ILO Allots P33M Emergency Aid to Yolanda Survivors

The International Labour Organizations (ILO) has alloted more than P33 million as emergency aid to all affected families and individuals by super typhoon Yolanda which struck the greater part of the Visayas especially the northern part of Cebu province on November last year.

ILO Cebu Project Coordinator Ivan Ledesma, said the ILO was supported by Norway and Japan in launching a comprehensive livelihood recovery and rehabilitation program in the province of Cebu. Aside from the families and individuals, the ILO also supported the communities and industries to build back better, resilient, decent works and livelihood, Ledesma added.

He said the ILO, through its coordination with the Social Security System, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical and Educational Services Development Authority (TESDA) and other government agencies and non government organizations (NGO), has able to help train all affected individuals in various fields of work from carpentry, mechanical, electrical, and even industrial jobs.

He said these will make them productive and have a normal life.

According to Ledesma, their rehabilitation aid includes all 15 municipalities and one city in the northern part of the province which were heavily affected and damaged by the typhoon.

He identified these municipalities as Bantayan, Sta. Fe, Madridejos, (in Bantayan Islands), Daanbantayan, San Remegio, Tabuelan, Tuburan, Sogod,Tabogon, Borbon, Medillin, Poro, San Francisco, Tudela, Pilar (in Camotes Islands) and the city of Bogo.

Ledesma also said that based on the updated progress of their emergency employment and livelihood recovery for the affected population in all aforementioned areas, they have all projects in each of the 16 municipalities and a city.

The ILO has also provided directly humanitarian assistance to 3,473 families or 17,360 individuals, indirectly provided humanitarian assistance to over 250,000 Cebuanos, Ledesma said.

Ledesma also said ILO took a key role in strengthening the humanitarian livelihoods cluster especially in livelihood mapping and assessment,and supported the establishment of over 30 new community enterprises both in capital and technical.

However, he said the ILO timeline to stay here in Cebu is only up to the first quarter of 2015, as they believe everybody is already back to its normal living and may possibly have more than what they have prior to the typhoon Yolanda, through the support provided by ILO.