Aquino calls on media practitioners to join
government efforts to disseminate information on natural calamities
As torrential rains spawned by the intensified
Western monsoon caused flooding in parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, and
the Visayas regions, President Benigno S. Aquino III called on the media
practitioners to join government efforts to keep the Filipinos informed of the
dangers posed by natural calamities affecting their respective areas and how to
overcome them.
In a press conference held after presiding over
a Cabinet Meeting at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Tuesday, the President
said the media serves as a conduit to pass on vital information to the people.
“Pagtulungan natin ang pagpasa ng mass
information dahil kayo ang pinaka-conduit para ma-inform sila,” the President
said.
He noted that the latest weather forecasting
program of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration was now color-coded (yellow, green and red) to depict the
intensity of expected rains and its corresponding dangers posed due to the
weather condition.
Yellow means flooding is possible in an area
with expected rains reaching 7.5 to 15 millimeters. The Green warning means
there is a threat of flooding with 15 to 30 mm of rain expected while the Red
Alert means that more than 30mm of rain is expected within 1 hour and may
continue in the next 2 hours.
The Yellow warning means people should closely monitor
the weather patterns while the Green and Red alerts depict the need for
possible evacuation of people affected.
The President said that by disseminating this
information to Filipinos through tri-media would ensure that the people
understand PAGASA’s weather forecasting program better and can thus react
accordingly. (rck)
Aquino presides over Cabinet meeting to assess
damage caused by non-stop rains
President Benigno S. Aquino III presided over a
Cabinet meeting at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC) Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday to oversee
relief efforts being conducted for Filipinos affected by torrential rains
brought about by the Western monsoon.
He was joined by Social Welfare and Development
Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras,
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, Defense Secretary
Voltaire Gazmin, Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo, Transportation
and Communication Secretary Mar Roxas and NDRRMC Executive Director Benito
Ramos.
Soliman told the President that the Department
of Social Welfare and Development has enough funds for extensive relief efforts
that it will immediately conduct.
She said that P12.994 million has been set aside
for relief operations while a stand-by fund totaling P40 million, P35 million
of which are goods and P5 million are cash funds, are readily available for
consumption.
Almendras, meanwhile, warned of electrical
outages in certain portions of Luzon and the Visayas regions after the
Department of Energy shut down 34 electrical circuits and may shut-down as
non-stop rains continue to wreak havoc on the country’s electrical supply
chain.
Gazmin informed the President that the Armed
Forces of the Philippines has deployed 200 rubber boats, 20 trucks and one
troop carrier for rescue operations in the National Capital Region and nearby
provinces.
The President then directed his Cabinet to exert
“maximum effort” to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of basic services to
people affected by the non-stop rains experienced in Luzon, including Metro
Manila and the Visayas regions.
He likewise ordered local government units to
deploy their barangay captains to conduct a check or roll call in their areas
of responsibility to ensure that all their constituents are safe.
“Baka sa sobrang daming lugar na apektado, at
sabay-sabay, baka may nakakaligtaan,” the President said. (rck)
Malacañang announces suspension of work in
public and private sector including classes in college level in National
Capital Region and other provinces
Malacanang announced the suspension of work in
the public and private sectors as well as colleges in the National Capital
Region and surrounding provinces due to floods brought by heavy rains, a Palace
official announced on Tuesday
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. signed on Tuesday Memorandum Circular
No. 33 and 33-A, suspending work in government offices, the private sector, as
well as classes in the college level in the National Capital Region and the
provinces of Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Bulacan, Laguna,
Cavite, and Rizal.
The memorandum circulars were issued upon the
recommendation of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical
Services Administration (PAGASA) due to the continuing inclement weather
brought about by southwest monsoon.
"For government, essential personnel
involved in search and rescue and relief, public health, and safety are
required to remain on duty. For the private sector, if your employer requires
you to go to work, they (employers) must be able to ensure and be responsible
for your safety; and to give premium pay. In both instances, subject to
existing labor standards: this covers all firms, including BPO (Business
Process Outsourcing) and call centers. This MC 33-A only applies today, August
7, 2012," Lacierda said in a statement.
"The President has been intensively
overseeing operations since this emergency began a few days ago, ensuring that
predeployment of rescue and relief takes place and that government agencies are
proactively serving the people. The President ensured the refinement of weather
and other alerts to make them more clear and accessible to the public,"
Lacierda said.
President Benigno S. Aquino III, who presided
over the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRC)
meeting in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday, assured that the government
continues to allocate funds to ensure maximum relief and assistance to all
those affected.
"We thank the media and civil society for
their coming together to work with government to ensure all relevant
information is immediately cascaded across all channels, traditional and new,
to ensure our countrymen receive timely, useful, accurate information."
Lacierda said.
Lacierda said the authorities on the national
and local levels are working together to assist the affected communities.
