LGUs urged to finish reconstruction of ‘Yolanda’-hit areas

The devastation left by super typhoon ‘Haiyan.’ Richard Whitcombe / Shutterstock

MANILA — Local government units (LGUs) were given until the year-end to finish the reconstruction of damaged public structures on areas hit by Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

“They have to complete the repair by Dec. 31. Otherwise, we will withdraw the (unutilized) money,” said Pedro Noval, regional director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in a Philippine Daily Inquirer report.

Of the 61 towns and cities given P938.4 million in financial assistance, Tacloban, which was considered the Ground Zero of Yolanda, received the highest amount of P230 million.

As of writing, DILG records showed that only nine LGUs have completed the repair of their public structures.

The reconstructed areas include two in Biliran province and seven towns and one city in Leyte.