Swift rehab of ‘Nina’-hit areas urged

SCENE OF DESTRUCTION A woman shares a cup of hot coffee with her husband amid the ruins of their house a day after Typhoon “Nina” struck their village in Bato, Catanduanes province. Authorities reported at least seven deaths in the strongest typhoon to hit Bicol in 10 years. —FERNAN G. GIANAN

Sen. Loren Legarda on Thursday called for urgent government action to rehabilitate areas devastated by Typhoon “Nina” (international name: Nock-Ten) even as she commended agencies for prompt preparation for one of the strongest storms to hit the country.

Legarda’s call came after the Archdiocese of Manila announced that it would conduct special collections during Masses to raise funds for the victims of Nina, which heavily battered Bicol region on Christmas Day.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has called for special collections in the archdiocese beginning Jan. 1.

In a statement, Legarda said P4.96 billion remained in the 2016 National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Fund that could be immediately used for rehabilitation and recovery efforts in affected areas.

The approved NDRRM fund for 2017 is P15.75 billion, which could be used for disaster response throughout the coming year.

“We urge the concerned agencies to utilize these resources immediately and efficiently,” Legarda said.

The latest report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed that Nina, which plowed through Luzon on Dec. 25 and 26, left three dead and 10 missing, and destroyed 30,800 houses, mostly in Bicol region.

Legarda said the “level of disaster preparedness has evidently improved.”

Text alerts not sent

But a party-list lawmaker is displeased by reports that many residents in areas hit by Nina did not receive text disaster alerts.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate asked the NDRRMC and telecommunication firms to explain why they failed to comply with the law.

Zarate criticized the NDRRMC and telecom firms for the “dismal implementation” of the Free Mobile Disasters Alerts Act during the onslaught of the typhoon in Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Southern Tagalog regions.

“The NDRRMC claimed that the telcos sent out disaster text alerts before and during Typhoon Nina,”  he said.

Zarate said he received reports from many residents, including some of his fellow House members from Bicol, that they did not receive a single text alert even though they were in the areas hit by Nina and there was still a strong cell phone signal.

“It is also very clear that the NDRRMC and the telcos are not following the law,” Zarate said.

Recently, Bayan Muna filed House Resolution No. 556 seeking an investigation of the implementation of the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Act.

Food, shelter assistance

The special collections of the Archdiocese of Manila will aid  victims of Nina in Catanduanes, Camarines Sur and Albay, as well as the more than 1,000 victims of a huge fire in Quezon City early this week.

Earlier, the archdiocese, through Caritas Manila, its social action arm, released P 1.3 million in food and shelter assistance for the Archdiocese of Caceres, Diocese of Virac and Diocese of Legazpi.

On Thursday, the Diocese of Gumaca distributed 600 relief packs, 200 thermos bottles and 200 hygiene kits from Caritas Manila to seven affected towns.

The Diocese of Legazpi also appealed for housing assistance for seven towns in Albay, which were severely hit by the typhoon. —TARRA QUISMUNDO, DJ YAP AND JULIE M. AURELIO