Philippine Typhoon Haiyan Victims Complain of Slow Relief and Substandard Shelters  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Dead bodies are still being retrieved in Palo, Leyte. Photo from Tudla.
Also see Haiyan Devastates the Philippines, our special coverage page.
More than two months have passed since super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the central part of the Philippines but many survivors are still complaining about the slow arrival of government relief in their communities. In one village in Palo, Leyte, dead bodies are still being retrieved:
In Brgy. San Joaquin, Palo, Leyte, more than 2 months after typhoon Yolanda, bodies are still being retrieved in a swampy area of the village. According to retrieval operations volunteers in the village, they did not receive support from government like equipment and manpower for the retrieval of dead bodies. Volunteers are having difficulty in retrieving the bodies because of the inaccessibility of the area and lack of equipment.
Haiyan killed more than 6,000 people (the government is not yet finished counting the dead) when it caused a four-storey storm surge in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. It was the world’s strongest and deadliest storm of 2013.
Millions were left homeless after Haiyan completely devastated large areas in the region. The ground zero of the disaster is Tacloban, the capital of Leyte province. A drone flight by the Thijs Bertels Videoproducties clearly documents the extent of destruction left by Haiyan in the city.
Adding to the burden of refugees is the reported construction of overpriced and substandard temporary shelters by the government. This latest scandal has enraged many people who accused politicians of stealing from the rehabilitation funds.
Inquirer claims Yolanda bunkhouses overpriced. Apparently corruption continues along the straight and narrow path. How sad.
— Ronnie Nathanielsz (@ronnathanielsz) January 5, 2014
RT if you agree #YolandaPH survivors deserve more! #ReliefPH is not about substandard, mediocre aid! pic.twitter.com/4cIvta7WCV
— Tonyo Cruz (@tonyocruz) January 9, 2014
Those overpriced bunkers built for Yolanda victims are an international embarrassment, they are substandard and likened to pigpens. Fail!
— Maxell (@maxell_lander) January 14, 2014
But Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman assures the public that the government has been continuously providing all forms of assistance to typhoon victims:
A total of 3,845 GI sheets have been distributed in Brgy. San Isidro, Tanauan, Leyte… pic.twitter.com/mASEqyovSn
— Dinky Soliman (@dinkysunflower) January 19, 2014
Tudla, a multimedia group, reported that some of these overpriced bunkhouses have remained unoccupied:
More than two months after typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit the Philippines, until now these temporary shelters or bunkhouses in Bliss, Tacloban City have no occupants.
No occupants for these controversial bunkhouses. Photo from Tudla
Eric Aseo writes about how to improve the reconstruction process:
While victims of Yolanda endure the monsoon rains inside flooded tents and leaking houses, it’s urgent that the government and international partners prioritize plugging up these leaks and leaks of all sorts so that effective reconstruction efforts can move forward.
Despite the relief pledge of many countries, funds have not yet reached the Philippines according to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad:
What we heard them say at the height of the Yolanda relief operations versus what you see them now delivering by way of cash, there's a big disparity.
Meanwhile, concerned citizens belonging to Kusog Tacloban have created an online petition asking foreign governments to make a complete accounting of the funds they gave to the Philippine government in order to monitor the utilization of the global aid:
Full transparency from you, the governments providing the aid, will enable us, watchdog groups, and concerned citizens, to hold government and private contractors to account in the difficult and long task of rehabilitation and rebuilding after Super Typhoon Yolanda. So we hope you, the foreign governments, continue to help us—please help us to monitor the rebuilding of our home.
Also see Haiyan Devastates the Philippines, our special coverage page.