Sustaining the momentum which started in the earlier weeks, the Common Services Project (CSP) continued to provide support to the Accountability to Affected Populations Working Group (AAP-WG) as the Isturyahanay, a community forum on transparency and accountability, has been rolled out to the Typhoon Yolanda-affected municipalities in Northern Iloilo.
February 18 and 19 saw the Isturyahanay being rolled out in the towns of Balasan and Carles respectively which engaged representatives from a total of eleven barangays.
“This forum is a great venue,” says Ma. Janette Alunday, Municipal Social Welfare Department (MSWD) Officer for Balasan, during her opening remarks. “We hope through this forum, we will be able to reach out to the people of our town and eliminate any negative feelings which are brought about by rumours.”
For both days, Mr. Arjoe Porquez, a representative from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR), was in attendance to present the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (CRRP) to the attendees.
The Common Services Project (CSP) is a joint initiatve between Plan, World Vision and IOM supported by DFiD.
“As much as possible, we want to sensitize the people about the capabilities and limitation of our office,” says Mr. Porquez prior to his presentation.
He goes on to say, “we are the coordinating body for the different offices during the recovery phase and we would like to clarify that we do not directly handle the funds which go to the respective sectors. However, what we could do is oversee the funds and their projects. With this event, we can show you what things you could expect from your Local Government Unit (LGU) and please do not hesitate to report to us if some of the proposed projects here do not materialize in the long run.”
