Misleading

A Twitter user said that a month has passed since Vice President Leni Robredo went to Dinagat Islands, which was ravaged by Typhoon Odette, and promised to build houses, but only a tarpaulin of the “Angat Buhay” program can be seen on the site.

CLAIM: Twitter user @WebBuzzr said: “Residents of the area are now saying that someone just left an Angat Buhay tarp on the site, but no one came back. Anyare?”

RATING: This is misleading.

FACTS:

What the post say

The Twitter user said Robredo had a groundbreaking ceremony in Dinagat Islands for housing for survivors of Typhoon Odette, but not one house has been built since. Only the tarpaulin of Angat Buhay — an initiative of the Office of the Vice President in cooperation with NGOs and private partners — can be seen on the site.

What it left out

The Provincial Government of Dinagat Islands, through its Provincial Information Office, said they launched the Angat Buhay sa Kalikasang Buhay Villages on February 5.

Addressing social media posts on the alleged delay in the project, the PIO said:  

“Yes, one month has passed, but each day since our groundbreaking, our Provincial Government offices that are part of the recovery team have been working tirelessly so that the first 60 houses (20 in each village site—Barangay Cuarinta in San Jose, Barangay Boa in Cagdianao, and Barangay Malinao in Tubjaon) will be built.”

Philstar.com cannot independently verify the video of the supposed site, but the PIO said that since February 5, they have started land development, including clearing of the site, in the first site in Barangay Cuarinta.

They said they also had to submit the requirements for environmental compliance certificates. Workers have already been hired and materials have been procured and delivered.

Essential context

Dinagat Islands was among the hardest-hit areas by Typhoon Odette that ravaged Central Philippines in December 2021.

The typhoon affected more than 148,000 residents of the province, and killed at least 14 people in their locality.

Read the full story on Philstar.com.

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