Bloated figures mar relief efforts in Negros Occidental

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Even in misery, some people are taking advantage of the situation in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

The provincial government of Negros Occidental was surprised by the “bloated” figures of destroyed or damaged houses in this province caused by the super storm.

Last Tuesday, the provincial government announced it had earmarked P22 million from its calamity fund to give P3,000 to the occupants of each “totally wrecked” house.

Before the announcement, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) reported only 917 destroyed houses on Saturday. The same report said 3,263 houses were damaged.

Yesterday, a day after the P22-million allocation was announced, the number of destroyed houses swelled to 11,083, based on updated reports of affected local government units gathered by the PSWDO. The same report stated 42,955 houses were damaged.

Ma. Lina Sanogal, secretary of the Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council, expressed apprehension that the P22-million fund is no longer enough to cover the number of houses destroyed by the typhoon.

The PDRMMC has no choice but to verify the real number of destroyed houses per barangay, which means it may take a while for the provincial government to release the assistance, Sanogal said.

PSWDO officer Liane Garcia appealed to barangay captains not to bloat or exaggerate their figures.

She said she received reports that barangay officials would withhold social workers’ honoraria if they would not record the additional numbers for destroyed houses.

“We are appealing to our barangay officials not to politicize this matter, because we are just doing our job,” Garcia said in an interview over ABS-CBN Bacolod.