses affected by Typhoon Yolanda in the province of Aklan.
However, in the Office of the Presidential Assistance for Recovery and Reconstruction (OPARR) counter-report, the number of houses totally and partially damaged was reduced to 77,337.
Tugna said, “MC 24 was issued by the national government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development to calm down the frustration of beneficiaries of the promised ESA.”
“It turned out MC 24 was the worst nightmare for majority of marginalized Typhoon victims who were intentionally disqualified by certain laws and MC 24. They were delisted, but, not all victims living in the danger zones and those included in the new master list of ESA recipients were indigents under MC 24,” he stressed.
Rise Up Aklan data showed P1.229-billion ESA were released through the LGUs for 24,242 families with totally damaged houses and 48,644 families with partially damaged houses in 17 towns of Aklan.
“It turned out MC 24 was the worst nightmare for majority of marginalized Typhoon victims who were intentionally disqualified by certain laws and MC 24. They were delisted, but, not all victims living in the danger zones and those included in the new master list of ESA recipients were indigents under MC 24,” he stressed.
Rise Up Aklan data showed P1.229-billion ESA were released through the LGUs for 24,242 families with totally damaged houses and 48,644 families with partially damaged houses in 17 towns of Aklan.
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
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