Philippine shifts to recovery, rehabilitation in typhoon-hit areas

 The Philippine government has shifted from disaster humanitarian phase in Typhoon Haiyan-hit areas to recovery and rehabilitation, a senior government official said Wednesday.
Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman announced the transition at the 6th Inter-Cluster Coordination Meeting of the Philippine government and the Humanitarian Country Team, which is chaired by DSWD and co- chaired by the United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Program Country Director Luiza Carvalho.
She said that the relief and humanitarian phase will now give way to medium- and long-term interventions in pursuit of the recovery and rehabilitation phase of the internally displaced population in areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan, which hit most parts of the country in November last year.
As part of the transition, regular coordination meetings will not be under the leadership of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery headed by Secretary Panfilo Lacson, she said.
While the relief phase is finished, Soliman said the provision of the needed food support will not cease for those in evacuation centers and those who still need it.
Haiyan left at least 6,200 people dead, over 1,700 others missing, and millions of families homeless.