Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session,

4100

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by BAYAN MUNA,
Reps. NERI J. COLMENARES and CARLOS ISAGANI T, ZARATE

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MEMORIAL
FOR THE VICTIMS OF SUPERTYPHOON YOLANDA IN TACLOBAN CITY,
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Supertyphoon Yolanda was one of the worst natural disasters to strike the country in recent
memory. The death toll was apocalyptic in magnitude and the damage to property was biblical in
proportion. As of February, the total death toll for all Yolanda-ravaged regions has reached 6,201,
while 28,626 people were injured and 1,785 still missing according to the most recent reports of the
National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC).

Days priot to Yolanda’s landfall, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical
Services Administration (PAGASA) already gave warnings that a supertyphoon was about to enter
the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) that can generate storm surges of up to 17 fect high.
President Benigno Aquino III addressed the country, confidently saying that all preparations are
already in place and that the country is ready for the onslaught of the supertyphyoon with an
estimated packed winds of up to more than 300 kph.

But the aftermath of the disaster manifests the total lack of comprehension of the warnings released
by PAGASA, from the Local Government Units to the highest office in the Executive Department.
‘The response was dismal, there was a clear lack of body bags, the dead were left lying on the streets

for days. There was inefficiency in identifying the bodies and up to today, bodies ate reportedly still

being found.

‘The massive death toll has forced the government to resort to mass graves to clear the streets of
bodies, leaving many of the dead unidentified. The Memorial in ‘Tacloban city is to serve as a marker
in memory of the victims of this tragedy and a reminder to our leaders and the people to work
towards a disaster-resilient nation.


In this regard, the immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

Approved,

Bayan Muna Parts



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

4100

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by BAYAN MUNA.
Reps. NERI J. COLMENARES and CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MEMORIAL FOR THE VICTIMS OF
SUPERTYPHOON YOLANDA IN TACLOBAN CITY, APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress astembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Yolanda Memorial Act of 2014.”

SECTION 2. Construction of the Memorial. — \ memorial for the victims of Supertyphoon
Yolanda shall be constructed in Tacloban City under the supervision of the Department of Public
Works and Highways (DPWH) in coordination with the Local Government Units (LGU).

SECTION 3. Inscription. — A message shall be inscribed unto the base of the memorial and shall
read as:

» tn memory of the thousands of victims of Yolanda

That calamities have been transformed into a monstrosity due to climate change
That the leaders of this country must enplay its utmost knowledge and care for the people
To work for a disaster-resilent nation
‘That appropriate, decisive and climate-adaptive polices must be enforced
To help protect the lives and livelibood of the people and mitigate the effects of disasters
‘To prevent such loss when another calamity as Yolanda should ever come our way again.

‘May this never bappen again.”

‘The inscription may be translated into Filipino and/or Waray, according to the discretion of the
LGU.


SECTION 4. Implementing Agency. ~The DPWH shall be the lead implementing agency of this
project in coordination with the concerned LGU.

SECTION 5. Appropriations, ~ The amount necessary to implement the provisions of this Act
shall be charged against the allocations in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of the
Department of Public Works and Highways.

SECTION 6. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen days (15 days) after its complete
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation,

Approved,