Coordination with Emano

This has reference to a column on your paper entitled “Confusion in CDO” written by Ernesto Maceda, dated Jan. 12, 2012. I wish to clarify and provide correct information on the status of relief and rehabilitation work in Cagayan de Oro City.

It is not true that I said in an interview that I was instructed by President Aquino to ignore Mayor Vicente Emano, as no such instructions were given. President Aquino was trying to reach Mayor Emano as early as the morning of Dec. 17, 2011, in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. I myself was able to talk with Mayor Emano in the afternoon of the same day, through the phone line of Cong. Bambi Emano. And on Dec. 20, the President met with Mayor Emano to discuss plans and ways to help the victims of Sendong.

Since then, the Department of Social Welfare and Development have met and coordinated with Mayor Emano regarding the management of the evacuation centers, early recovery and rehabilitation. The officials of DSWD Region X meet with him on a regular basis to address immediate concerns and needs related to the relief operations.

Coordination has been a key component in the response of DSWD as well as that of the other members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) members. Officials and staff from the DSWD Central Office and other regional offices, including volunteers from provincial and municipal social welfare and development offices, have been there since Dec. 20, through Christmas and New Year, to complement and augment the efforts of the Local Government Unit (LGU) and that of the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and faith-based groups. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) is in fact holding its Central Operations Office for Sendong at the DSWD Region X Office.