MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte vowed Friday that the government will provide housing for victims of Tropical Storm Agaton (international name: Megi), but admitted that this “would be a long, long process.”
Speaking to victims of the first tropical cyclone of the year that brought flooding and landslides especially in Eastern Visayas, Duterte assured that the government can provide housing units to those whose homes were destroyed by Agaton.
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“To all of you who lost their houses in the typhoon, you will be given a new house but it would be a long, long process. It’s not like there’s just a miracle,” Duterte said in Bisaya, according to a translation provided by the Presidential Communications Operations Office.
The chief executive said his administration would be able to build more houses for Agaton victims “if only [he] had more time left.”
“There’s only two months left of my presidency, so I won’t be able to do much to help you. But what I can assure you is that I will help make sure that preparations will be in place to help give you new houses,” Duterte said.
He added that “there are no lands left” for the new houses, but promised to “find a flatland somewhere far away, safe from the dangers of the countryside.”
Duterte said the government can take flatlands currently owned by private individuals by exercising the power of eminent domain, where these lands can theoretically be seized as long as their owners are justly compensated.
But even then, the president said this will be a “long process.”
The latest report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council pegged the number of people who died following the onslaught of Agaton at 167, while 110 are missing and eight are injured.
Over 10,000 houses were either partially or totally damaged by Agaton, according to the NDRRMC, with the bulk of these coming from Western Visayas. — Xave Gregorio