No More Hell Run By Filipinos 20: Delayed Aid

After four long years survivors of typhoon Odette have finally received the housing assistance promised by the government. The reason for this delay? Massive red tape. The governor of Cebu wanted the money to be distrbuted on cards to ensure it was spent only on building materials. The DPWH disagreed and said handing out cash was the best way to distribute aid. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/678296/odette-survivors-receive-long-delayed-housing-assistance

Four years after Supertyphoon Odette hit Cebu in December 2021, affected residents have finally begun receiving their ₱10,000 financial assistance from the National Housing Authority (NHA).

Through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP), the NHA Region VII distributed the cash aid to 5,787 beneficiaries in Carcar City, whose homes were either severely or totally damaged by the typhoon.

Carcar was the first locality in Cebu to receive and distribute the EHAP aid after submitting the required documents in full. 

The payout was held from December 10 to 12, 2025, which covered 15 barangays, totaling to ₱57.865 million in cash aid distributed to family-beneficiaries.

Long-delayed housing assistance

In 2021, the NHA allocated ₱712 million for housing assistance in Cebu Province after the onslaught of Supertyphoon Odette. 

However, the funds were returned to the National Treasury after a dispute between the agency and the previous provincial administration over how the aid should be distributed. 

The NHA initially planned to give the cash assistance directly to 72,209 households. 

But officials, particularly former Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, preferred distributing the funds via the Dasig Sugbo Card system to ensure that beneficiaries use the aid for recovery-related items.

The proposal was rejected because the NHA said using a different system would violate EHAP guidelines, risk audit issues, and cause possible accusations of fund misuse. 

On November 18, 2025, Governor Pamela Baricuatro formally appealed to the NHA to release the funds for those affected by the supertyphoon. 

“As the People’s Governor, I firmly believe that the affected Cebuanos deserve to receive what is rightfully theirs, despite the years that have passed,” Baricuatro wrote.

A few days later, NHA Manager Joeben Tai said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had approved the release for December.

One would think that if the government is actually working in the best interests of the people that some agreement could be arranged by the national and local governments. Four years is quite a long time. But this did not happen. No doubt all those affected have rebuilt their houses and moved on with their lives. That makes the distribution of this money superfluous. It is highly doubtful that it will be used on "recovery-related items." It will likely be used on Nocha Buena items which is not the use for which it is intended. 

This is not the first nor will it be the last time in which the government has delayed aid to those affected by natural disasters. Four years is far to long of a delay. It is an unreasonable amount of time. The local and national governments could have come to an agreement but the governor of Cebu, Gwendolyn Garcia, was too stubborn to be reasoned with. And this stubbornness was to the detriment of the people who elected her to govern. It is simply one more reason to say No More Hell Run By Filipinos!