"PAGASA is issuing regular updates, as is
the NDRRMC. Please help us get information out by monitoring official channels
and sharing information with friends, coworkers, and family. Times like these
call for the highest levels of compassion and cooperation. As a people, we have
always risen to the challenge; we are doing so, again. We commend all those
working through the day and night to do search and rescue, rehabilitation and
relief, monitoring and alerting," Lacierda said. (js)
Ombudsman agrees to let government use
confiscated rubber boats for relief operations upon the request of President
Aquino
Upon President Benigno S. Aquino III’s request,
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has allowed the use of 75 rubber boats for
relief efforts being conducted by the government on victims affected by the
Western monsoon.
President Aquino said in a press conference
after presiding over a Cabinet meeting at the National Disaster Risk Reduction
Management Council (NDRRMC) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday that
Morales had agreed to let the government use said boats even after these had
been confiscated by the Ombudsman due to questions raised over their
acquisition.
The rubber boats, which the Philippine National
Police purchased for P131.5 million in 2009, were confiscated after Interior
Secretary Jesse Robredo questioned its acquisition.
The boats, together with 93 outboard motors,
were found to be incompatible with the needs of the PNP and were thus deemed
unusable. (rck)
Aquino says government to carry out various
measures to solve garbage problem
The government will carry out several measures
to solve the problem of disposing wastes in the country that usually worsen
flooding especially in the metropolis, President Benigno S. Aquino III said.
“In the future siguro (we can transform) waste
into energy. Nung nasa London tayo may kompanya na nagdeklara na nakapasok na
sila dito at naumpisahan na ang proyektong yan. So pag ang basura nagkaroon ng
halaga, yan na rin ang magiging solusyon hindi na yung punitive, at gagawing
may incentive na. Aayusin yung pagkolekta at pag-dispose,” the President said
in a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday.
The President led the meeting of the National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in response to recent
flooding being experienced in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Asked by reporters how the government encourages
people to properly dispose their wastes, the President appealed to the press to
help the government disseminate information about proper garbage disposal.
“Aapela muna ako, pagtulungan natin. Sabi ko
nga, sa information kayo ang pinaka-conduit namin para ma-inform sila. May
enforcement na binanggit ang ating MMDA chair. Tapos pangatlo nga siguro ito
ngang waste into energy,” he said.
At the same time, the government is pursuing
compliance to the Solid Waste Management Act or the R.A. 9003 to solve the
problem. There is also a movement among Metro Manila local government units to
impose zero-use of plastic bags in their areas to prevent harmful effects of these
materials.
In the long run the government will rely on
technology to solve the waste problem in the country, one government official
said.
Also, there are sectors calling for
semi-incineration but this proposal is still being studied and will take some
time to be implemented. The Supreme Court has also allowed some leniency in
using partial incineration to solve the waste problem in the country, the
official said. (as/2:56pm)
Aquino coordinates government efforts for
effective disaster response due to heavy downpour
Amidst heavy downpour and flooding in Metro
Manila, President Benigno S. Aquino III met several departments and government
agencies Tuesday to assess the damage brought about by the massive flooding in
the country and coordinate government rescue efforts.
In a televised press conference after meeting
concerned agencies at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (NDRRMC) office in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, the President said he
has issued several instructions as a response to the calamity.
The President said one of his instructions is to
ensure that rescue operations being spearheaded by the Metropolitan Manila
Development Authority (MMDA) is done in a centralized way so there is no
duplication of rescue efforts. The MMDA is acting as the central body
overseeing the rescue efforts to maximize the government response to the
disaster.
“Sa DOST continuous ang kanilang mga update,
anong aasahan ng taumbayan in terms of water level at the affected areas,” the
President said with regards to his instruction to the Department of Science and
Technology.
“In case na magkaproblema tayo dito sa mga
cellphones and other means of communication tsinek ko na rin ang mga facilities
ng PNP radio network saka ang AFP... yung tinatawag na long line that can keep
us in touch everywhere,” he said as he assured the public about good lines of
communication in the country.
The President also said he has instructed the
Philippine Air Force to do an inventory of disaster areas as soon as the
weather permits to identify people or communities needing rescue or government
help. This is to make sure that those areas not accessible to boats are reached
and flood victims are rescued.
“Pinapa-monitor natin sa DSWD ang availability
ng supplies na ginagamit nila para i-repack into relief goods. Kung merong
disruption dun sa supplies abisuhan agad yung DTI so the DTI can do appropriate
actions kung sakaling may nagho-hoard o nagtatago etc,” the President added.
“Everybody is supposed to do something what they
are supposed to do and improving what they are supposed to do,” he added.
At the same time, the President appealed to the
media and to the public not to sow confusion by disseminating unverified
information about the current flooding.
Asked by reporters what aspects of government
response must be improved, the President said, there is a need to raise
awareness with regards to the color coding scheme being used by the government
to inform the people about disasters.
Technical terms must be understood by the public
and these must be translated so ordinary people can understand those terms, the
President said.
Color coding being being flashed on television
or broadcast over radio must be understood by the people so they could easily
respond to disaster warnings from government agencies, the President noted.
Aside from disseminating information to the
public there is also the need for the government to improve structural
requirements for a more effective disaster response in the country, the
President added.
As of noontime Tuesday, the government pegged
the damage of the flooding to about P411 million. The amount covers all
sectors. (as/2:28pm)
