Duterte not satisfied with Yolanda aid, orders housing execs

MANILA, Philippines - President Rodrigo Duterte ordered on Tuesday his officials to complete the distribution of shelters to families hit by “Yolanda” by yearend as he admitted that he is not satisfied with the help given to typhoon victims.  

Duterte lamented that only a few people are staying in the bunk houses provided by the government three years after the typhoon ravaged the country. 

“I am not satisfied. As a matter of fact, it’s BS (b***s***) to me,” Duterte said during the commemoration of the third anniversary of typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City. 

“I’ll be back here in December. I want all of them transferred to the bunk houses by December,” he added. 

Duterte directed presidential assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino and Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council chair Ma. Leonor Robredo to oversee the distribution of the shelters.  

“You know, I rarely shoot people especially my friends. If you fail to do that…” Duterte told Dino in jest. 

“In the fullness of God’s time, I will be back December. If they are not transferred (to the shelters), get some land from Bonifacio or Forbes Park.”

The president refused to blame the previous administration for the issues hounding the relief delivery and even apologized to the people of Tacloban for the government’s shortcomings.

“If these houses are not yet completed next month, just transform them into a crematorium. What am I supposed to say here? Three years from now have passed and you are just waiting for another typhoon,” Duterte said. 

“We hope no one is here when that time comes so we do not have to say ‘I am sorry it has gone to this. 'Really, I am apologizing to you,” he added. 

While saying that his statements were not meant to offend anybody, Duterte could not hide his displeasure with the red tape and inefficient delivery of government services. 

“You know, we are so underdeveloped, a country. That by the nature of the listeners and indolence of some idiots, we become double the underdeveloped, whatever that phrase means,” he said. 

“The ‘Yolanda’ relief should have been finished one year after. I do not know where I will start. Is it really the rules which is also to protect the money of the people? Or the people who refuse to do their jobs?” 

At the end of his speech, Duterte announced that the government is providing P10,000 cash assistance to each family affected by the typhoon. 

"Yolanda," said to be one of the strongest cyclones in history, left at least 6,300 people dead and damaged about P90 billion worth of properties. 

Last month, Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said her agency is looking into the alleged irregularities in the distribution of shelters to typhoon victims.

She said about 200,000 typhoon survivors from western and eastern Visayas claimed to have not received shelter assistance promised by the Aquino administration. 

“Many farmers, fisherfolk talked to us and asked us about their emergency shelter assistance, three years after Yolanda. So, we decided to have an internal assessment of the donations given to the DSWD as well as other funding,” Taguiwalo said.

“The exclusion of emergency shelter assistance for victims of Yolanda is widespread. We are talking 200,000,” she added. 

 Taguiwalo said her agency also uncovered cases of “irregularities, non-compliance, or non-implementation.” 

“The spirit there is we don’t want any form of irregularity, of any corruption. The president is very clear about it. Our marching orders from day one is prompt and compassionate assistance, fair treatment to communities,” the social welfare chief said.