Implementation of projects for
‘Yolanda’-affected areas will be accelerated: Palace
Malacanang said Friday the government will speed
up the implementation of projects in areas destroyed by Typhoon
"Yolanda."
“We expect that the implementation will be done
at a much faster pace, ngayong nabubuo na iyong mga plano,” Presidential
Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said during a
press briefing.
A Cabinet meeting was held earlier to discuss
the “master plan” for the rehabilitation of areas in Eastern Visayas affected
by the typhoon.
“President Aquino directed the Cabinet to act
with an increased sense of urgency in finalizing the post-Yolanda
rehabilitation plan, especially in view of the expected onset of the rainy
season in June,” said Coloma.
He noted that rehabilitation plans have been
completed for the provinces of Leyte, Western Samar and Cebu, and that as much
as P65 billion will be immediately made available to carry out the plans.
He said the resettlement cluster will meet again
within a week to thresh out a policy using science-based multi-hazard maps to
determine “safe, controlled, and unsafe zones.”
“This will address the problems posed by the
strict implementation of the no-build zone policy, especially in coastal and
tourist-oriented areas,” Coloma said, adding that the Cabinet will reconvene
before the end of the month to finalize the master plan. PND (ag)
