National government to fund repair, restoration of municipal halls, civic centers, markets of Yolanda-hit LGUs

National government to fund repair, restoration of municipal halls, civic centers, markets of Yolanda-hit LGUs

By: Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, January 20 (PIA) – The National Government will fund the repair and restoration of municipal halls, civic centers and markets in the Local Government Units devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

This good news was pronounced by Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas during his dialogue with the Leyte Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council headed by Leyte Governor Dominic Petilla on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at the Leyte Provincial Capitol.

SILG Roxas got a big round of applause from the Local chief executives present when he said “This is not a loan by the LGUs. The President decided that this will be a grant to the ­hit LGUs.”

The DILG Secretary said that on the 4th week after the typhoon, the Municipal Local Government Officers gathered the rough estimates of the damage to government buildings in every municipality.

This time, the LGUs concerned are enjoined to make a program of work signed by the municipal engineers and the mayor which they will submit to DILG which will in turn submit the same to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The DPWH will review the program of work to make sure that it will conform with the directive of the President that the rebuilding should make sure that the government building will be more sturdy and will withstand Yolanda-like disasters which is now considered as the new normal.

If the DPWH will certify the LGU to be capable, the LGUs and the DILG will sign a Memorandum of Agreement and the funding will be downloaded to the LGUs.

The faster the LGUs will be in the processing of the program of work¸ the faster the funding will be downloaded to them, Roxas said.

During the meeting which was also attended by DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman and NDRRMC Executive Director, USec Eduardo del Rosario, Secretary Roxas said this is Phase I in the rehabilitation and restoration of government buildings. The second Phase he said will the reconstruction of the barangay halls.

Secretary Roxas assured the Local Chief Executives of the funding saying, “Ito ay malinaw na, may okay ni P-Noy, may pera na.”

On the reconstruction of schools and health centers and other government infrastructure, Roxas said that certain Government Agencies are making the assessments like the Department of Education is taking care of the assessment of destroyed schools while the Department of Health is in charge of assessing the damage to Health Centers and government hospitals. (PIA 8)

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