MANILA- Ambassador Philip Goldberg of the United States to the country believes that the assistance that his country donated intended for victims of Supertyphoon Yolanda were all accounted for. Goldberg, in a press conference held at the US Embassy on Sept.15, made this statement after he was asked if his government would still continue to provide assistance amid claims that there were donations that remain unspent ten months after Yolanda hit central Visayas, particularly Eastern Visayas.
“The fact is that we believe (that) every dollar is accounted for and we’re satisfied with the process from our point of view. And so, we do not believe that our assistance has been an issue,” Goldberg said.
The US is one of the biggest donors to the country for assistance and rehabilitation of areas hit by Yolanda at more than $87 million. Gloria Steele, Philippine mission director of the USAID (United Agency for International Development), in the same press conference, said that the US uses its own tracking and auditing system on how their assistance went.
She also said that the US has committed to provide $142.5 million to the country, which included both for emergency and recovery assistance. The People Surge, a group of Yolanda survivors, asked for Soliman to step down due to her alleged inefficiency. Earlier, the Commission on Audit reported that there were food packs intended for Yolanda victims worth P2.7 million were wasted and P5 billion was not liquidated in conditional cash transfer fund by PhilPost, among others. Soliman, however, ignored the call saying she will not step down insisting that she is doing her work and that all the financial received by her office were all accounted. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
