Senatorial candidate Jejomar Binay has urged the national government to hasten the rehabilitation of communities and sectors affected by Typhoon Odette.
Binay made the statement following his visit in several cities in Cebu where he personally saw the present situation of residents and the status of rehabilitation almost three months after the typhoon.
“Many infrastructures still need to be repaired, and we must also provide assistance for residents and small businesses affected by Typhoon Odette,” he said.
Local chief executives of Mandaue City, Lapu Lapu City and Consolacion discussed with the former vice president on-going efforts to recover from the devastation of Typhoon Odette.
“The government must expedite the release of funds for the rehabilitation of affected communities, especially here in Central Visayas,” said Binay.
Based on the latest situational report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the damage to agriculture and infrastructure reached to over P47 billion in the Visayas, Mindanao, and parts of Luzon. In Central Visayas, damage to infrastructure amounted to P4.2 billion.
The agriculture sector, meanwhile, sustained P1.2 billion in damages.
The former vice president also noted that additional funding should be given to repair vital infrastructures like schools.
“We know that schools will be used as polling centers in the coming elections so it needs to be fixed immediately,” he said.
According to the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 7, damage to schools in Central Visayas reached P10 billion.
The region received an initial P7.6 million last January, while another P640 million was allocated by the DepEd Central Office for the repair and rehabilitation of classrooms.
Binay vowed to push for more funding to complete the rehabilitation of affected areas and sectors.
“One of the things we will focus on is the availability of the Odette rehab fund to help our countrymen affected by the typhoon,” he said.
Binay added that there are still many areas that need assistance.
“The damage caused by typhoon Odette is still visible in many places. Our countrymen need to know that our government is working for them,” he said.