MANILA, Philippines—Former senator and now rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson should be declared persona non grata in Eastern Visayas, an alliance of Yolanda survivors said Tuesday.
The group People Surge demanded to declare Lacson a persona non grata in Tacloban City and in the rest of the Eastern Visayas for his “malicious depictions of the Yolanda survivors’ righteous anger over the sluggish, corrupt, and politicized rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts of the Aquino [administration].”
Former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The group also blasted Lacson’s allegations that the Romualdezes, a known political rival of the Aquinos, were behind the protests calling for the President’s ouster.
Lacson during his State of Yolanda Address accused the Romualdezes of “hijacking the rehabilitation efforts” of the government by being uncooperative and supposedly supporting anti-government protesters.
“Was Panfilo Lacson hired as rehabilitation czar purely to discredit and vilify our legitimate grievances and demands for genuine people-centered rehabilitation as Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) survivors?” Dr. Efleda Bautista, people Surge chairman said in a statement.
“We do not need a rehabilitation czar who knows nothing and is heartless towards the Yolanda survivors’ plight. We especially do not need a rehab czar who has called us bellyachers, paid protesters, and even enemies of the state. Lacson must be banned from ever setting foot in our region: give us a rehabilitation czar instead who actually knows his job,” Bautista added.
The group also questioned the supposed rehabilitation budget for Tacloban City.
“Where is this supposed P6 billion that went to Tacloban City? We did not see or feel any form of assistance from the national government. We can only assume that the P6 billion, just like the P23.84 billion that went to disaster risk management projects through the president’s Disbursement Acceleration Program, became patronage money once again,” Bautista said citing Mayor Alfred Romualdez’ statement that the funds were not coursed through the local government.
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