‘Yolanda’ relief items being sold
A MAN who survived Supertyphoon “Yolanda” visits the grave of a relative who died at the height of the storm in Palo, Leyte province, as storm survivors continue to struggle for their daily survival amid the toughest of conditions and threats to the flow of relief. RAFFY LERMA
TACLOBAN CITY—Local officials are regulating the flow of, not hoarding, relief amid reports that some of the goods are being sold, according to a disaster risk reduction management council official.
Levi Nicart, head of the provincial disaster risk reduction management council of Eastern Samar, said mayors have been regulating the distribution of relief, but are not hoarding it.
Nicart said he “personally checked” reports that relief is being hoarded by local officials, but these “turned out to be false.”
“What we gathered was that the mayors are regulating the distribution of relief items,” said Nicart in a phone interview.
He said controlling the flow of relief to survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” was necessary because some people sell the goods in local markets or in the streets.
“They are selling these items which defeats the purpose. The items are being diverted instead,” Nicart said.
To stop what he described as an overflow of relief to Yolanda survivors, mayors decided to distribute the goods only once, instead of twice, a week, according to Nicart.
Too many relief supplies in the hands of recipients opens up the opportunity to sell the goods, he said.
Nicart said the goods that are under the control of mayors are those coming from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Goods that come from nongovernment organizations and other groups of private donors go directly to the villages since most of these groups do not coordinate relief distribution with local government units, Nicart said.
In Eastern Samar, the towns worst hit by Yolanda are Hernani, Guiuan, Balangkayan, Salcedo, Mercedes, Quinapondan, Giorlos, Balangiga and Lawaan.
Nicart said although local officials control the flow of relief, all villages in the province have been given their share.
“Our priority villages are those located in remote areas. We make sure that they are given their relief items,” he said.
A London online news site earlier reported that relief supplies given to survivors of Yolanda are being sold in Metro Manila.
The report quoted Keb Darge, said to be a United Kingdom expatriate living in Hernani town, as saying relief for Yolanda survivors in the town is not being distributed properly.
Efforts to contact Hernani Mayor Edgar Boco proved unsuccessful as communication in most parts of Eastern Samar is still down.
Pedro Noval Jr., Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional director for Eastern Visayas, said the DILG would look into reports of hoarding of relief.
“We will verify this matter. We will not issue any comment on this matter unless we have verified this,” Noval said.
The DILG earlier said it would conduct an investigation on allegations of hoarding of relief for Yolanda survivors.
‘What we gathered was that the mayors are regulating the distribution of relief items’
