NOY SCORED FOR BELATED CALAMITY VISITS / NOY EXASPERATED OVER CRITICISMS
MANILA, OCTOBER 6, 2011 (TRIBUNE) By Charlie V. Manalo and Virgilio Bugaoisan - Members of the House minority scored President Aquino's belated response to the widespread calamity that descended on Central Luzon as a result of the recent back-to-back typhoons "Pedring" and "Quiel" while Aquino justified his conspicuous absence at the height of the calamity as being key to the efficient provision by government agencies of relief and rescue operations.
Aquino is widely known as a slacker and is usually late for appointments and also was known to have cancelled several appointments to give in to inertia.
At their weekly press briefing, House Minority Leader Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, Deputy Minority Leaders Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros "Mitos" Magsaysay and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez took turns in lambasting Aquino who had earlier expressed his dread for photo opportunities which he indicated as the likely outcome if he visited the calamity-stricken areas, even citing his "fear for cameras" as expressed by his spokesmen.
"When the first typhoon struck, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda boasted the 'Ondoy' experience will not happen again, meaning there will be no slow response," Magsaysay said. "But what we saw with Pedring and Quiel were floods everywhere and no sight of the President."
"He (Aquino) need not be physically
present in the calamity-stricken areas. All he has to do is to appear on national television and assure the affected people he is overseeing the situation," the lady solon stressed. "But sadly, days after he arrived from his trip to Japan, there still was no word from him. And all we hear from his spokesman is that he doesn't want to visit the areas affected by the typhoons yet as he does not want to become the center of attraction as he is camera-shy," she said.
"I just don't know why they think its photo ops. This is not the campaign period. You are doing this in the course of your job as president. We're talking of a calamity," Magsaysay exclaimed.
Magsaysay also lashed at National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) undersecretary Benito Ramos for treating the calamity as if it was a laughing matter.
"I was listening to their briefing at the NDRMMC and I found it in bad taste that Usec Ramos was cracking jokes on what happened to the typhoon victims as grave as they are no longer eating," Magsaysay said. He even trivialized help given by the non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
"Coming from a head of the NDRRMC, I don't think those statements are in order," she said.
Suarez, for his part, said Aquino's response was very late in coming. "Being late than never is still late", Suarez said.
Lagman said the administration still has to learn its lesson even after the lashing it got for Aquino who was nowhere to be found during the bloody Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking crisis.
"They haven't learned their lesson from the hostage-taking crisis where the president was as invisible and look what happened. It happened again now," said Lagman.
Aquino claimed he did the correct thing by becoming invisible to the public at the height of typhoons Pedring and Quiel because this allowed the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council and other agencies to focus in carrying out relief and rescue efforts in areas ravaged by flooding.
In an ambush interview after he finally decided to show up in the affected areas, Aquino said that because of his decision to stay out of public view as Pedring and Quiel submerged towns and cities in Central and Northern Luzon, relief and rescue operations were carried out with more efficiency and expediency as he heaped praises for his Cabinet for their alleged exceptional performance in responding to the to the aftermath of Typhoons Pedring and Quiel.
He said that unlike in the past, the government managed to immediately distribute relief goods, evacuate a large number of people in affected areas and minimized casualties because the government is fully focused in their rescue and relief efforts instead of giving attention to the president. He said that during the past administration, it would take nearly two weeks before relief goods could reach disaster areas, citing the case of Typhoon Ondoy.
Aquino said that the present administration has contingences in place even before disaster hit vulnerable areas, the President said, noting that this is the reason why there's no need for him to issue instructions and because of that, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) didn't have to ask for donations to start relief efforts for the victims of two typhoons.
According to the President, the DSWD response is very different from the previous administration, saying that in the past the DSWD would ask for help after devastations have occured.
Despite the criticisms, the President said he's happy with the performance of his Cabinet with regard to disaster response adding that there were just some groups that politicize the way his administration acts.
And to show that politics is already behind him, Aquino pledged the administration's "full support" for plans to finally control the unpredictable rise of floodwaters that has been plaguing Pampanga, the home province and political bailiwick of former President Arroyo.
