Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

6564

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by BAYAN MUNA Rep. 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. In the final report of the Effects of Haiyan released by the National Risk Reduction
Management Council (NDRRMC) there are 6,300 dead, while 28,688 people were injured and 1,062
still missing, Survivor's group People’s Surge placed the number of casualties to up to 19,000 people,
citing the uncounted dead in the far-flung areas of Eastern Visayas.

Days prior to Yolanda’s landfall, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical
Services Administration (PAGASA) already gave wamings that a supertyphoon was about to enter
the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) that can generate storm surges of up to 17 feet 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 wind 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.

Additionally, reconstruction efforts have been abysmal. According to the National Economic
Development Authority (NEDA), government allocation for Yolanda relief, reconstruction and
rehabilitation amounted approximately to Php144.4 billion as of June 2016. While 71% of this has
been released, however, government agencies’ submissions indicate that only 53.4% has been


disbursed. ‘The overall weighted accomplishment or physical completion of projects funded by these
releases was only 40%, while 27.7% are ongoing and 33% have not yet been started.

Independent think-tank IBON foundation noted that agencies tasked to facilitate survivors’
fundamental needs such as housing, food, livelihood and water received rehabilitation funds, but had
very low overall weighted accomplishment. ‘The National Housing Authority (NHA) received the
largest allocation amounting to Php39.2 billion, but the Department of Budget Management (DBM)
reported that its overall weighted accomplishment was only 12.3%, with 45% ongoing and 42.6%
not yet started. ‘The overall weighted accomplishment of the Department of Agriculture (DA),
which received Php1.2 billion, was only 14.1%, with 11.6% ongoing and 74.3% not yet started. The
overall weighted accomplishment of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), which
received Php737 million, was only 2.9%, with 2.5% ongoing and 94.6% not yet started.

‘The poor preparedness, the lacking response and relief, and the abysmal reconstruction efforts by
the government has resulted to the massive death toll and continuing injustice for the survivors. The
‘Memorial in ‘Tacloban City will serve as a marker in memory of the victims, for the many
unidentified dead buried in mass graves, and as 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,

REP. T. ZARATE
Bayan Muna Party list


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

6564

HOUSE BILL No. __

Introduced by BAYAN MUNA Rep. 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 assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Yolanda Memorial Act of 2017.”

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:

“In 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 employ its utmost knowledge and care for the people
To work for a disaster-resilent nation
That appropriate, decisive and climate-adaptive policies must be enforced
To help protect the lives and livelbood of the people and mitigate the effets of disasters
To prevent such loss when another calamity as Yolanda should ever come our way again.

‘May this never happen 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,