48 LGUs issued with show cause order due to slow ‘Odette’ aid distribution
By John Florentino Perez
On March 22, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, said on a televised presidential national address, that they issued a show cause order to over 48 local government units (LGUs), in order for them to explain the slow aid payment distribution to typhoon Odette victims.
“Ang ginawa po rin natin sa mga LGUs na medyo mabagal ang pagbibigay ng ayuda ay pinadalhan natin ng show cause orders. Ito po ay umaabot sa 48 LGUs,” Año announced during the national address.
Incomplete aid distributions
Out of those 48 LGUs, three are from the Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan (Mimaropa) region, 16 in Western Visayas, 16 in Eastern Visayas, and 13 in Central Visayas.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that the financial aid distribution is 74.94% accomplished. While the other incomplete financial aid is still in process, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said that DILG is actively monitoring those incomplete aid distributions.
Last year, the government aided the LGUs with over P4.8 billion for the 4,010,092 Odette victims. Each affected person and family received over P1,000 per individual and P5,000 per household.
Moreover, the DILG reported that over P4.1 billion out of those P4.8 billion pesos has been distributed to the four million beneficiaries.
Status of Odette victims
According to the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines zGustavo Gonzalez, over 31,000 people are still displaced with some still living in evacuation centers and others with relatives. Thus, support for livelihood recovery, as well as Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), was identified as key priorities.
The UN resident coordinator is hoping to explore durable solutions that preserve the dignity of the most vulnerable people affected by Odette. He reminded that the effects have become more devastating with more frequent and severe storms, stronger floods, intensifying droughts, and wildfires.
Gonzalez urged the people to continue working together to ensure effective and immediate response to disasters.