Aquino told Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda who is a known bosom friend of Mrs. Arroyo, during a briefing on the status of the third phase of the Pinatubo Hazard Urgent Mitigation Project, that he has instructed Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson to carefully study the cause of flooding in the region and to come up with clear, feasible solutions to this.
In an interview, Pineda said the President pledged to augment the calamity fund of the province in order to provide the basic needs to its constituents. "The President told me that once the calamity fund of the province of Pampanga is used up, we should submit the pertinent documents and he will augment the fund by providing additional funding for our use," Pineda said.
The President assured Pineda and the people of Pampanga that they have the full support of the national government.
Pineda said the main cause of the unpredictable rise of floodwaters that has affected six towns and displaced 35,000 families in the province was the inability of the Pampanga Bay to transport floodwaters away from the province effectively.
She said an initial study conducted by the province suggests that there are blockages in the tributaries of Pampanga Bay that lead overflowing water to Manila Bay.
Pineda said that President Aquino has assured full support to all the efforts that would mitigate flooding in the province, particularly the low-lying areas that remained flooded.
At present, seven towns in the province are still under floodwater, affecting some 35,000 families. Aquino has promised full support to whatever solutions that would address the massive flooding in the province, the governor said.
She also said Aquino also assured funds for the province's relief operations as well as the dredging of the heavily-silted Pampanga river, which contributes to the flooding problem in the coastal villages of the fourth district of the province. Several rivers, including those in Aurora and Nueva Ejica provinces, dump their water at the Pampanga river before it comes out to Manila Bay.
"The high volume of water which is supposed to come out at the Pampanga bay flows back to our towns as the bay is heavily silted. It looks like it will stay for weeks and even months in other areas," Pineda said.
After his visit here, the President immediately proceeded to Bulacan, one of the provinces in Central Luzon that were also adversely affected by recent typhoons.
Pineda said the main cause of the unpredictable rise of floodwaters that has affected six towns and displaced 35,0000 families in the province was the inability of the Pampanga Bay to transport floodwaters away from the province effectively.
Aquino also assured local officials and residents of Tarlac on the immediate rehabilitation of the Rio Chico Bridge in Barangay San Roque here to mitigate flooding that caused massive damages, particularly in the low-lying areas in the province.
FROM MALAYA
Noy asks: 'Ano ba talaga, Kuya Eddie' BY REGINA BENGCO BULACAN.
President Aquino on Wednesday expressed exasperation over criticisms about his reluctance to visit calamity areas.
"Merong talagang naghahanap-buhay sa criticisms sa akin, kasi nang dumalaw ako sa Marikina at Malabon, they criticized my visit. Bakit ako dumadalaw doon, pa-pogi? Kung hindi naman ako nakita, nasaan ako? So mahirap talagang maging manananggal na kalahating katawan ko dadalaw, kalahati hindi, para matuwa yung nasa industry ng pagki-criticize sa akin," Aquino said in an ambush interview after inspecting the areas affected by flooding in this province.
He said if a president gives orders to agencies at the height of a calamity, it only means that government is not ready to deal with the situation.
He said if officials already know what to do, there is no need to give orders because they are ready.
"Hindi noong may problema doon gumawa ng solution. Bago pa lang magkaroon ng problema, binabawasan na. Kaya nga tinawag na National Disasater Risk Reduction and Management Council, hindi yung umaagapay pag nasalanta na tayo," he added.
Aquino said his government moves fast because it was able to deal with the effects of two typhoons that dumped two months worth of rains in four days. He said the social welfare department did not ask for donations, unlike during storm "Ondoy" in 2009.
"Sa akin, maayos ang konsensiya ko, masaya ako sa performance ng buong government, talagang may industriya lang ng kritiko ko pero pakipansin ang resulta. Siguro po di hamak na mas maganda ang resulta natin kumpara natin sa Ondoy," he said.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Tuesday that the public should get used to not seeing Aquino inspecting disaster-stricken areas and convening meetings of disaster councils.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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