Pres. Aquino wants agencies to fast-track rehabilitation of ‘Yolanda’-affected areas

President Benigno S. Aquino III has instructed his Cabinet to accelerate the implementation of rehabilitation projects covering infrastructure, housing, livelihood, and social services in parts of Eastern Visayas struck by Typhoon Yolanda two years ago.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said that the President wants his Cabinet to prioritize the completion of permanent housing for 205,128 families in high-risk communities.

Secretary Coloma said priority should also be given to the provision of on-site shelter assistance to 449,000 families whose houses were totally damaged, and 517,214 families whose houses were partially damaged by the typhoon.

The National Housing Authority aims to complete all permanent housing units by next year, he said.

The Palace official further reported that during the special Cabinet meeting on Monday, the President directed the Department of Budget and Management to ensure the timely release of funds to meet the target date of completion.

Coloma also said that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is expected to complete 56.7 kilometers (km) of national roads by June, out of 116.3 kilometers of national roads being constructed.

Some 61 percent of the overall target of 1,852 lineal meters of national bridges will also be completed by June, he added.

For other infrastructure, Coloma said 30 of 48 office buildings are expected to be completed by June while 56 of 99 flood control structures are expected to be completed within the year.

“The government has also attained total or substantial completion of 106 municipal and city halls, 109 public markets, and 101 civic centers, restoring normalcy in the lives of affected residents and providing necessary government services to the communities affected by Typhoon Yolanda,” he said.

During the meeting, the DPWH reported that 84 percent of 2,313 new classrooms have already been built or substantially completed while 56 percent of the 17,335 classrooms damaged by the said super typhoon have been totally or partially rehabilitated.

"We expect the completion of classroom construction and rehabilitation by the second semester of the year or in time for the opening of classes in the next school year," Coloma said.

The government has also achieved total or substantial completion of repair of 479 barangay health stations, 95 rural health clinics, 31 local hospitals, and eight other health facilities, he noted.

The government, he added, has made substantial accomplishments in providing livelihood to 360,203 families through the Cash-for-Building Livelihood Assets Program, such as boat construction, farmland clearing, land preparation, and planting.

The government this year will continue to provide these types of assistance to 211,879 families, Coloma said, noting that additional livelihood opportunities are being provided by private partners to 19,894 family beneficiaries.

According to the social services cluster, the Commission on Higher Education has extended scholarships, incentives and other financial assistance worth P436.9 million to 56,272 student beneficiaries, while the Department of Education has reported the substantial or total completion of projects involving the provision of 6.47 million textbooks, replacement of damaged computer packages, and the nutrition or feeding program for 327,845 children.

Coloma said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has completed the regreening program covering 43,070 hectares in Typhoon Yolanda-affected areas.

There is also an ongoing mangrove and beach forest development program covering 12,323 hectares.

On health care assistance, the Department of Health (DOH) has completed projects involving the provision of essential medicine kits, the procurement of medicine for the Western Visayas Medical Center and the Easter Visayas Medical Center, and the provision of complete treatment packs for 301 regional health units, Coloma said.

The DOH has also completed a nutrition program for 226,625 children and has provided water disinfectants to 176,522 households, he added.

Coloma also said the Department of Social Welfare and Development has been continuing its relief assistance to vulnerable sectors covering 77,739 families.  (PCOO News Release)

Pantawid Pamilya honor student
urges fellow grantees to use grants wisely
Topping his Grade 9 class at Bal-ason National High School, Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental, 15-year old Jachor McCollins Calvo Opaon, a Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiary, cited the big role of the program in his academic success, and urged his fellow grantees to study hard and not waste the opportunity given by the government.

“What we are enjoying now is a gift that must be used properly. Once we waste this gift, there is no way to bring the past back. It is sad to look back on the opportunities wasted and linger on the what-ifs,” Jachor emphasized in his message for his fellow beneficiaries during the school recognition ceremony.

Jachor expressed his gratitude to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for promoting and implementing the program. He said that Pantawid Pamilya has helped him and his family pay for their basic needs.

“The meager income of my mother, a Barangay Nutrition Scholar, and my father, a farmer, is not enough to respond to all the needs of my family,” Jachor disclosed. “Now, with the cash grants, we have a budget for our education.”

Jachor said that he used the P500 monthly education grant he received for his school projects and daily allowance.

He also thanked his parents for pushing him to be the best that he could be, and for always reminding him of the importance of education.

Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program that invests in the health and education of poor families, primarily those with children aged 0-18. It provides cash grants to partner-beneficiaries who comply with the conditions of sending their children to school, bringing them to health centers for checkups, and attending the monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS).

In 2013, the DSWD expanded the coverage of Pantawid Pamilya to include the 15-18 age bracket to ensure that the children-beneficiaries will graduate from high school, and have a higher rate of employability.

Aside from leading his class, Jachor was also awarded Best in English, Best in Science, Best in Filipino, Best in MAPEH, and Best in Arts.

The city government of Gingoog through Mayor Marie Guingona also recognized him as an outstanding Grade 9 student of the city.

Jachor was also active in extra-curricular activities. He participated in the Regional Press Conference as editorial writer, and became a quiz bee finalist. He also placed third in a Mathematics challenge organized by the Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines.

Reiterating the message of Jachor to his fellow student-grantees, DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said, “I agree with Jachor. The grants should be used wisely for their education. We know that the amount is quite small but if used the right way, it is a big help nonetheless.”

She added that DSWD continues to partner with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the private sector to provide additional opportunities to student-beneficiaries, especially those who have graduated from high school. (DSWD)