Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo disclosed on Monday, Oct. 24, 2016, that about 200,000 victims of Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ did not get aid.
In a press briefing, Taguiwalo said her department conducted an internal assessment of donations given to DSWD following requests from Yolanda victims who did not receive emergency assistance.
The Foreign Aid Transparency Hub (FAiTH) website earlier said the Philippine government received P1.202 billion in cash donations and another P1.269 in non-cash donations after the typhoon.
Generally the money has gone to the people but there are cases of irregularities,” she said
Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo on Monday said her department had submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte a report on supposed irregularities in government aid for victims of supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013.
Taguiwalo said around 200,000 people from Regions 6 and 8 complained that they did not receive assistance from the government.
The DSWD chief said the internal assessment does not include the foreign aid amounting to P14 billion, given to non-government organizations, multilateral organizations and others.
She said her office received requests from 200,000 claimants who said they did not receive Yolanda aid from the government.
Taguiwalo said the Department of Social Welfare and Development started an assessment of Yolanda donations when she assumed office in July upon the request of the people.
We are doing our best that the Yolanda experience in terms of delayed provision of emergency assistance should not be repeated,” she said.
“We don’t want any form of irregularity or corruption, and the President was very clear about it,” she added.
