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Philippine typhoon victims to be displaced for pope's visit

Temporary relocation will see 250 families moved far from schools and workplaces
Philippine typhoon victims to be displaced for pope's visit

Victims of Typhoon Haiyan decry plan to relocate them for pope's visit (Photo by Vincent Go)

Published: September 26, 2014 05:35 AM GMT
Updated: September 25, 2014 06:36 PM GMT

Some 250 families whose homes were destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan last November will again be displaced to give way for Pope Francis’s visit in January.

"We were informed that this area will be cleaned," said Delia Coritana, 43, who lost her family to the typhoon that killed more than 6,000 people in the central Philippines in November last year.

"We feel like we are being thrown away. We feel that [the authorities] are ashamed of our situation," Coritana told ucanews.com.

Coritana and her neighbors have been living in temporary shelters in the town of Palo in Leyte province while waiting for the government to build permanent structures to house victims of the disaster.

But the area where the shelters are standing will be used for a prayer vigil on the eve of the pope's visit.

"What is more devastating is that after our transfer we will be moved back again to our present bunkhouses when the pope leaves," Coritana said.

"They are going to transfer us to other bunkhouses far away from here, even far from our children’s school, and also without water,” she said. "What would happen to us then? What about our wish to also see the pope?"

Ronalyn Sabala, 34, a shelter leader in Palo, said the neighborhood is "saddened by the news".

She urged authorities to consider delaying the move until December, to coincide with the school break.

"If we will be transferred next month or by November, what would happen to our children who are still in school? The travel time and cost of transportation will be an additional burden to us," she said.

Sabala also stressed that people would be happy to transfer to another site if it were ready for permanent housing.

"We are willing to comply with the order... but we are also appealing that the authorities listen to us," she said.

Early this month, a group of typhoon victims appealed to Church leaders to be given the chance to meet Pope Francis when he visits the Philippines.

"They said the pope wanted to come here to see us, the victims. Then why are they taking us away from the pope?” asked Danah Fabi, 36.

Dr Efleda Bautista, leader of People Surge, an alliance of typhoon survivors, said: “We’re doing everything to have an audience with the pope and tell him about the real situation.”

At least 30 people who have suffered from natural disasters, including 20 typhoon victims from Tacloban, five from Cebu and five victims of the Bohol earthquake, are set to meet Pope Francis during his visit in Tacloban City on 17 January.

Bautista said that in the preparations for the pope's visit, members of People Surge have been excluded.

People Surge has been a vocal critic of delays in government relief and rehabilitation efforts for victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

Father Amadeo Alvero, spokesman of the Archdiocese of Palo, said the request of the typhoon survivors cannot be addressed because local Church leaders still don't have the itinerary of the pope.

"We cannot issue a statement because we don’t have finality on the activities yet. We would just know and be sure of all these things if everything is already finalized," he said.

Rosalina Balderas, a social welfare officer in the town of Palo, said she has "no idea" about the planned relocation of the typhoon victims. 

"There was a meeting last week with the mayor, but I was not informed about it," she said.

Some 15,000 typhoon survivors continue to live in tent cities, bunkhouses and evacuation centers in Leyte province.

The government earlier said it has allocated US$3.7 billion to bankroll the recovery and rehabilitation efforts in communities hit by Typhoon Haiyan.

A government-sponsored audit revealed that over $18.4 million of the money remained unused by government agencies tasked to deliver support to the devastated communities.

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