MANILA, Philippines – The government will relocate up to 940,000 survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) under its newly finished master rehabilitation plan, Rehabilitation Secretary Panfilo Lacson said.

In a statement, Lacson said the rehabilitation plan “includes, among others, the relocation of some 200,000 families displaced by the surge or inhabiting unsafe zones in the Yolanda corridor to safe zones in newly built permanent houses.”

This number of families is equivalent to around 940,000 individuals if multiplied by 4.7, the average family size in Eastern Visayas, the region worst hit by Yolanda in November 2013.

One possible problem is the lack of land for resettlement, but the government had said it is on its way to solve this problem.

Lacson submitted the plan to President Benigno Aquino III on Friday, August 1, and pegged the cost of rehabilitation at P170.7 billion ($3.93 billion*).

Lacson said the Chief Executive has approved the use of P137 billion ($3.15 billion) needed, with Aquino needing to give the go-signal only for “the residual amount of P36 billion ($828.25 milion).”

Shifting to ‘high gear’

In his statement, Lacson said the plan also specifies “shelter assistance for some one million homeowners whose houses were either partially or totally damaged.”

Other contents of the rehabilitation plan cover the following: 

• Livelihood and training assistance for affected farmers, livestock raisers, and fishermen, as well as alternative livelihood programs

• Repair and reconstruction of health facilities

• Construction of more resilient government facilities such as classrooms and evacuation centers

Lacson said he is hoping “to achieve at least 80%” of these priority projects before Aquino’s term ends in June 2016.

Several long-term projects under the rehabilitation plan “entail the support of succeeding administrations,” he added.

With the master plan, the former police chief said, “we are confident that the rehabilitation efforts of the government will now shift to high gear.” – Rappler.com

*$1 = P43.6