PR
“We want to do more than rebuild their homes––we want to help the victims of Typhoon Yolanda rebuild their lives.”
This, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, sums up the government’s philosophy in the resettlement sites that have been established as part of the government’s Yolanda Permanent Housing Program (YPHP).
Nograles, who also heads Task Force Yolanda, stressed on Sunday that “aside from building new houses for the families displaced by this devastating typhoon, government wants to make sure that these are homes which allow these families to thrive, not just survive.”
According to the lawyer, the YPHP resettlement sites had been identified and construction on the houses had already begun when the current administration took over the program in 2016.
“What we did was to focus on making these areas livable, because we know that livelihood and education would be concerns that need to be factored in to ensure the long-term viability of these relocation sites,” said the Palace official.
The former legislator pointed out that one major concern is the accessibility of these communities to schools.
“Resettlement sites should have schools close by; kawawa kasi ang mga bata kung malayo ang mga komunidad na ito sa mga paaralan. So it’s good that the DepEd (Department of Education) has this Last Mile Schools Program, wherein they work to provide geographically isolated, disadvantaged, and confict-affected (GIDCA) areas with access to basic education,” said Nograles.
“I talked to Sec. Briones and they are willing to consider including Yolanda resettlement sites under this program.”
The Palace official also revealed that the Task Force has already reached out to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH) to put up day care centers and health centers in resettlement sites.
“We cannot just stop with building their houses; we have to make sure that these displaced families also have access to basic necessities: schools, day care centers, health centers. Naiintindihan naman nina [DWSD] Sec. Bautista at [DOH] Sec. Duque ito, and they have said their agencies will be helping out in this regard.”
