Even without master plan, rehab of Yolanda-hit areas to start in June –Lacson

Even without a master plan, the rehabilitation of Yolanda-hit areas may proceed starting June, according to former Senator Panfilo Lacson, the Aquino administration’s “rehabilitation czar.”

However, Lacson, the presidential assistant for rehabilitation and recovery, said this is still subject to President Benigno Aquino III’s approval.

“Tapos na yung rehab plans ng mga probinsya. Kung aapruban ng Pangulo na by province ‘yung approach namin, pwede na kaming mag-implement next month,” he said Monday during the weekly Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel forum.

“Pero kung hindi ‘yung maapruba at aantayin ‘yung comprehensive master rehabilitation plan of all the 171 cities and municipalities, definitely, hindi makakapagsimula ng June,” he added.

Aquino’s decision on the provincial rehabilitation plan is expected this week, Lacson said.

Lacson, however, said this does not mean that construction is not ongoing on the ground.

“We must remember even without the master rehabilitation plan, may mga na-download na rin resources especially sa mga LGUs (local government units),” he said.

For instance, the Department of Interior and Local Government has provided funds for the construction of partially damaged of municipal halls and public markets.

“In spite of the limitations we have, inspite of the protocols and bureaucracies, mayroon pong nangyayari sa ngayon,” Lacson stressed.

Six months after Typhoon Yolanda, the government has yet to complete the master rehabilitation plan of areas affected by the super typhoon, which killed over 6,200 people and left thousands more homeless.

During the same press briefing, Lacson said they have stopped categorizing areas as “no-build zones,” admitting it was only a “knee-jerk reaction.”

After the super typhoon, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources tagged some areas in the city as “no-build zones” under the Philippine Water Code, which does not allow structures to be built 40 meters from the shoreline.

Now, the areas are being categorized as high-risk zone, controlled zone, and safe zone.

“In a practical point of view, kailangang magtayo ng mga structures [along the shoreline] pero kailangang lagyan ng mitigating measures,” Lacson said.

Lacson also said during the briefing that the two Cabinet officials who were allegedly derailing the rehabilitation efforts have now been working more closely with his office.

“I don’t regret bringing that out. Ngayon, so far, maganda at mabilis po ‘yung submissions and reaction,” he said.

He cited that the Cabinet secretaries, which were also appointed as cluster heads of their respective divisions in the Yolanda rehabilitation, were in attendance during the presentation of Tacloban City’s rehabilitation plan last weekend.

Lacson had expressed frustration over two Cabinet officials whom he said are hampering the rehabilitation efforts of the government. He did not mention any names. —KBK, GMA News