EASTERN VISAYAS: TACLOBAN CITY
6 years after typhoon Haiyan: Survivors highlight disaster preparedness, call for probe on reconstruction COMMEMORATION ACTIVITIES will be held on Nov. 8 in Tacloban City, one of the areas hardest hit by super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) in 2013, in remembrance of the more than 7,000 who died during one of strongest tropical cyclones in history. Among the activities lined up by the city government is the traditional candle-lighting ceremony along the sidewalks at 6:00 p.m. after the ringing of church bells. For survivors, the Yolanda anniversary is also an opportunity to highlight the continued struggle for rebuilding their lives and the importance of disaster preparedness. At an event last Nov. 5 organized by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, survivors, the local government represented by Vice Mayor Jerry T. Yaokasin, and non-government organization representatives discussed post-Haiyan efforts on disaster preparedness, resilience, and climate change impacts. Various organizations led by the Community of Yolanda Survivors and Partners (CYSP), meanwhile, are bringing their call for a review of the reconstruction and relocation program to main government agencies in the capital. In a statement on Wednesday, CYSP said picket rallies will be held in front of the offices of the Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Environment and Natural Resources, and the National Housing Authority. They will also be submitting a petition to the Senate and the House of Representatives to revive the probe on problems and anomalies relating to the reconstruction program. CYSP, in its statement in Filipino, said while hearings were previously held in both chambers of
Congress as well as consultations on the ground, there seems to have been no official report released that could serve as basis to improve and hasten the rebuilding program. —