HELP CONTINUES TO POUR

IT may take at least one year to fully rehabilitate Pangasinan from the devastation it suffered from the fury of Typhoon Cosme on May 17.

Governor Amado Espino Jr. made this assessment as he signaled the start of the massive reconstruction and rehabilitation of the province.

 “With the magnitude of the destruction, it may take us a year to fully recover from the calamity,” Espino told newsmen on Thursday after receiving part of the promised P40 million worth of donation in kind from the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in Manila.

Though it will take that long to restore Pangasinan to its status as the fastest growing province in the Ilocos Region, Espino said he was impressed by the initial pace of reconstruction and rehabilitation work in the province through the combined efforts of the government and the private sector.

       He cited the rehabilitation of school buildings funded by a P26 million allotment to each of the two Pangasinan school divisions by the Department of Education (DepEd).

The damaged school buildings were repaired in time for the opening of classes last June 10, with the exception of a few whose opening was deferred for another month.

In Binmaley, the reconstruction of the badly damaged Binmaley North Elementary School and Binmaley Central Elementary School was abruptly put on hold after Mayor Simplicio Rosario of Binmaley noted substandard materials were being used by contractors of the DepEd.

Overall, said Espino, reconstruction of damaged school buildings proceeded smoothly and assured the students’ and pupils’ safety and welfare during the rainy season.

Also damaged by the storm were buildings at the provincial capitol compound, the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC), the 14 public hospitals operated by the province, nurseries and demonstration farms.

Reconstruction of damaged buildings of the 14 government hospitals is now ongoing funded initially by the P5 million assistance released by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo through the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

An additional P11 million from the PCSO is also forthcoming to boost funding for hospital repairs.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation made available P25 million for the reconstruction of NRSCC whose rooftop was blown off by the typhoon.

Reconstruction of houses in many parts of Pangasinan are ongoing with the poorest of the poor guaranteed to receive galvanized iron sheets from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Some 38,000 houses in the province were totally destroyed by the typhoon, many of these belonging to poor families with no means to reconstruct their abodes.

“The DSWD is in charge of the distribution of the G.I. sheets,” Espino said as he reported that Dagupan and Bolinao already received their initial allotment of   roofing materials pledged by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when she first came over to the province last May 23.

The governor also reported that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is also set to distribute 10 million bangus fry to fish farmers in connection with the latter’s efforts to rehabilitate the badly damaged aquatic industry of Pangasinan.

The first distribution was done in Alaminos On June 13, the second on July 4 in Dagupan City and the third in Sto. Tomas, La Union on July 25.—LM

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