'PAF officer's wife raised voice on social worker'

MANILA, Philippines - The processing center of typhoon “Yolanda” victims was reverted to Villamor Airbase a few hours after it was transferred to Camp Aguinaldo allegedly due to a turf war between some officials and wives of soldiers.

About 2,000 persons were moved Thursday afternoon to Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City from Villamor Airbase in Pasay City for “processing,” which involves the giving of food, and vital services.

However, some of them were moved back to Villamor Airbase the evening of the same day after the government decided to return the processing center to the airbase.

Sources said about 200 persons were transported back to the airbase since many of the evacuees had been fetched by their relatives in Camp Aguinaldo. The evacuees left Camp Aguinaldo for Villamor Airbase at around 8 p.m.

Many of the tents and booths that were set up in Camp Aguinaldo have been removed.

Villamor Airbase is the original venue for the processing of victims who fled typhoon-hit Eastern Visayas. Those who arrived from the affected areas were given free food, services and counseling in the processing center.

The venue, however, was moved to Camp Aguinaldo Thursday noon, a development that surprised even the country’s top security officials.

There have been talks that the move to transfer the processing center was due to differences among social workers and the spouses of Air Force officers.

Officials, however, denied this, claiming that the plight of the evacuees was the consideration in the change of venue.

There were conflicting reports about the supposed turf war that hampered the transport of typhoon survivors.

Rift

One version states that the Air Force ladies, a term that refers to the wives of Air Force officials, want the processing center moved to Camp Aguinaldo.

Another version states that a senior official ordered the transfer to Camp Aguinaldo because of a rift with the Air Force ladies.

Sources said the Air Force ladies have been helping in the relief efforts even before some volunteers arrive in Villamor Airbase.

There has been animosity between the ladies and some persons from the Social Welfare department since day one, they claimed.

An official who is familiar with the relief efforts said there had been an instance wherein a wife of an Air Force officer raised her voice on a social worker.

Because of these differences, a senior official reportedly decided to move the processing center to Camp Aguinaldo. However, the official supposedly failed to inform his superiors about his decision.

“The official made it appear that the higher ups have agreed to move the venue,” an official said.

Sources said that explained why Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista was clueless when asked by the media why the processing center was moved to Camp Aguinaldo.

“He (Bautista) was not informed about it. He is not at fault,” another source said.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin reportedly pushed for the return of the processing center to Villamor Airbase.

A volunteer also confirmed the presence of a turf war in Villamor Airbase.

Last Wednesday, Oplan Hatid co-organizer Junep Ocampo announced that his group was stopping its operations in the airbase and slammed the supposed rift between Air Force and social welfare officials.

Oplan Hatid is a group of volunteers who help transport typhoon victims from Visayas to the Villamor Airbase.

“Since Day 1, there has been a turf war between these two agencies. The turf war has led to confusing and arbitrary changes in rules and policies, making it difficult for volunteers and those who want to volunteer to help the survivors of typhoon Yolanda,” Ocampo said in a Facebook post.

Reports quoted Ocampo as saying that the Air Force ladies would not want to be overshadowed in the relief efforts.

“We have tried our best to work within the system. We have tried our best to understand all the illogical rules that they made us to follow. We only wanted to serve you. We only wanted to show you that, unlike this government, we do care for you,” Ocampo said.

Villamor Airbase too small

Disaster management officials deny that the change of venue was due to a turf war.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director Eduardo del Rosario attributed it to “miscoordination.”

Del Rosario said that Villamor Airbase was too small for the evacuees so there were efforts to look into alternative venues. However, the operations were reverted to the airbase since Camp Aguinaldo was too far.

“The chairperson of the National Council (Gazmin) gave instructions to continue the operations in Villamor Air Base while looking for a more suitable place,” del Rosario said in a press conference yesterday.

“If want another site for the processing of IDPs (internally displaced persons), it must be near the airport. So everything is now settled and running smoothly,” he added.

Air Force spokesman Col. Miguel Okol also denied that there is a rift between the Air Force ladies and social workers.

“Camp Aguinaldo has more space. But they realized later on that the processing will be faster in Villamor since it is near the airport,” Okol said.

Okol said additional personnel were sent to Villamor Airbase to make up for the smaller space and to hasten the processing of evacuees.

He labeled as “unfair” reports insinuating that the Air Force ladies are seeking attention and are causing disruptions in the relief efforts.

“Everybody is entitled to his opinion. These reports are not rue. The ladies contributed so much,” Okol said.