RAPPLER | UNDP's cash-for-work program to continue in 2014

BY RAPPLER.COM
POSTED ON 12/24/2013 12:25 PM | UPDATED 12/24/2013 3:51 PM


LIFE GOES ON. Residents of Tacloban try to celebrate Christmas and look forward to 2014. Photo by LeAnne Jazul/Rappler

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – To improve the life of victims who have been devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will continue its cash-for-work program until next year.

UNDP senior response coordinator Yuri Afanasiev said their program seeks to provide employment to those rendered jobless by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

He also said that the people behind the program have coordinated with various experts, including some officials of the national and local government, to make sure it works.

As of December 23, Afanasiev said that there are already 7,000 beneficiaries under the cash-for-work program. They have been tasked to help in the collection of debris in their respective localities. Some of the beneficiaries have been deployed to several affected areas in Eastern Visayas such Tacloban, Guiuan and some other municipalities in the province of Leyte.

For 2014, Afanasiev said that the UNDP has targeted 55,000 beneficiaries for this program, as it eyes the launch of additional programs – cash-for-timber and cash-for boat – before the end of February next year.

For farmers, fishermen

The cash-for-timber program can benefit affected coconut farmers, while the cash-for-boat program will focus more on the repair and creation of boats for fishermen.

The cash-for-work program, Afanasiev said, will give a beneficiary P260 a day for minimum working days of two weeks.

“We have prioritized the cleaning of debris in order to utilize the roads which will normalize the transportation,” Afanasiev said.

Once the debris is cleared, the rehabilitation of schools, hospitals, markets and other structures will be easier, he added.

The UNDP’s cash-for-work program will continue, Afanasiev said, for as long as “there are still major problems” like inadequate or no supply of electricity, water, food and shelter.

Cash transfer for clean-up workers

Meanwhile, the mobile cash transfer for those employed in emergency clean-up operations in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) went live in hard-hit Tacloban City, Monday, December 23.

Those who enrolled in the cash-for-work rehabilitation and recovery projects operated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the various United Nations (UN) agencies in typhoon-affected areas are eligible for the cash transfer system.

The first phase of the mobile payment system is expected to reach 5,000 beneficiaries, and will expand to reach a target of 50,000 people. The initiative is headed by UNDP, the Land Bank of the Philippines and Smart Communications.

The beneficiaries will receive a new Samsung mobile phone, a Smart sim card with initial P30 airtime load, and a Land Bank ATM cash card.

Smart Communications E-money head Lito Villanueva said they utilized the Philippines’ moniker of being the world’s “texting capital” to use mobile phones to help those in need. “This proves the pervasiveness of mobile phones and how it could be utilized as a tool for immediate disaster response.”

The Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral earlier granted Land Bank and Smart a special approval that relaxed the know-your-customer (KYC) requirements for the intended beneficiaries. The approval was given promptly since the typhoon survivors lost all their properties and important documents.

The phone payment plan is expected to expand to other typhoon-ravaged areas such as Roxas, Guiuan and Ormoc by the New Year. – with reports from Ryan Gabriel Arcenas/Rappler.com