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BY BOY RYAN ZABAL
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KALIBO, Aklan – Around 25,000 super typhoon “Yolanda” surviving families in Aklan have not yet received assistance from the government, according to an organization of storm survivors in the province.
“Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) ravaged a large part of the Visayas on Nov. 8, 2013, affecting around 1,229,000 families.
Three years after, more than 19,000 Aklanon households were still awaiting their share of the national government’s Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) and other cash-for-work aid schemes, a coordinator for Rise Up Aklan said.
These families were “deleted or omitted from or replaced in master lists in the many validations conducted by government agencies” because of “patronage and anomalous implementation of ESA,” said Kim-Sin Tugna.
Rise Up Aklan documented “6,000 families unserved by ESA, or a combined 25,000 (families)” still needing assistance, he said.
As of Nov. 17, 2013, the province had a total of 97,256 families affected by “Yolanda,” but the figure was reduced to 77,337 after a revalidation by the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Recovery and Rehabilitation, Rise Up Aklan claimed.
On Tuesday a “solidarity march” commemorating the onslaught of “Yolanda” saw survivors gathering at the Aklan Trade Hall in Goding Ramos Park for a forum with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assistant secretary Hope Hervilla and regional director Rebecca Geamala.
Rise Up Aklan claimed around 4,000 survivors participated.
According to Rise Up Aklan data, P1.229 billion in ESA have been released through local government units for 24,242 families with totally damaged houses and 48,644 families with partially damaged houses in 17 towns. (Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
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