End finger-pointing, lawmaker urges

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone: Stop finger-pointing. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—A Samar legislator on Tuesday called on national and local leaders to set aside their political differences and stop finger-pointing so they could all focus on helping survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” rebuild their lives.

“I would like to appeal to all sectors to stop finger-pointing. The urgent call of the times is unity. Political brickbats will only compound the misery of the typhoon victims,” Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said.

He lamented that politics had even tainted the provision of free call services for typhoon survivors frantic to get in touch with their loved ones after strong winds knocked down many communication lines.

Evardone said he had received complaints from two individuals who were driven away from a queue for a free call service because they were the political rivals of the leaders there.

“I hope that this is not happening in the relief distribution,” he said.

He said it would be better to focus on each other’s strengths rather than their weaknesses.

“Let us devoid all our efforts of politics. There is enough time for political bickering, but that time is not now,” he added.

Both local and national leaders are doing their best to help, along with private individuals, nongovernment organizations, corporations and international groups, he added.

Meanwhile, National Food Authority Deputy Administrator Ludovico Jarina told lawmakers Tuesday in a hearing that the NFA continues to send rice from other areas to the Visayas provinces devastated by supertyphoon Yolanda.

Jarina said the NFA’s nationwide inventory of rice stands at 339,700 metric tons. The NFA lost 24,737 metric tons of rice during the storm and to looters who broke into warehouses.

He said the NFA would continue to buy rice from local farmers. At the same time, he said officials had approved a plan to import rice to boost the country’s dwindling rice supply.

But Nueva Ecija Rep. Estrellita Suansing and Northern Samar Rep. Emil Ong called on the NFA to be cautious in importing rice.