Tacloban workers cry discrimination

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman FILE PHOTO

TACLOBAN CITY—Two legislators are taking to task the Department of Social Welfare and Development for a memorandum order that the lawmakers said appeared to discriminate against government employees from this city in the distribution of so-called emergency shelter assistance (ESA) funds for survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

But Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman denied that the memorandum order that she issued on ESA for government employees was meant to discriminate against employees of the city, where the mayor belongs to a political clan known to be perennial rival of President Aquino’s family and the ruling Liberal Party.

“I actually issued a memorandum that government employees can receive the emergency shelter assistance,” Soliman said on Friday.

During a visit here, Sen. JV Ejercito said he would ask Soliman to explain, or withdraw, the seven-page order that was issued last week and which government employees in the city said discriminated against them in the distribution of ESA funds.

Under ESA, Yolanda survivors who lost homes are to receive P30,000 each and those who need to repair homes are to receive P10,000 each.

Memorandum Circular No. 24, issued by Soliman on Nov. 22, said Yolanda survivors who are government employees earning less than P15,000 a month are entitled to ESA funds.

Soliman, sought by Inquirer for comments, said her order actually allows casual employees, both in the government and private sector, to qualify for ESA provided they do not have access to housing loans from the government or private institutions.

Also, ESA beneficiaries should be on a master list.

Ejercito said he had heard numerous complaints about the EO from employees of the city that he would bring the matter up with Soliman. “I will look into this,” said Ejercito, who was here on Thursday.

Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, cousin of city mayor Alfred Romualdez, said the DSWD should instead expedite the release of ESA.

“There should be no protocols on the giving of assistance to Yolanda survivors,” the congressman said.

Government workers, both of the city government of Tacloban and provincial government of Leyte who live in the city, described the order as “unfair and moronic.”

“What kind of policy is that? That is very moronic! Just because we are government employees we will be denied this assistance? We were also hit by Yolanda. Our houses were also hit by the typhoon,” said Mila Ragot, head of the Government Association of Tacloban Employees (Gate), an organization of at least 700 city employees.

Ragot said that while city employees have access to loans from government and private institutions, like the Government Service Insurance System or Pag-Ibig, “these are loans and we are paying these loans through our salaries.”

“Loans and assistance are two different animals,” she said. “There are employees in the city government who receive only less than P2,000 or even P100 (per payday) because of their debts or loans,” Ragot said.

“And now, this DSWD order will deprive us of this assistance?” she added, saying that the order affects all 700 members of her group.

Dionisio Balintong, head of Provincial Association of Government Employees (Page), also decried the DSWD order.

“That is really unfair. When Yolanda unleashed her fury, she did not avoid houses of government workers,” said Balintong.

At least 2,000 provincial employees are affected by the order.