KABATAAN party-list group criticized the government for realigning P5-billion "unused" Yolanda funds to the rehabilitation program for war-torn Marawi City.
In a statement, the group urged the government to finish the rehabilitation program for the thousands of victims of super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), who are still without homes nor livelihood.
The group warned that protests will be held in Eastern Visayas to pressure the government to complete the rehabilitation program.
"We will not stop mobilizing so long as our rights and demands are yet to be served, no matter how long will it take," Kabataan said.
Eastern Visayas and other affected areas in the Visayas marked Wednesday the fourth anniversary of Yolanda, which wiped out several coastal communities and killed over 6,000 people in central Philippines on November 8, 2013.
Kabataan said the realigned funds were part of the P7.5 billion allotted by the government for Yolanda victims.
"Such diversion of funds from unfinished reconstruction efforts in the Eastern Visayas equates to state neglect of rehabilitation work needed there. It is as if the job has already been done yet in reality, thousands of survivors are still without livelihoods and in substandard living conditions," it added.
Yolanda affected 12,122 barangays, 591 municipalities, and 57 cities in 44 provinces across nine regions.
Kabataan claims that four years after the disaster, only 30 percent or 16,846 housing units have been completed out of 56,140 permanent houses that were promised, and only 12,763 of the completed units have been given to victims who were rendered homeless.
The group also said that out of the 86 resettlement sites, only five water supply projects have been completed and only 59 out of the 86 resettlement sites have electricity.
The National Housing Authority (NHA), however, presented before the media Tuesday, November 7, a different set of data.
NHA officials said that as of October 30, 2017, a total of 26,256 housing units have been completed and occupied. These make up 12.79 percent of the total 205,128 targeted units.
A total of 78,291 units, or 38 percent, have been constructed while 59,924 units remain under construction.
Kabataan said President Rodrigo Duterte should be "pounded" for failing to fulfill his vow to finish the reconsruction efforts in Eastern Visayas, similar with the previous administration.
"He still should be pounded to be held accountable for his pledge of not turning his back on Yolanda victims and for criticizing the then yellow administration yet has not made any difference too," said Kabataan. (SunStar Philippines)