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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Quake victims complain of unequal relief distribution

By Danny Dangcalan

BACOLOD CITY ,Philippines – 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.

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
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

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