Electric ‘clotheslines’ catch President’s eye

WAITING FOR P-NOY With a clothesline cordoning them off the road, children wait for President Aquino’s motorcade along a
deserted highway in Casiguran, Aurora province. The President on Thursday personally inspected the damage wrought by Typhoon “Lando” on the province over the weekend. MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

CABLES of toppled electricity posts that residents had turned into clotheslines caught the eye of President Aquino while he was inspecting the damage left by Typhoon “Lando” (international name: Koppu) in Casiguran, Aurora province, Thursday.

“I noticed that the electric cable wires have been turned into a clothesline. We might have to reenergize and people would ask us to hold it off for another three hours because their clothes aren’t dry yet,” Mr. Aquino said in jest.

Even the damaged windows of the schools he saw did not escape the President’s eye, which he said should made government officials rethink the design of school buildings.

“Even the frames where you put the jalousies are no longer there. I hope it was the typhoon that blew them off and were not taken by anyone. The other [frames] looked like aluminum to me,” he said.

Although the scenes looked and sounded comic, they became the President’s jump-off point to appeal to both residents and local officials to continue working together in the aftermath of Lando.

“I made you laugh a little but my request is let us all work together to hasten the restoration of electricity, communication, the water system. Fix the river system so that we could use the bridge. We can put together the water district, the irrigation,” he said.

Aerial inspection

The President Thursday visited Casiguran town and conducted an aerial inspection over Pampanga and Pangasinan provinces to assess the damage brought by Lando that has left at least 41 people dead.

On Monday, he went to hard-hit Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija to distribute relief packs and met with officials for an assessment of the aftermath of Lando.

In Casiguran, Mr. Aquino presided over a Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council meeting where national and local officials briefed him on the extent of the damage and the ongoing relief operations.

Models for risk reduction

Undersecretary Alexander Pama, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), told the President that Casiguran and Aurora province were “models for disaster risk reduction management in the whole country,” primarily because they avoided a high death toll, although the typhoon dumped heavy rains for several days.

But for Mr. Aquino, everyone can still do better.

He said that while natural calamities could not be avoided, people could always prepare, especially since the country endures more than 20 storms every year.

“If we assess everything that we’ve seen today, we know that we can still do better. We still have casualties,” the President added.

Aurora Gov. Gerardo Noveras said the typhoon killed three people and injured 42 others. A total of 18,388 families were affected, and more than 4,000 of them remain in evacuation centers.

Lando damaged over P500 million worth of livestock and crops, according to the governor.

Mayor Ricardo Bitong reported that some residents sustained spinal injuries and had to be transferred to a hospital in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija.

The Cabinet secretaries who went with the President to inspect the typhoon-ravaged areas were Rogelio Singson of the DPWH, Dinky Soliman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Proceso Alcala of the Department of Agriculture, Zenaida Monsada of the Department of Energy, Janette Garin of the Department of Health, Mel Senen Sarmiento of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Julia Abad of the Presidential Management Staff.

Aussie aid

Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hernando Iriberri, Pama, Sen. Sonny Angara and Rep. Bella Angara-Castillo, both of Aurora province, also joined the President.

Soliman said that for Casiguran, the national government sent 4,500 food packs to augment the 400 food packs that were prepared before the typhoon made landfall.

Foreign aid is also coming in.

The Australian government on Thursday pledged P33 million in emergency aid to communities and families affected by Lando.

Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop made the announcement on the emergency relief on Thursday.

“Australia, as a close friend of the Philippines, is saddened by the loss of life and damage to homes and property in the wake of this tragedy,”  Bishop said.

“I commend the government of the Philippines for its leadership and preparedness measures, and for quickly mobilizing its domestic resources to support affected communities and provide timely assistance,” she said.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Bill Tweddell, for his part, said his government would continue to support the typhoon relief efforts as required.

“As a good friend and neighbor, the Philippines can expect that Australia will continue to support its close friend and partner during this time,” Tweddell said.

The embassy said that with the United Nations Population Fund, World Food Program and the Philippine Red Cross, Australia would release prepositioned in-country stores to affected communities.

Dignity, family kits

These stores will offer dignity and family kits, rice supplies and high-energy biscuits.

The dignity kits contain malong cloth, bath towels, slippers, combs, nail clippers, maternity napkins, underwear, bath soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, laundry bar and toilet paper.

Family kits contain sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets, jerry cans, hygiene kits and tarpaulins as emergency shelter.