BOHOL Gov. Arthur Yap yesterday said the province, among the hardest-hit by typhoon “Odette,” has not received any food support or financial aid promised by the national government days ago.
Lack of food has forced some residents to start looting, he said, as he asked the government to send soldiers and policemen to maintain order.
Yap said the Department of Social and Development promised to provide foods packs two days before President Duterte visited the province last Sunday. He said this assistance has yet to reach Bohol as of yesterday.
“We no longer have money … we have 375,000 families (to support),” he said in a radio interview.
Aside from food, Bohol also has no water supply. Yap on Sunday pleaded for about 250 generator sets to operate water refilling stations.
President Duterte on Saturday said he would raise P2 billion to help Odette victims, and vowed another P2 billion in aid on Sunday. Yesterday, Malacañang said government is raising another P10 billion. TUESDAY
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, asked about Yap’s complaint about not having received any assistance, shared a social media post of its regional office in Central Visayas, which said that 2,000 family food packs have been flown from Cebu to Bohol.
The 4 p.m. post shared by DSWD spokeswoman Irene Dumlao showed four photos of relief packs being delivered by the Philippine Air Force. It said the DSWD “has been in close coordination with other national government agencies and the local government units to provide needed support to affected areas in the region.”
The DSWD also has prepositioned supplies in several areas.
Odette hit several regions over the weekend before exiting the country on Saturday, among them Central Visayas which includes Bohol.
Latest information from the province showed 96 people died, 16 are missing, 100 were injured, and 28,845 families were displaced.
Yap, in a radio interview, urged President Duterte to send more soldiers and policemen to the province as he said people have started to loot shops.
“I can’t say it’s normalizing. It seems its getting worse after the typhoon,” he said.
Yap said the province is relying on its own resources and donations but these are not enough to support some 375,000 families who are still reeling from the effects of the typhoon.
He said the provincial government has spent its last P30-million available fund to buy relief supplies while mayors are also buying goods on their own to assist their constituents.
“They made the promise before the President’s visit but until now, they’re (relief goods) not here. I’m the one being cursed by the people (who are asking for help),” Yap said.
“If you cannot send money for food, just send soldiers and police, otherwise lootings will break out,” said Yap.
Yap said he has received reports about instances of looting but said authorities are still in control of the situation. He said people were looting small stores out of hunger, and warned this may get worse if people are not given food.
“Of course, we are for law and order, that’s why if we cannot give them food, you give me more troops, you give more policemen to secure,” said Yap.
“I am appealing to the DSWD, please send us food packs, send it now… I am asking for the help of President Duterte to send me policemen, send me soldiers because there are already not so good incidents in some towns, especially in northern Bohol,” said Yap.
Yap also appealed for equipment needed in the clearing of debris along the roads. He said national roads are partially open, delaying the delivery of relief goods to residents.
Yap asked the Department of Public Works and Highways to coordinate with private contractors to help in the clearing operations.
He said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources should also call the attention of chainsaw operators in the clearing of secondary roads.
To the Department of Energy and oil companies, Yap said they should work to double or triple the delivery of fuel supplies to the province because many are relying to generators due downed power lines.
Yap said the Department of Trade and Industry should also send consumer protection teams “to make sure prices are not going up.”
He said he has gotten reports about people lining up in gas stations for hours and eventually selling fuel for as much as P100 per liter. He said these people are just trying to find ways to earn money for their needs.
Yap also asked help from the National Housing Authority, particularly by giving P5,000 to P30,000 financial assistance to families whose houses were damaged or destroyed by the typhoon,
To telecommunication companies, Yap said they should work double time to restore lines so people can communicate. He said communications lines are needed to improve relief operations.
Yap asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology to lend two satellite phones to each of the local government units in the provinces to fast-track damage assessment.
AID FROM DSWD
The DSWD said Tuesday night that P28.94 million worth of aid have been distributed to some areas affected by Odette.
