Police did good job, says Benguet governor

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Philippines – The high number of casualties in the province during Typhoon Lando was “beyond our control,” Gov. Nestor Fongwan said yesterday.

“In fairness to the police, they did their work very well,” Fongwan added.  

He made the statement following the relief of Benguet police director Sr. Supt. David Lacdan.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento ordered the relief of Lacdan for alleged inefficiency in disaster preparation after the province suffered 14 casualties during Typhoon Lando.

Lacdan, who took over the Benguet provincial police only three months ago, said he would follow the orders like a good soldier.

Lacdan attended a cluster meeting of the Regional Risk Reduction and Management Council in Baguio City and bade goodbye to Fongwan.

Fongwan said the Benguet police under Lacdan did their best to minimize the danger to residents.

President Aquino also admitted the government’s preparations for disasters would still have to be improved, especially since zero-casualty was not achieved when the slow-moving Typhoon Lando struck the country and left massive damage in its wake.

“I suppose when we assess everything, we can see the things to improve on. We still have casualties,” Aquino said.

The President was in Casiguran, Aurora yesterday leading Cabinet officials on an inspection tour of the town which bore the brunt of the category 4 typhoon which made landfall last Sunday.

Aquino said with the help of local officials, they could work together on the problems that could be avoided, particularly on casualties.

“We cannot avoid, I repeat, 20 typhoons that pass here every year, but we can prepare (for them),” he said.

Aquino noted the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) had given warnings that the typhoon was different because it was slow-moving and it hovered in the country for almost a week, inundating central and northern Luzon with heavy rains.

The President said the government could continue to learn from the disasters.

“My appeal is let’s continue our cooperation, coordination with each other so we can speed up the process,” Aquino said.

The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) reported the highest number of casualties at 21, with Benguet at 15 yesterday.

Ifugao had three; Baguio City with two and Abra had one. The provinces of Kalinga and Apayao attained zero-casualty.

Officials said the death toll in Benguet could increase further with one still missing. Another person in Abrawas also missing.

Initial damage to agriculture was placed at over P34 million, more than half of it high-value crops. Apayao was hardest hit with over P18 million worth of crops destroyed.

Estimates on infrastructure damage in various provinces have not come in, except for initial figures from Benguet at over P4 million, while according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), over 30 road cuts were recorded all over the highland region.–Aurea Calica, Jaime Laude, Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero, Rainier Allan Ronda, Helen Flores, Czeriza Valencia, Ric Sapnu, Raymund Catindig, Rudy Santos, Janvic Mateo, Non Alquitran, Jun Elias