http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20080704-146494/Arroyo-blows-top-over-slow-post-typhoon-rehabilitation
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- Heads of agencies in this province got a scolding from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday for the slow rehabilitation of school buildings, houses, and infrastructure damaged by typhoon “Cosme” (international code name Halong) two months ago.
After hearing the complaints of local executives who attended the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) meeting at the provincial capitol here, Arroyo ordered concerned government agencies to fast track the release of funds for rehabilitation.
Arroyo, accompanied by Trade Secretary Peter Favila and Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, arrived here at 4:45 p.m. from Ilocos Norte.
This was the fifth RDCC meeting she presided over this week, as she made the rounds of provinces ravaged by typhoon “Frank” (international codename: Fengshen) after arriving from her 10-day US trip.
The meeting was open to media only for about 15 minutes, after which Arroyo excused the journalists.
"I think she didn't want to embarrass anybody because what she ordered to happen didn't happen," Kimi Cojuangco, mayor of Sison town told reporters in an interview after the meeting.
Cojuangco said the problem was not with local executives but with some regional or provincial officials who are not releasing the funds.
In her case, she said the 28 schools in her town damaged by Cosme have yet to be repaired because the Department of Education superintendent was allegedly withholding the funds.
Asked about the reason, she replied, "All kinds of excuses."
Cojuangco said she told Arroyo about the problem because "maybe, she does not know what's happening."
The mayor said Arroyo told the agencies to immediately release the money.
During the meeting, Public Works undersecretary Ramon Aquino reported that only about 6,800 galvanized iron (GI) sheets have been delivered to typhoon-stricken towns in Pangasinan.
On May 17, after Cosme, Arroyo announced the release of P500 million for the purchase of GI sheets and other materials for the repair of damaged houses.
When she visited Bugallon town on June 4, she said she wanted a weekly delivery of GI sheets worth P50 million.
Aquino said that 118,000 more sheets would be arriving by Sunday and that they need to purchase about 400,000 more.
"So what happened to the GI sheets?" Arroyo asked.
Aquino explained that delivery of the raw material for the manufacture of the sheets was delayed because of Frank. The materials would come from Taiwan.
Arroyo also inquired about the food-for-work program under which out-of-school youth are given food packs in exchange for helping repair damaged houses.
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3 comments:
Arroyo is urging the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructures to be done faster. She is doing her job so that these buildings would as soon as possible be used in good condition again. This means that she still cares for her people that they should be in well-built infrastructures. Either that, or she only wants to pocket big amounts of cash from funds for this project.
a lot of Filipinos work slow because they don't get paid enough. They get minimum wage so they work slow so that they could get more money because they are paid by the hour.. You can't exactly blame them because with such little money, how do you expect them to feed their family? Gloria Macapagal should pay them a little more in exchange for working faster.
that's nothing! it's just for show! she should scold herself for still being in Malacanang despite being caught cheating in the elections.
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