Clashing claims on aid to accident victims: Magpale: I rushed to VSMMC

CEBU, Philippines - PJ retorts acting gov went to hospital “but did not bring solutions,” criticized her for “incompetence during crisis”

Acting Cebu Governor Agnes Magpale refuted claims of her critics that the Cebu Provincial Government is not doing anything to alleviate the plight of the victims of the two separate road accidents in the cities of Naga and Toledo that killed 12 people and hurt more than 60.

“Dili na tinuod nga wa tay gibuhat. We have assisted all the victims,” Magpale said in an interview with The FREEMAN yesterday. (It’s not true we did not do anything.)

Rep. Pablo John “PJ” Garcia, however, said they can show proof, such as receipts, that his office paid for the bills of the patients at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).

“It’s true she rushed there, but she did not bring solutions. The hospital records do not lie – 41 victims have been released and my funds were used to pay expenses simply because this dysfunctional Capitol could not decide what it would cover,” Pablo John stated.

Magpale said that she was there at the VSMMC where 26 victims were brought in needing CT scans. The CT scans were done at the Cebu Doctors’ University hospital, she said, as the Cebu Province has a 35 percent discount on the said procedure.

“As early as 8:00 in the morning didto na ko sa Vicente Sotto and assisted the needs of the victims. Walay nakahibalo ana kay walay media didto. We facilitated patients that needed city scans, Magpale said. (I was at the VSMMC as early as 8 am but no one knew because there were no reporters there.)

Last Tuesday, ten people died and some 57 were injured after a prime mover trailer truck rammed and dragged a bus at the national highway of barangay Uling, Naga City. Also, last Friday, two people died and 15 were injured when a jeepney hit a ten-wheeler truck in barangay Magdugo in Toledo City.

Magpale added that the Cebu Provincial Government, through its social welfare office, has facilitated the blood screening of those who needed blood transfusion and the families of each of the casualties were given a sack of rice and P5,000 financial assistance.

Earlier, PJ had said his assistance will be P20,000 to the family of each fatality and P10,000 to those injured. He said the amount will be taken from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) deposited at the Capitol.  His staff at the VSMMC has also provided ready-to-eat food for the patients and their watchers

PJ said that one time, the medical prescriptions of all victims were collected by Magpale’s camp because these will be processed for aid from Rep. Red Durano, Magpale’s newphew.

But PJ ended up shouldering the expenses because it turned out that the VSMMC refused to honor Durano’s papers because the fifth district congressman has a “negative balance” with the hospital.

Daisy del Socorro, a staff member of PJ, said the Capitol social welfare office headed by Evelyn Sinajon, a Magpale appointee, refused to release crutches requested by the Sangguniang Kabataan chairman of Nangka, Balamban and a resident of Opao, Pinamungajan who were victims of the accident.

In Sinajon’s office, del Socorro was told by the new office head that there were available crutches at the stockroom but she could not release it.

“We had to buy crutches for a victim because Evelyn Sinajon required him to go to the Capitol if he wanted crutches. The poor boy can hardly walk,” said Rep. Garcia.

Rep. Garcia’s opponent, Hilario “Junjun” Davide, said “genuine concern needs no publicity, no press releases.”

Davide, the Liberal Party chairman in Cebu, thanked Magpale “for being the first to attend to the CT scan, blood transfusion and other emergency needs of the victims in the Jan. 16 road accident in Uling, Naga.”

“Without fanfare, Magpale rushed to the Vicente Sotto hospital and facilitated the victims’ hospitalization requirements with social worker Evelyn Sinajon,” Davide stated in a text message.

PJ, in response, said: “If they claim not to be hungry for publicity, why release this to the media? I think the press release was sent precisely to hide the incompetence they displayed during the crisis.”  —JPM (FREEMAN)