Philippines exempts typhoon restoration projects from election ban

The Philippine government said on Sunday it will exempt projects to repair public infrastructures damaged by the four super typhoons that lashed the country last year from a ban of public works during the election period.

The Department of Budget and Management Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. said that works on these projects will continue for as long as activities will be limited to the restoration of the damaged facilities, in accordance with an election code which exampts"emergency works"from the ban.

The public works ban starts 45 days before the senatorial and local elections on March 30, in order to prevent government candidates from taking advantage of public works to win votes.

Andaya said a 10-billion peso (204 million U.S. dollars) Calamity Assistance and Relief Efforts or CARE fund, which the Congress has included in the 1.026-trillion peso (20.9 billion U.S. dollars) 2007 national budget, will be limited to restoration work.

More than 1,000 people were killed and tens of thousands made homeless when the Philippines were hit by a series of super typhoons from September till December last year.

Source: Xinhua