Tarps ‘immediate need’ of ‘Odette’ survivors: Palace

MANILA – Malacañang said Wednesday the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to procure tarpaulin sheets and lumber from uprooted coconut trees would be the “fastest” way to make temporary shelters while waiting for the construction materials to arrive in areas ravaged by Typhoon Odette.

“Of course, yung (the) construction materials will come. But in the meantime, yung (the) immediate needs on the ground are the tarps. Ito po ay mula sa mga requests din ng ating local government units na ang basis po nila ay sa mga requests din ng kanilang constituents (These are from the requests of our local government units whose basis are the requests of their constituents),” acting Presidential Spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, said in a Palace press briefing.

Nograles, however, assured that construction materials that will be used to build sturdier shelters “will come later.”

Citing Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, he said the procurement of housing materials for targeted island local government units (LGUs) with onsite delivery of the construction materials would be undertaken from January to March 2022 because of the procurement process and the delivery process of these construction materials.

“Again, ang pinakamabilis na solusyon, which ito rin yung panawagan ng mga constituents (are), the tarps (Again, the fastest solution, which is also the request of constituents, is the tarps). Then we will be sending the construction materials after it goes through the procurement process plus yung ating (our) post-disaster needs assessment,” he added.

Nograles said the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), a sub-committee on shelter, will be making the plans necessary for additional funds expected next year.

The 2022 national budget and quick response funds (QRFs) are also expected to supplement funds needed to construct or repair severely damaged houses.

In a prerecorded Talk to the People on Monday, Duterte ordered Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Bautista to procure tarpaulin sheets and lumber from uprooted coconut trees so that families would have materials to build temporary shelters.

“Magbili ka muna i-assess mo ‘yung mga tao natutulog sa labas, emergency, so magbili ka ng trapal (Buy tarpaulins first). The appropriate size for a family of maybe you target good for six people kasi ang trapal (because a tarpaulin) would protect the people from the cold sa gabi (at night),” he said.

Typhoon Odette caused more than PHP28 million worth of damage in 506,404 houses; more than PHP16 billion worth of damage to 276 infrastructures, and more than PHP5 billion worth of damage to agriculture, according to data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

More than 300 cities and municipalities in the Visayas and Mindanao were placed under a state of calamity.