November 5, 2014 — A year after typhoon Yolanda swept through central Philippines, most of the surviving families are living on P167 per day, IBON Foundation said on Wednesday.
In a news release, the non-profit organization said that a survey it conducted in Yolanda-affected areas showed that 8 out of 10 families earn less than P5,000 on average each month, or P167 per day.
The majority of the 1,094 respondents belong to families with five or more members located in six Eastern Visayas provinces.
Of those respondents who have work, the survey showed each survivor lives on less than P34 a day.
IBON estimates that Yolanda affected the livelihood of up to 6 million workers, especially those in agriculture, fishing, trade and transport.
IBON’s study also showed that agricultural income in the affected areas has been estimated to have dropped by 50 percent to 70 percent after Typhoon Yolanda.
Meanwhile, according to government data cited by IBON, 215,471 families have been given livelihood support through its short-term Cash for Building Livelihood Assets program.
But the number of evacuees was estimated at 918,621 families while the number of houses destroyed was pegged at 1.2 million.
IBON further cited data from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery showing that rebuilding efforts are slow.
It reports only 213 classrooms repaired out of a target 19,648; 27 of a target 132 public markets; 64 kilometers out of a target 431 kilometers of roads; and 3 out of a target 34 bridges.
Last November, Yolanda barreled through parts of Visayas, resulting in thousands of lives lost and billions of damage to infrastructure and agriculture. - GMA News