Some 60% of the estimated number of earthquake victims have already been served with relief
goods and basic necessities while 40% of the number of affected families and persons have yet to
be reached by relief operatives especially by helicopters of the army and air force.
There is great difficulty in scouring the terrain in far-flung barangays because of the instability of the slopes of mountain ranges, the blockage of its narrow trails accessible only by habal-habal, and the continued after shocks which still occur sporadically in the north of Negros Oriental, and not to mention the rains.
The CHRONICLE got official confirmation from DSWD regional director Evelyn Macapobre who has
been getting direct reports from the field; and Alice Lagarde, provincial DSWD head. In close cooperation with DSWD are the provincial
government and the
Red Cross.
Several LGUs and
NGOs and private organizations
are also volunteers in
giving direct assistance to
the needy.
The problem is the
need for synchronized relief
delivery because very eager
volunteers sometimes are
giving aid to the same people
while depriving others
who have not yet received assistasnce especially those
in far-flung barangays.
There is also that nagging
problem of politicking.
Some barangauy captains
although instructed to attend
to the needy constituents
without regard of political
affiliation, there are still reports
reaching that political
rivals are not given equal assistance.
The international Red
Cross rules, according to
chapter administrator
Louella Bael, provide that
each family is to be given 5
kilos of rice, five pairs of
sardines and noodles and
that is all, so that the others
in the far-flung areas can be
reached out and shared with
enough supplies. Others,
however, manage to squeeze
into the line twice or thrice,
and get another batch of
food supplies to the detriment
of others who have
not yet received.
THE FIGURES:
The Provincial Disaster
Risk Reduction Management
Council
(PDRRMC), thru the Phil.
Information Agency,
headed by Jenny Tilos, reported
that:
1. As of Friday,
l84,000 earthquake victims from 37,000 families have
been given relief assistance
out of the estimated 316,815
persons affected coming
from 63,363 familes based
on DSWD census of victims.
They all come from
nine LGUs and l66
barangays in affected towns;
2. Total confirmed
dead is 55 persons broken
down as: 24 dead in
Guihulngan; 12 in La Libertad; 10 in Jimalalud; 3
each in Tayasan and
Ayungon; 2 in Manjuyod
and l in Bindoy. MISSING
persons: still at 60 who are
now presumed dead; or a total
of l05 people;
3. Cost of Assistance
given: P41.7 million of
which P24M came from
DSWD; P12.5M from
LGUs or local government
units; and P5M from nongovernment
orgs and people’s
orgs; this is excluding provincial assistance which
is accounted for in a separate
story in this issue;
4. The provincial government
is making its separate
accountable reports as
printed elsewhere in this issue
while the National
DPWH thru Region 7 are
undertaking the repair of
four major bridges which
are damaged;
5. The Red Cross reported
receiving assistance
worth P203,780 from local
donors excluding the hundreds
of thousands of pesos
worth of water purifiers,
sanitation kits, tents, mats,
blankets and food, crackers
from abroad thru the International
Red Cross.
6. The DPWH are using
national funds to repair
the bridges: Pangaloan
bridge in Jimalalud; Martilo
and Nabag bridges in La
Libertad, and Hinayunan
bridge in Guihulngan.
