Arroyo creates reconstruction body
Arroyo creates reconstruction body
ABS-CBN – Tuesday, October 13Arroyo creates reconstruction body
MANILA – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday signed an executive order forming a special commission for the infrastructure rehabilitation in areas devastated by landslides and floods caused by tropical storms Pepeng (international codename Parma) and Ondoy (Ketsana).
Mrs. Arroyo announced the approval of the executive order during a Cabinet meeting at the West Central Elementary School in Dagupan City, Pangasinan province, which was badly hit by floods during Pepeng’s onslaught.
The new body, called Special National Public-Private Reconstruction Commission, will be headed by PLDT Chairman Manny Pangilinan, with Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Vidal as co-chairs.
Members of the special commission will come from various government agencies, including the Department of Public Works and Highways, business groups and other non-government organizations.
The executive order mandates the new commission as a “clearing house” for all international assistance coming in for the victims of Ondoy and Pepeng.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the creation of the commission will ensure transparency on the international aid received by the government for the typhoon victims.
The two storms devastated a large part of Luzon, particularly Metro Manila and northern provinces.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council said more than 6 million people were affected by the two storms, with hundreds of thousands still displaced.
The two storms’ combined cost of damage to infrastructure has been pegged at P4.78 billion and P12.86 billion to agriculture.
The NDCC’s latest report showed that 56 roads and 9 bridges were destroyed during Pepeng’s onslaught, and the combined number of houses damaged by the two typhoons has reached more than 68,000. Report from Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News
Indeed this is a great response by the government to the devastating effect of the storms. I hope it would do well in acting uppon the needs of the people affected and to those who really needs these help. May these group be successful and my there be no political ageda nor anything that would lead to corruption be uppon this group. I am not saying that there is and there could be but it is a possibility. Every body has the right to do what every they can for indeed the have freedom and with this freedom the choice of doing the right or wrong are present. I hope the leaders, officers and members of these group choose the right thing.
Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/abs/20091013/tph-arroyo-creates-reconstruction-body-85c5a6c.html
