RELIEF DISTRIBUTION
[PHOTO -
Soldiers and volunteers carrying relief goods walk on a damaged road in
Guihulngan, Negros Oriental. EDD GUMBAN]
BACOLOD CITY, FEBRUARY 12, 2012 (PHILSTAR) By Danny Dangcalan – As if their
misfortunes were not enough, earthquake victims in Negros Oriental yesterday
complained of unfair treatment over the distribution of relief goods which they
said hardly sufficed.
The problem posed by the unequal distribution of relief goods was also
exacerbated by politicians who are using the disaster to bolster their political
stock for next year's elections.
A resident of Guihulngan City, who requested not to be named, told The STAR
that relief goods are not distributed evenly and most of the beneficiaries were
residents of Barangay Poblacion.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has been distributing
relief goods in the city's gymnasium composed of three kilos of rice, six cans
of sardines, and one 500-ml. bottled water per family, good only for three days.
Bonmark Uy, president of Guihulngan City React and coordinator of 143 Red
Cross, said that most of the relief goods donated by different provinces and
cities from around the country are delivered to the house of the Guihulngan
Mayor Ernesto Reyes.
[PHOTO - Residents queue for water at a relief distribution center on
Friday in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental. The magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck
between Cebu and Negros islands on Monday disrupted electricity and water supply
lines.]
Uy said the mayor is doing his best to serve the people of Guihulngan and the
procedure of distributing the goods is his prerogative.
Reyes said he never chooses who he would help and who would receive aid, but
he admitted that there are victims who have not yet received relief goods.
Relief goods from the provincial government of Cebu composed of 100 packs of
mineral water, 150 boxes of sardines and 130 boxes of noodles arrived Wednesday
night in Guihulngan and were delivered to the house of Reyes.
Guihulngan is the entry point of relief goods being distributed to other
towns and cities in Negros Oriental stuck by Monday's quake.
Bombo Radyo reported that victims from far-flung villages in Guihulngan
massed into the gymnasium where the DSWD is distributing the goods.
The residents seized rice and sardines from the distributors and ransacked a
truck of soft drinks, it reported.
It was also reported that residents have been complaining of hunger and have
grown impatient waiting for the food to be delivered to their barangays, mostly
in mountainous areas.
The DSWD reportedly only received a list of 1,400 families as recipients but
there were more than 3,000 families that trooped to the gymnasium.
Politics in relief efforts
Bothered by reports that some government officials were taking advantage of
the situation to bolster their political stock, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo
called on politicians, particularly in Negros Oriental, not to use the calamity
to advance their interest.
Some photos uploaded on Facebook showed a white plastic bag containing relief
goods with a sticker and logo of "DSWD" and the words "Magdegamo" and "rescue."
"Magdegamo" was apparently in reference to Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo,
who virtually turned the distribution of relief goods into early campaign
propaganda.
"I will advise Governor Degamo to refrain from using the calamity for
political purposes," Robredo said in a text message to The STAR.
Degamo was criticized by Negros Oriental residents and other Facebook users,
saying he should have been more circumspect.
"I just want to ask the governor's office… is the governor spending his own
money for the relief goods? If not, he doesn't have any right to put his name in
every pack of relief good. Magbaton pod dagway tag kaulaw. (We should have some
sense of decency). There is time for politics, but now is just a very bad
timing," said Andrea Trinidad-Echavez, a native of Negros Oriental.
She pointed out that although "degamo" is an Ilonggo term for "let's prepare
food," Cebuanos do not usually use such word.
She also noted that the controversial photo was first uploaded on Facebook by
the account "group of Guihulngan."
The STAR tried to contact Degamo for comment but the supposed hotline posted
at the official website of Negros Oriental provincial government "was outside
the coverage area."
Damaged roads hamper government services
[PHOTO - A backhoe starts work Friday on a road in Guihulngan, Negros
Oriental damaged by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck between the islands
of Cebu and Negros. The magnitude 6.9 temblor claimed at least 34 lives and
dozens remain missing. Photo by Val Cuenca for
ABS-CBNnews.com]
Meanwhile, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson said the towns
of Jimalalud and La Libertad in Negros Oriental are still inaccessible, stalling
the government aid.
The two towns are situated in the middle of the affected area and have been
cut off by damaged roads and bridges from the municipality of Tayasan, the
epicenter of the tremor, and Guihulngan.
Singson said they were instructed by President Aquino not to restore the
damaged infrastructure to their original form but make sure that the roadways
would be accessible for the relief goods.
There is a clamor from affected residents for the construction of steel
modular bridges to replace those damaged by the quake.
An initial assessment showed that apart from the long stretches of wrecked
roads, at least 17 bridges were also damaged.
The DPWH have already sent 12 teams, aside from three teams sent by the
private sector, to assess the condition of the structures. The agency is looking
for alternate routes, on land and water, to reach those places.
Singson said one of the remedies to reconnect the roadway is to construct
temporary structures called Bailey bridges.
The DPWH has also coordinated with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), who
allowed use of their barge to transport personnel, heavy equipment and
construction materials to the affected areas that could not be accessed by land.
The DPWH initially estimated the cost of the repair to reach P265 million,
which would be taken from the department's Quick Response Fund.
The DPWH would be utilizing some of their available construction materials
that are stored in their depot and can be used in the road repairs.
The agency would also avail of the government's "food for work" program to
hire local residents to help break and flatten the road asphalt so they could
begin the road reconstruction.
Hope dims for landslide victims
In a related development, rescuers and local residents in the
hinterland village of Planas in Guihulngan retrieved the decomposing bodies of a
pregnant mother and her two young children who were buried in a landslide on
Monday.
The victims were identified as Maritess Nocos Jimenez, 32, her daughter
Christie, 2, and her son, Arvin, one year old, said Guihulngan City Councilor
Jessica Villarmente.
Already in an advanced state of decomposition, the victims were identified by
the husband, whose name was not made available at press time.
The mother and her son were found next to each other while the daughter was
found a few feet away.
Among those who are still helping out in the retrieval operations at the
Planas landslide are volunteers and rescue workers of the Bureau of Fire
Protection, Philippine National Police, Amity Fire Brigade Volunteers from
Bacolod City, Philex Mining, Phil. Saga, Apex, and a group sent by Albay Gov.
Joey Salceda – Evelyn Macairan, Cecille Suerte Felipe,
Rainier Allan Ronda, Jose Rodel Clapano
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
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