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Guiuan, Eastern Samar
7 November 2014

A day before the anniversary of the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda, President Benigno S. Aquino III paid a visit to Guiuan, Eastern Samar to personally inspect the rehabilitation efforts being done in the municipality.
His first stop was at the Guiuan Public Market that is being built through the Recovery Assistance for Yolanda of the Department of Interior and Local Government (RAY-DILG). It is expected to be finished in January next year.
He then proceeded to Guiuan East Central School and assessed its newly-repaired classrooms. According to the official website of the Guiuan local government (guiuan-esamar.gov.ph), the extent of damages reported in the area where this school was situated was said to be up to 100%.
After which, the President went to the Barangay Cogon Transitional Site to lead the turnover of a ‘bahay kubo’ temporary shelter to a family beneficiary and the awarding of certificates of occupancies.

The site is a housing project for the affected residents initiated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Guiuan local government.
In his speech, the President cited a few of the relief and rehabilitation efforts done by the government and private sectors in all areas affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda. A total of 12.2 million family food packs were distributed from November 2013 to July 2014. Similarly, DSWD tallied 90, 226 Cash for Work Program beneficiaries from November 2013 to September 2014.
On the education side, 1,095 classrooms (out of the 2,313 target) are currently being constructed. DILG also spearheaded the building of 480 houses while more than 7,000 are under construction.

“Sa kabila ng bawat pagsubok na kinailangan nating harapin, napatunayan nating ang pinakamainam na gawin ay simulan ang dapat masimulan; ilagay ang kaliwang paa sa harap ng kanan, at magpatuloy lamang sa paghakbang. Sa ganitong paraan, nagawa nating pagtulungang lampasan ang mga pagsubok na dala ni Yolanda,” he said.

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