Palace to rich cities: Share calamity funds

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang appealed yesterday to rich cities in Metro Manila to donate a portion of their calamity funds to poor cities and municipalities that were devastated by tropical storm “Ondoy.”

Deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez said the national government has a P2-billion calamity fund this year while the combined calamity funds of local government units (LGUs) nationwide total about P20 billion.

The LGUs are mandated to allocate five percent of their annual budget for the local calamity fund.

Golez said the poor cities and municipalities are often the areas that are greatly affected by natural calamities.

He cited the poor and flood-prone town of Pateros, Rizal that only has a P10-million calamity fund.

Golez compared Pateros to the rich city of Makati that has a calamity fund that could reach hundreds of millions of pesos.

“Big cities can actually donate a portion of their calamity fund to areas that need them,” Golez told reporters. “Under the law, you can (do that).”

He said the rich cities could secure a copy of a declaration of a state of calamity in the affected areas and get the city council to pass a resolution to assist the distressed city or municipality.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri urged President Arroyo to order the release of P1,000 cash subsidy for the majority of the victims of Ondoy and also funds for the purchase of portable toilets and urinals in resettlement areas and rescue centers.

Zubiri estimated that 200,000 to 300,000 families were displaced by Ondoy last Sept. 26 but only 150,000 families should be given financial assistance of P1,000 each since other families come from the upper-middle class or middle class.

“We can only help the poorest of the poor families which is about 150,000, and these families don’t have any bank accounts, savings and even stable job. These people are basically the informal settlers with very low income,” he said.

Zubiri said the proposal was relayed by the senators to Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya during their meeting with members of the House of Representatives and some Cabinet officials held at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City last Tuesday.

More cops deployed to secure relief operations

The Philippine National Police (PNP) deployed 700 recruits to secure the distribution of relief goods at evacuation centers in Pasig City and Cainta.

Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, director of the Police Community Relations Group, said the police recruits were deployed after near riots erupted in some evacuation centers in Pasig.

“We need to have crowd control in the evacuation centers. There were instances where near riots have erupted in the evacuation centers after people who are not from the evacuation centers have trooped into the centers for relief goods. These are starving people. We cannot just turn them away,” said Bartolome.

The PNP also deployed 112 cadets from the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) to conduct patrols against looters at De Castro Subdivision in Sta. Lucia in Pasig City last Wednesday.

Speaker Prospero Nograles called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines to also deploy members of the Reserve Command to help in rescue and relief operations for victims of the tropical storm.

“While we cannot pull out troops from their present locations but we can always activate the reserve forces. This will determine how coordinated we are in the reserve forces,” said Nograles.

Deputy Majority Leader Juan Edgardo Angara said the government should use the often inactive Reserve Command during crisis operations.

Nograles said he would suggest to Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, to activate the reserve forces of the Army, Navy and Air Force to assist in relief operations.

The Department of Health (DOH) has launched a campaign to get donors for medicine and medical supplies for the flood victims.

“The task of reaching all Ondoy victims is a challenge that is too big for the government to address alone,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

He said to effectively help some 2.2 million evacuees in 561 evacuation centers in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog, the DOH is appealing to concerned citizens to donate medicine.

He also sought portable toilets for evacuation centers since the 200 units placed by the DOH are not enough.

Duque, however, clarified that there is still no outbreak of disease in any evacuation center but there were already reports of common diseases like upper respiratory tract infection, cough, cold, fever and diarrhea and minor injuries.

He assured the public that rapid assessment surveillance teams have already been dispatched to evaluate the situation in the relocation centers.

The DOH has also deployed 35 medical teams and four psycho-social debriefing teams to help the evacuees overcome the disaster.

The DOH has been tasked to lead the National Disaster Coordinating Council’s cluster for medical assistance to Ondoy victims. This prompted the agency to launch yesterday the “DOH Health Emergency Relief Operations” program.

Lt. General Oscar Rabena, Air Force chief, ordered the deployment of augmentation units to assist relief operations.

PAF spokesman Lt. Col. Gerado Zamudio said 632 Air Force troops are now assisting local government units and private organizations.

Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. called on private contractors to assist government agencies in the clearing operations of debris from major roads.

The DPWH is now coordinating with the Philippine Contractors Association (PCA) and other contractors’ organizations. With Aurea Calica, Mike Frialde, Delon Porcalla, Sheila Crisostomo, Rudy Santos, Evelyn Macairan