Presidential bets call for urgent national government support for 'Odette' survivors
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential aspirants on Monday called on the national government to ramp up support for families displaced in the aftermath of the most destructive typhoon to hit the country after Yolanda in 2013.
Vice President Leni Robredo, who personally visited typhoon-hit areas over the weekend, called for support for Filipinos living in the Dinagat Islands where food and water supplies starting to dwindle. The province remains without electricity and other means of communication.
"Dinagat Islands badly need our help," she said in Filipino. "The entire region still has no access to basic necessities [and residents are] running out of food."
In a Facebook Live stream on updates from her visits to Bohol, Cebu, Dinagat Islands, and Siargao in Suigao del Norte, Robredo thanked the Coast Guard for helping her team and Sen. Manny Pacquiao's in transporting relief goods to affected areas.
"What we saw in Surigao City was heartbreaking," the vice president said. "People were weeping...and saying they thought they were forgotten."
'Government must act quickly'
Partido Federal ng Pilipinas standard-bearer Bongbong Marcos, the son and namesake of the ousted dictator, also turned over P2 million in financial aid, along with some 2,000 food packs and 3,000 bags of rice to Surigao del Norte officials Monday.
Presidential aspirant and Sen. Manny Pacquiao said he would first wait for things to settle down before visiting in person. "I'm not needed there...Our soldiers and police who assist in relief and rescue operations will only be disturbed," he said in Filipino according to a tweet report by CNN Philippines.
"We will go to them but not now because these things may be more chaotic to bring life back to normal in the devastated areas. What is important for me now is that we can extend our help to them," he also said.
For his part, Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer and Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno called on the Insurance Commission to speed up the processing of insurance claims of Typhoon Odette victims.
"Their houses and businesses were destroyed, so the insurance companies must act quickly," he said at a campaign event in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
"The government that we expect must act quickly and the insurance companies must immediately give the claim of the victims because life is very difficult in the area that Odette destroyed," he also said in Filipino.
Also on Monday, 37 councilors from the Manila City government pooled funds for a total of P370,000 to go to victims of Odette as part of the city's relief efforts under Moreno.
"We made an appeal to all chairmen and councilors what they can spare and learn from their hearts like what happened in Cagayan...we were also able to receive other donations such as clothing, sacks of rice, food packs, anything that they are willing to give," Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna said.
"The government needs to be there to have peace of mind that [the people have] something to lean on, that what he has planted, no matter what happens, he has a government to lean on in the time of the flood, the time of trouble...the government must have a program to give peace to our countrymen because our country is sure to always have disasters," Moreno said.
'BADLY HIT'
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) December 20, 2021
Filmmaker Pepe Diokno shared several photos of Siargao Island, where the director was last December 16 when #OdettePH struck the island.
????: Facebook/ @PepeDiokno pic.twitter.com/djepl39EJm
Without naming anyone, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade in a statement issued later Monday called for a stop to what he said was the “politicization” of efforts to aid those who were affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
He went on to say that "the DOTr has been working quietly while many were making noise."
Earlier Sunday, Partido Lakas ng Masa standard-bearer and labor leader Ka Leody de Guzman today called on President Rodrigo Duterte to "stop the charade and swiftly act" on measures to help typhoon victims.
Government out of money?
"Let's stop this drama that isn't even believable. Many have been devastated. It is the duty of the government to immediately respond to the basic needs of our countrymen affected by typhoon Odette. We expect the government's readiness in such situations," he said in a statement in Filipino.
De Guzman called attention to what he said was the billions in unused calamity funds from the 2021 budget, that the budget department justified in May 2021, as a 'stand-by fund" for emergencies such as calamities.
"Remember that Duterte was one of the politicians who became famous for his immediate action when we were hit byTyphoon Yolanda. He also strongly criticized the then administration for its unpreparedness at the time. The situation seems to have been reversed. His statement is clear proof of their unpreparedness. He cannot say that the funds set aside for the disaster were affected by the fund squandered by Pharmally."
This comes after Duterte over the weekend said that his government was still looking for funds to support typhoon victims because public coffers were “immensely depleted” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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