Four months after Yolanda: Post-disaster news coverage
His briefings did not provide general budget plan in the use of the P3 billion cash from foreign donors. Media did not ask who is holding these funds. Lacson did not provide information on the contributions they expect from private companies and from NGOs who will bring their own resources for rehab work.
As in other disasters, news reports on the aftermath of Yolanda merely repeated what was said in press briefings. As government announces its plans and projects for rehabilitation of Yolanda affected communities and provinces, the media need to follow up on the implementation of these plans. Planned activities and targets become credible only if given on a time frame as well with estimates of costs. Government must also provide the names of those in charge of the activities and reconstruction. These are specific information that will assist the media and the public keep tab of the progress or the lack of it.
Following up on the plan forces the agencies, both private and public, to explain the failure to keep to a timetable, to make their adjustments and help the communities in planning how they can cope with delays. Media then also provide a tool for assessing the roadblocks and the cause of these delays. The problem of rehabilitation involves environmental questions. One cannot just build or allow re-building without hazard mapping. But while safe sites are being determined, how are the communities expected to cope? Both government and media did not take up this question.
New sources for government information on rehab
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Lacson did mention the plan for a government “map-based website” to ensure transparency. On November 18, the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub (FAiTH) opened, and was reported by the media as “online tracker of humanitarian aid given by foreign countries and organizations.”
News reports on February 17 said that the government is still working with multilateral agencies Asian Development Bank and World Bank to establish a Yolanda Multi Donor Trust Fund. The media also reported on February 28 that according to the PARR, a Track Recovery System is expected to be set up by May which will include the financial and physical status update of programs and projects during the recovery phase.
Foreign countries continue to pledge support for the Philippines as media report the slow delivery and as well as cases of sub-standard construction of the bunk-houses. According to FaiTH, the total pledge from foreign donors has already reached P24.8 billion: P3 billion for cash and P21 billion for non-cash. As of this writing, the total cash received by the government is P648 million.
RAY Plan
The government’s official journal, Official Gazette, also announced that the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) along with government agencies and multilateral development partners created a unified plan to rehabilitate areas damaged by typhoon Yolanda. Reconstruction Assistance on Yolanda (RAY) is supposed to serve as the government’s guide in coordinating recovery and reconstruction efforts. It identifies immediate actions needed to be done such as focusing on “priority repairs to housing and the provision of temporary shelter; reactivating social services; rehabilitating water supply and sanitation systems; transport and power infrastructure; restoring livelihoods (including agriculture and fisheries) and temporary employment; and resuming national and local government services.”
It also emphasized the importance of partnering with the private sector in “opening up supply chains, committing production, and fast-tracking logistical arrangements to help those affected by the typhoon.”
Media question RAY
The RAY plan is the “government’s guide in coordinating recovery and reconstruction efforts” but Lacson rarely mentioned it in his press briefings. The RAY plan was posted on the Official Gazette and was picked up by several news agencies.
A report from The Philippine Star said: “The title of the plan is ‘build back better’ but it does not say how and when this will be done. The plan may even fall short of achieving pre-Yolanda economic levels.”
A Rappler report even suggested points for improvement such as strengthening the local government units’ capacity to respond to disasters and building “broad multi-stake holder ownership of reconstruction plans.”
Rigoberto Tiglao, who was a member of President Arroyo’s Cabinet and now a constant critic of the Aquino administration, wrote in an article published on The Manila Times: “Three months after Yolanda hit, and they’re still coordinating?” He added that the RAY plan “is a short 21-paged document with 17 pages devoted to an assessment of Yolanda’s economic and social impact, much of it lifted from the Asian Development Bank’s documents for the $500 million ‘emergency assistance’ loan.”
According to the Gazette, several line agencies are expected to support the rehab czar. NEDA is in-charge of integrating the proposed programs which will be submitted to the President and the Cabinet; DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson handles the construction of infrastructure and temporary shelters; Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, and TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva are dealing with livelihood and employment; Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman takes care of resettlement and psychosocial care for the victims; DENR Secretary Paje oversees environmental protection; Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario are in-charge of generating and allocating resources; and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas is responsible for coordinating with the local government.
The Department of Budget and Management has released P17.69 billion for the relief and rehabilitation of disaster-ravaged areas. The money was distributed to the National Housing Authority, National Electrification Administration, National Power Corporation, National Food Authority, and Local Water Utilities Administration. Other funds were allocated for services on local government, education, health, employment, food distribution, agriculture and fishery.
Coordination on government information
Another gap in the overall plan is the information given to local government units. As of February, there are still reports on some towns not getting financial assistance from the government. One mayor asked, “Where are the foreign donations?”
In an interview by Ted Failon aired on the 100th day after Yolanda struck, Lacson said “nothing really much has been done” in the rehab work since “he was given meager resources.” Failon did not note the other information which CMFR gleaned from the Gazette.
Perhaps, Lacson and all government agencies involved should coordinate the information flows coming from different government agencies. They should schedule regular briefings that will update the media and the public about the progress of implementation.
It is up to the media to make sure that they attend these sessions, using the face-to-face opportunities to get the information that the public has a right to know.
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