'Red tape, confusion' delaying rebuilding efforts in Tacloban

MANILA, Philippines - Six months after super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) devastated Tacloban City, not a single permanent housing unit has been built by the national government.

City Mayor Alfred Romualdez said "red tape" is slowing down the rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts of the government, headed by former Senator Panfilo Lacson.

"The UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and other international groups sila nga pinagkatiwalaan kami. Kami nga may mandate na. We can work in partnership with 
the United Nations. Talagang may red tape and confusion," Romualdez said, stressing that the national government should already download to the local government the cash donations from international and local groups.

"If they downloaded the money to us, matagal nang tapos. People need the shelter, people need safety," the mayor added.

Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Fernandez, meanwhile, urged the national government to "empower the local government."

"The national government should empower the local. They have the structure,network, man power. We're still here, but we will have a long way to go. Empower the local and we will get there," the congressman said.

The city government said that a total of 4,853 temporary housing units and 14,433 permanent housing units are needed for the city's typhoon-affected population.

It said that of the total temporary houses needed, 1,000 units have been committed by donors. Of the permanent housing needed, 1,233 have been committed through memoranda of agreement and 5,600 units have been pledged by various groups.

The city government said a total of P3,358,590,200 (P3.35 billion) would be needed for the construction of the remaining units -- 3,853 temporary houses and 7,600 permanent houses -- plus shelter kits.

The computation was based on an estimated amount for the construction of the housing units -- P200,000 for each permanent houses and P40,000 for each temporary units.

As of May, the national government said that it already has received a pledge of P11,076,885,571.39 (P11.076 billion) in cash donations.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said Thursday that as of May 14, the government has already released P32.2 billion for infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction in devastated areas.

'Temporary, permanent'

Romualdez, meanwhile, said that another cause of delay in the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts of the government in the city is the word "temporary."

He said that the problem in the word "temporary" came up with the building of bunkhouses for the displace city residents.

"If you look at the bunkhouse [problem] it concerns policy. The announcement was we will not follow international standards, we will follow local standards," the mayor said.

The announcement came after several groups complained that the bunkhouses being built in Taclocan City and other areas devasated by Yolanda were substandard and the construction did not follow international standards.

However, the mayor explained that in following local standards, building temporary shelters would entail building permits from the Office of the Mayor.

"I need clearance from the Bureau of Fire for a fire clearance, then I can issue now an occupancy permit [but] they would not give us a fire clearance," he said.

To solve the problem, he said the government inserted the word "temporary" which was supposed to solve the problem in the process of building houses.

He further explained that since the Department of Social Welfare and Development, which is overseeing the construction of the bunkhouses, is not mandated to buy land 
"so we (the national government) we need the local government unit to buy land, but no LGU has enough to buy land."

The government then used the National Housing Authority to be able to buy land.

"But the NHA could not buy property for temporary shelters. So we are at a deadlock here now... How can you download money now?" Romualdez said

'Master plan'

Meanwhile, Romualdez said that the city government has already submitted a master plan to Lacson, who was appointed rehabilitation czar by President Aquino.

He said that in partnership with the UNDP and UN-Habitat or the United Nations Human Settlement Programme, the city government tapped the help of urban planners to create the master plan.

Romualdez said that Lacson has called for a meeting on May 29 to 30 in Cebu City to discuss the master plan with the city government and other LGUs affected by the super typhoon.

In the master plan, he said they suggested the elimination of the 40-meter no build zone policy, which is being implemented by the national government in Tacloban City and other areas.

"That is the wrong measure," Romualdez said, adding that the policy is just a knee-jerk response by the national government that is sending a wrong message to the public.

He said that according to the urban planners tapped to create the master plan, the measurement should be "the height or level of the land compared to the level of the sea. Not the distance of the shore to the land."