Tacloban mayor hits PNoy, Mar for lack of help

MANILA, Philippines - Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez criticized the national government for supposedly not providing the additional help that he requested after the onslaught of Super Typhoon "Yolanda" last month.

During the televised Congressional post-disaster assessment on Monday, Romualdez said they "kept begging" for more assistance in security and rescue efforts but there was "hesitation" from the part of the national government.

Romualdez said the widespread looting in the typhoon-ravaged city prompted him to ask for police and security reinforcement, but only to be ignored by the national government.

"I was asking police force of Tacloban City to be augmented, and yet, hindi na-augment yung security ng Tacloban City, Tinanggal pa yung chief of police,” Romualdez said, referring to Eastern Visayas Police Chief Superintendent Elmer Soria, who was relieved from his post for estimating that 10,000 may have died due to the monster typhoon.

Romualdez claimed that in one meeting, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas asked him instead to write a letter or ordinance, stating that the local government is no longer functioning and that the national government needs to step in.

"[Secretary Roxas] asked me and told me that we have to legalize everything here. Then I asked him what is to legalize here. ‘Well this is a gray area that the national government is coming here and doing all this,’" the Tacloban mayor said.

Romualdez said he then told Roxas that Aquino is also the president of Tacloban City and that the national government could already conduct the rescue and relief efforts without the letter being requested.

He recalled that Roxas then responded: "You have to remember: we have to be very careful because you are a Romualdez and the president is an Aquino."

Romualdez said he could not understand why he could not get the help that he requested from the national government.

"Kung kaya ng police at military na ma-secure ang President, bakit 'di kami nabigyan ng security para ma-secure ang siyudad?" Romualdez said.

Presiding over the activity, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said Roxas will be asked to present his side on the issue in the next hearing.

Nearly 6,000 people have been confirmed dead after Yolanda slammed into the country last month and devastated Tacloban City with its powerful winds and tsunami-like storm surges.