Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 28) — President Rodrigo Duterte signed an order extending the term of the inter-agency task force (IATF) in charge of implementing and monitoring rehabilitation efforts in Yolanda-affected areas until June 2022.
Duterte signed Administrative Order No. 33 on Sept. 16 that states that the term of the IATF for the Unified Implementation and Monitoring of the Rehabilitation and Recovery Projects and Programs in Yolanda-affected Areas (IATF-Yolanda) “shall be deemed dissolved on 30 June 2022, unless it is sooner terminated by the President.”
Under the AO, the task force is also ordered to publish a final report of its accomplishments, which should include projects and programs implemented, and total budget utilized, copy furnished the Office of the President through the Office of the Executive Secretary.
The IATF-Yolanda was created in 2017 to spearhead government efforts in the rehabilitation of the areas and provide assistance to residents hardest hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda under the Yolanda Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan.
Yolanda (with international codename Haiyan) made the landfall in the country in November 2013. This severely damaged Tacloban City, killing more than 6,000 people, and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
The three-year term of the task force was supposed to have ended on Aug. 12 . However, certain percentages of its projects and programs are not yet completed, thus the need to extend it.
Based on the AO, a total of 129,484 housing units have been completed, while 49,112 are still being completed under the Yolanda Permanent Housing Program. Moreover, 241 of 363 permanent resettlement projects have been given access to electricity.