Data from the DSWD-Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) as of 6 pm of December 21 showed that DSWD has distributed P17.375 million worth of aid, local government units (LGUs) distributed P10.524 million worth of assistance, and non-government organizations (NGOs) distributed P1.041 million worth of aid to Odette victims.
Of the assistance released by DSWD, P11.259 million were distributed to Region VI (Western Visayas), P1.301 million in Region VIII (Eastern Visayas), P3.529 million in Region X (Northern Mindanao), P593,750 in Region XI (Davao), and P691,149 in Region XIII (Caraga).
No data was available yet on the aid distributed to other typhoon-hit areas.
Of the P10.524 million aid distributed by the LGUs from the typhoon-affected areas, P36,517 were distributed by Region IV-B (Mimaropa), P5.324 million in Region VI (Western Visayas), P299, 547 in Region XII (Soccsksargen) and P4.86 million Region XIII (Caraga); while the P1.041 million worth of aid from NGOs were distributed to Region VI.
Reports from the DSWD regional field offices showed that the DSWD office Western Visayas has continuously been repacking family food packs (FFPs) at their regional warehouse through the help of volunteers while augmentation of FFPs and raw materials have been sent to Dumarao in Capiz and San Raphael in Iloilo.
DSWD-FO VI has also facilitated the procurement of drinking water to be distributed to the evacuation centers serving affected and displaced families in Negros Occidental.
In Region VII (Central Visayas), DSWD-FO VII released 2,000 FFPs to the Carlos P. Garcia or Pitogo municipality and 600 family food packs to Manjuyod both in Bohol and coordinated with the Armed Forces the transport 1,700 food packs to Negros Oriental on December 20.
At least 2,000 FFPs from the DSWD-FO7 were also airlifted by the Philippine Force to Bohol on December 19 while “repacking of FFPs at the provincial warehouses located in Bohol, Negros Oriental and Cebu through the help of the Cash-for-Work (CFW) grantees/beneficiaries” were also done on December 18.
DSWD-FO VIII reported that it augmented the FFPs in Hinundayan (1,627) and Tomas Oppus (1,000) both in Southern Leyte on December 21 and augmented on December 20 the FFPs and non-food items sent to Pawingin in Palo, Leyte (3,452 FFPs and 6,286 NFI); Dulag and Tacloban City (1,475 FFPs).
It also sent additional FFPs on December 20 to Silago (608 FFPs), in HInundayan (1,700 FFPs), Hinunangan (2,600 FFPs), Sogod (2,900 FFPs), Maasis (1,000 FFPs), Liloan (1,000 FFPs), and Limasawa (1,000 FFPs ) all in Southern Leyte.
DSWD-FO X said that as of December 20, it has 14,874 FFPs at their warehouses located in Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan City, Bukidnon, Camiguin and Misamis Occidental that can be delivered to LGUs that need augmentation support.
DSWD still has P57 million Quick Response Fund (QRF) on standby while the DSWD Field Offices in regions V (Bicol), VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, and XI (Davao region) also has a combined P27.97 million worth of funds on standby.
Some 74,190 family food packs (FFPs) and P638.39 million worth of food and non-food items (FNIs) are at the Disaster Response Centers and ready to be sent out when needed, while a total of 167,243 FFPs have already been deployed and currently available at DSWD regional offices in the typhoon hit-areas.
At least 179,620 families or 684,121 persons have been displaced in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Caraga due to Odette.
Of this figure, 109, 254 families or 444,581 persons are now staying in 2,018 evacuation centers while 70,366 families or 239,540 individuals are temporarily staying with their relatives or friends.
DSWD said 145,089 houses were also damaged in Regions VI-B (Mimaropa), VI (Western Visayas), VII (Central Visayas), VIII (Eastern Visayas), IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), X (Northern Mindanao) and XIII (Caraga). DSWD provides home shelter assistance depending on the extent of the damage. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
