Philippines relocates displaced families in typhoon-hit areas to permanent house

The Philippine government will start next month relocating to permanent homes families displaced by Typhoon Haiyan, President Benigno Aquino III said Tuesday.

During his visit to Tanauan town in central Philippine province of Leyte, Aquino said that initially 50 permanent housing units will be available by the second week of March and 50 families will be transferred there.

"In two weeks, we expect 50 families to move into permanent homes. The other 1,300 can follow suit in the next six months," he said.

In Leyte alone, the government will build 25,000 permanent houses and Tanauan town is one of the areas where these houses will be located.

Aquino said the national government's post-typhoon Yolanda response is not perfect but it had done its utmost to immediately attend to the needs of the survivors and rebuild the communities as soon as possible.

Forty-four of the country's 81 provinces were affected. Aquino denied that there were towns or barangays (villages) that had been left behind in the relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Haiyan, which ravaged the country on Nov. 8, left at least 6, 200 people dead and more than 1,700 others missing.