MANILA, Nov. 27 – Around 280 families are scheduled to join the first batch of Tacloban Yolanda victims who will move to their permanent resettlement sites on Monday, November 28, 2016.
Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino said this came about 18 days after President Duterte ordered the OPAV to effect resettlement.
To recall, during his visit to Tacloban on November 8, the President gave a directive to Presidential Assistant for the Visayas to effect the transfer of Typhoon Yolanda victims to their permanent resettlement sites in Tacloban-North before December.
On Monday, military trucks from the Philippine Army, the Philippine National Police, Office of the Civil Defense, local government units, and the private entities will be mobilized to ferry the typhoon victims to their permanent resettlement centers.
Starting Saturday, November 26, members of these families have been visiting their new homes in North Hill Arbours relocation site at Barangay Sto. Niño (Suhi) in Tacloban City to clean up so that, on Monday, their homes will be ready for occupancy.
“I’m very happy to hear the report from our men and women of the Task Force Bulig that the people are already excited to start a new life in their new homes,” PA Dino said. Task Force Bulig was formed through the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas after President Duterte publicly ordered PA Dino in front of Taclobanons to lead the completion of all Yolanda resettlement sites in Leyte so that the families hit by typhoon three years ago can transfer before Christmas.
The Presidential Assistant for the Visayas acknowledged the collaborative effort among the national government agencies, local government of Tacloban, the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, private sector, and the typhoon victims themselves in making the permanent resettlement happen.
PA Dino assured the beneficiaries that the resettlement centers will be equipped with amenities like water and electricity before the transfer, while the task force has already charted long-term solutions to livelihood, education, transportation, among others. The task force is expecting a daily mobilization of the settlers, until the last family beneficiary will be in their new home by end of December.
Around 8,000 family beneficiaries shall be transferred to permanent houses in 17 relocation sites north of Tacloban. “The problem besetting the Yolanda resettlement in three years is solved in just 18 days after Pres. Duterte’s tapang and malasakit to the Yolanda victims made him issue presidential directives to finish it without delay,” PA Dino said. PIA
