Sen. Marcos to inspect pace of rehab efforts for Yolanda, consult with survivors

Complaints of slow-paced rehabilitation efforts for areas devastated when super-typhoon Yolanda struck two years ago, Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. will personally inspect the status of the government's assistance programs to typhoon survivors.

Marcos is in Tacloban City today not just to join in the commemoration rites for the 2nd year anniversary of Yolanda but also to personally talk with some of the survivors and government officials on the challenges facing the recovery program.

"It's crucial that we learn directly from the ground what has been done, what was not done so far, and what we need to do to speed up the delivery of assistance for the typhoon survivors," said Marcos, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Works.

Earlier, many Yolanda survivors complained that they have yet to receive the assistance the government promised to give them, in particular the permanent shelter program with only less than 10 percent accomplishment over the two-year period.

Likewise, Marcos cited complaints of some Yolanda survivors, aired by Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, about the flaws in the implementation of the permanent shelter program.

In a radio interview, Romualdez said Yolanda survivors refused to relocate to permanent housing units the government built because there is no water supply in the area where these were constructed.

"How can you ask the Yolanda survivors to relocate when they don't have access to water? That is why it is really important that we consult them to avoid wasting money and effort in our rehabilitation program," Marcos said.