TACLOBAN CITY-It’s very disappointing that seven months after supertyphoon Yolanda hit Eastern Visayas, the government still don’t have an over-all master plan despite of the fact that officials of all affected areas have already submitted their post disaster assessment needs. Thus said Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who visited Tacloban and other Yolanda-hit areas last May 23. Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on local government, added that until now the funds that are intended to go to the LGUs hit by the typhoon and even to the affected public schools, state colleges and universities remained undelivered. “Yolanda-affected state universities and colleges reported they haven’t received a single centavo of the fund to be used for their facilities,” Marcos said in a press conference. “Right now, reconstruction and rehabilitation are still being spearheaded by international agencies, non-government organizations and private Philippine corporations. But we are still waiting for massive assistance that we have been promised,” Marcos added. According to Marcos, he learned that Budget Secretary Butch Abad has announced that P32.8 billion was already released, and for this Marcos expressed hope “that the funds will be felt by the LGUs on the grounds because those are badly needed.” The senator said that some of the mayors that he met were affiliated with the ruling party, thus, dispelling speculations that politics could be the reason for the delay on the release of financial assistance. “But these mayors refused to talk about it openly for fear that they might not receive the financial assistance,” Marcos said. Marcos said that since the LGUs are requesting him about the funds, he said what he can do is to “just keep bringing it up.” “We are still in an emergency. I do not propose that we’ll cut corners. But I think we can do a lot to expedite the process,” he said. Marcos said he understand about the dilemma faced by rehabilitation Secretary Panfilo Lacson “since his office doesn’t have the funding and it is only on making proposals and coordination.”(RONALD O.REYES)