Where's the 90 billion for yolanda rehab

MANILA, Philippines - “Where’s the P90 billion in Yolanda rehabilitation funds?”

This was the question that Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez asked Malacañang after the Palace said that it released a total of P90 billion as of June 30 for the rehabilitation of areas destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

“I hope they can really show me – more importantly the victims and the hundreds of thousands who remain homeless and their farms and other properties destroyed – where that P90 billion is,” Romualdez, leader of the independent bloc in the House of Representatives, said on Saturday.

“The bulk of the rehabilitation of the areas devastated by Yolanda are done by non-governmental organizations and foreign institutions, and many of them tell me that the government has not coordinated with them,” he added.

Yolanda battered Visayas and some parts of Luzon in November 2013, killing at least 6,300 people and leaving thousands still missing. But the Aquino administration has yet to confirm the death count. Shortly after the typhoon struck, President Aquino insisted that only 2,500 could have been killed. The police chief for Eastern Visayas, who told media of his estimate of 10,000 casualties, was relieved.

Romualdez also renewed his appeal to the administration to set aside politicking and speed up the rebuilding of Yolanda-hit areas, stressing there should be “justness and fairness” in the release and equal distribution of public

Palace asked: Where is P90-B Yolanda rehab fund? | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

 

Is he upset because none of the money went in his pocket or is he truly concerned about the people he represents? I have a hard time believing that any politician is truly interested in the people they represent (and not just in the Philippines).

 

From the article:

That's about all that needs to be said.

 

MANILA, Philippines – Hundreds of millions of pesos in funds intended for the relief and rehabilitation of disaster victims did not reach them in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 because government offices used them up for operations or kept them in banks.

This was the finding of the state auditors in a report on how the quick response funds (QRF) of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the donations received by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) were utilized.

In its assessment report, the Commission on Audit (COA) said OCD had a total of P692.77 million in available QRF for 2013, while the NDRRMC – which is administered by the OCD – had received a total of P48.82 million in donations for the typhoon victims
COA: Yolanda fund, donations did not reach victims