Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

3452
HOUSE BILL No. __

Introduced by
BAYAN MUNA Party-List Rep. EUFEMIA C, CULLAMAT, Rep. CARLOS ISAGANI
‘T. ZARATE and Rep. FERDINAND R. GAITE

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

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Super typhoon 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. Cost damage
also reached to some P95.5 billion, more or less.

Days prior to Yolanda’s landfall, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical
Services Administration (PAGASA) already gave warnings that a super typhoon 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 super
typhoon with an estimated packed wind of up to 280 kph and gustiness up to 315 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, and 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 Php1.5 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.

In addition, independent research group IBON Foundation cited on the anniversary of Yolanda
last 2018 that only 25% percent of 50,891 of the 205,128 houses for the victims have been built.
Of the completed units, only 27 percent are occupied.

‘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 eamestly sought.

Approved,

REP. mer C. CULLAMAT

Bayan Muna Party-list
REP. CARLOS PR eve
arty-list
REP, INAND R. GAITE

Bayan Muna Party-list


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, 3452

Introduced by
BAYAN MUNA Party-List Rep. EUFEMIA C. CULLAMAT, Rep. CARLOS ISAGANI
T. ZARATE and Rep. FERDINAND R. GAITE

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 2019.”

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 atmost knowledge and care for the people
To work for a disaster-resilent nation
‘That appropriate, decisive and climate-adaptive polices must always be enforced
To help protect the lives and liveibood of the people and mitigate the effects of disasters
To prevent such loss when another calamity as Yolanda should ever come our wey 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 concemed 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,