Communications Sec. Sonny Coloma. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Malacañang on Thursday maintained the relief operations being conducted by the government for the victims of typhoon “Lando” were not tainted with politics.
Reacting to the comment of Baler Mayor Nelianto Bihasa that he was supposedly bypassed by the administration when its 2016 bets distributed relief goods in the area, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said the government was trying its best to cover as many people as possible despite limitations.
“Ang ginagawa po ng pamahalaan ay para sa kapakanan ng lahat ng apektado ng kalamidad, ganap ‘yung naging paghahanda, nag-preposition ng relief goods, equipment at first responders sa mga kritikal na lugar. Mauunawaan din natin na sa lahat naman ng mga kalamidad, mayroon sigurong mga hindi ganap na naaayon sa ekspektasyon o sa mga plinano, dahil nga hindi naman sukat na sukat ang ating mga prediksyon,” Coloma told reporters in a press briefing.
(What the government is doing is for the welfare of affected communities. The preparation was enough. We had preposition of relief goods, equipment and first responders for the critical areas. Let us understand that during calamities, most probably there would be expectations that didn’t go with what has been planned because they didn’t all fit with our predictions.)
President Benigno Aquino III is in Casiguran, Aurora, to personally inspect Lando’s damage to infrastructure in the area. He reportedly skipped Baler as part of his original schedule.
Mayor Bihasa has claimed that there was politics involved in the relief operations led by Liberal Party candidates Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo on Tuesday supposedly because he was a member of a different party, the PDP-Laban.
But Malacañang has clarified that PDP-Laban was a member of the administration coalition, saying that the relief goods were meant for the typhoon victims and not for the mayor.
Asked about Aquino skipping his Baler visit, Coloma assured the public that the President, accompanied by concered Cabinet members, was making sure that aid is being delivered to all affected communities.
“Ang mahalaga sa pagtungo ng Pangulo ay makita mismo ‘yung latag o ‘yung extent ng naging pagkasira ng imprastruktura. Lahat naman ng mga concerned government agencies ay represented doon sa kanyang pagpunta sa Aurora,” Coloma said.
(What’s important in the President’s visit is we saw the extent of the destruction of infrastructure. All concerned government agencies were represented when he went to Aurora.)
“Sa larangan ng imprastruktura nandoon si Secretary (Rogelio) Singson ng DPWH. Sa pagbibigay ng relief at immediate assistance, ang pinuno ng response cluster ng NDRRMC, si Secretary (Corazon) Soliman ay nandoon din. Si Acting Secretary (Zenaida) Monsada ng DOE ay nandoon din para tingnan ‘yung estado ng mga power lines at electricity supply. Si Brother Armin Luistro, Secretary of Education, ay nandoon din para tingnan naman ‘yung kondisyon ng mga paaralan.”
(For infrastructure, Secretary Singson of DPWH was there. For immediate assistance and distribution of relief goods, the head of the NDRRMC response cluster Secretary Soliman was there. Acting Energy Secretary Monsada was there to see the state of powe lines and electrical supply. Brother Armin Luistro, Secretary of Education, was there to see the condition of the school [buildings].)
Kaya makatitiyak tayo na ginagawa ng Pangulo ang nararapat sa mga pagdalaw katulad nito para matiyak ‘yung agaran at ganap na paghahatid ng serbisyo sa mga apektadong komunidad,” Coloma said.
(With that we are assured that the President is doing what is necessary by visiting the affected communities and he is making sure that the delivery of immediate services is fulfilled.)
The official death toll from Lando, which has weakened into a Low Pressure Area, rose to 34 on Wednesday afternoon. TVJ