A year later, a million still lack jobs, shelter

MANILA, Philippines - A year after Super Typhoon Yolanda battered the country, close to a million people are still living in inadequate shelters and having a hard time finding jobs and livelihood, a humanitarian group said.

According to an Oxfam report, at least 205,000 families are still waiting to be resettled in sturdier houses to be built on safer land.

“The families often continue to live in makeshift shelters in areas prone to typhoons, flooding and other hazards. Others live in bunkhouses and tents across the affected regions,” the Oxfam report stated.

“As of October 2014, only 452 permanent new homes had been built, largely reflecting difficulties in buying safe land in the right place,” it added.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a recent protection assessment found that people who remain displaced face a number of risks and residual humanitarian issues, including housing, land and property issues, physical security, water sanitation and hygiene.

Justin Morgan, Oxfam’s country director in the Philippines, said displaced residents are concerned about their ability to earn an income as resettlement sites are far from their livelihood source.

“Too often people are left to choose between a place of safety and their ability to earn an income,” he added.

Coconut farming and fishing were the worst hit by the typhoon. Around 13 million coconut trees were destroyed or damaged in Eastern Visayas alone.

“With key sources of income destroyed overnight, coconut farmers are left to grapple with delays in replanting crops caused by the slow pace of clearance of coconut lumber debris from their fields,” Oxfam said.

Fishing communities are also facing declining catch after the typhoon. “Despite the overwhelming aid of new boats and repairs from the government and aid groups, the larger issue remains to be the damage caused by the typhoon on fishing grounds and marine eco-systems,” the group added.

Oxfam also reported that disaster risk reduction measures like support for diversified agricultural activities and robust evacuation systems at resettlement sites are still lacking across many municipalities.

“If the population’s vulnerability that Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) rendered so starkly visible is not addressed, affected communities will remain in harm’s way – exposed to future disasters and deeper poverty,” it said.

Oxfam has urged the national government to comprehensively address remaining humanitarian needs while delivering a “scaled up, pro-poor recovery agenda.”

Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Escudero and Nancy Binay lamented that the rehabilitation efforts have been slow despite the government having all the resources at its disposal.

“Is it fast enough? Even if we say it’s faster than other countries, there are still many who are sick and dying,” Cayetano said.

“We already provided the appropriation for it, over P100 billion (under both the supplemental and 2014 budget) since last year. It is now, and has been, in the hands of the executive to utilize for the benefit of the victims of Yolanda,” said Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on finance.

Binay, on one hand, aired her disappointment over the fact that a lot of the victims of Yolanda remain without homes, food and the necessary medical services.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago also noted that in the aftermath of Yolanda, it took about five months before agencies began restoring civil documents, which children need in order to avail of basic services and education.

Santiago has filed a bill that seeks to institutionalize the protection of children affected by natural disasters like Yolanda.With Pia Lee-Brago, Marvin Sy