Cayetano tells Lorega fire victims to form group

CEBU, Philippines - Presidential aspirant and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano yesterday showed up in Barangay Lorega-San Miguel, Cebu City and suggested that the fire victims organize themselves and form an association to get aid better.

This, as he criticized the national government for failing to come up with a mechanism in which victims of calamities immediately receive assistance even when the country is regularly beset by disasters.

“Nagtataka ako (I wonder) why despite being a country where national disasters are normal, wala pa tayong (we still do not have a) protocol o wala pa tayong (or) best practice kung paano pinaka-effective na tulongan sila (how to best help the victims),” Cayetano said.

He alleged that the Lorega fire victims got 90 percent help from the local government and only 10 percent from the national government and through one agency only, which is the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“Buti sa (Good thing it is in) Cebu City nangyari ito (where this happened). Kung nangyari ito sa third o fourth class municipality, di ba wala ng tulong from the national (government),” he said.

“I don’t think na nagpunta na dito ang NHA (National Housing Authority). I don’t think na may housing na agency na nandito na nakikipag-usap na (to the victims). Pero it’s sad na hindi natin ma-perfect, I’m talking about the national government,” he added.

Cayetano, who had already announced his intent to run for president in 2016, conducted a medical mission for the over 1,500 families victimized by the March 18 fire.  He also distributed P500 to each of the family as cash assistance, and styled himself the “voice in the senate for the victims of calamity.”

He instructed Lorega San Miguel Barangay Captain Fritzgerald Herrera and other officials to organize themselves and form associations so they could easily reach out to the government and receive needed livelihood programs.

“More on organizing the community because rebuilding comes from them. Naa gyud participation ang mga tawo every step. If we look up the community there are needs there…like for example why we need to go to a mall when we buy soap when we can have it in our community,” Herrera said on what Cayetano told him.

Erza Jumao-as, one of the fire victims, said this program would be a great help to them.

Cayetano also said yesterday that it has been 13 days since the fire hit the place but until now the giving of assistance is still on relief distribution.

He further said that all the agencies should always be organized by now and with a specific person in charge.

“Di ba pwedeng nag-assign na ang national government o kap ito ang coordinator mo ah, ito may authority ito tawagan lahat ng secretary, tawagan lahat ng NGO (non-government organizations) tawagan lahat ng ganito, para madali,” he said.

When asked on the slow rehabilitation in the northern Cebu after it was hit by super typhoon Yolanda last year, he suggested that the survivors could be given cash assistance for them to immediately recover.

“For me nagiging attractive yung proposal na kung mabagal ang gobyerno bigyan niyo na lang ang pamilya ng cash kasi alam naman ng pamilya kung ano ang gagawin nila doon (The families know how to use the it is better we give them money instead),” he said.

Earlier, League of Municipalities of the Philippines - Cebu President and Tuburan Mayor Democrito “Aljun” Diamante and DSWD Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman both said that rehabilitation in northern Cebu has not reach halfway yet.  (FREEMAN)