Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the creation of a task force that will focus on fast-tracking the rehabilitation of areas ravaged by typhoon Haiyan, locally named "Yolanda", a senior government official said Friday.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla, former governor of Leyte province in central Philippines, was designated to lead the task force.

Coloma said members of the task force will discuss a comprehensive rehabilitation program for central Philippines and other regions affected by the typhoon.

He said the program will prioritize shelter and reconstruction, power restoration, livelihood and employment, resettlement and pyscho-social care, environmental protection, and resource generation and allocation.

Typhoon Haiyan battered central and western Philippines on Nov. 8, killing 4,015 and injuring more than 18,000 people. Strong winds and floods caused by a storm surge resulted in the destruction of 12.65 billion pesos (289.02 million U.S. dollars) worth of properties, infrastructure and crops. Endi

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