Government counseling Mindanao typhoon victims
to ensure their well-being
The
government vowed to ensure the emotional well-being of typhoon victims in
Mindanao following reports that many victims have been suffering from mental
illnesses as a result of the disaster, the Palace said on Saturday.
In a
radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential spokesperson
Abigail Valte said the some members of the Aquino Cabinet went to the disaster
area on Friday and had a dialogue with survivors on the ongoing normalization
efforts of the government.
They
explained to the survivors the government plans being carried out, the relief
and reconstruction initiatives, so that their lives could go back to normal.
“We are
also cognizant of the fact that the survivors cannot be left in the dark. You
have to really tell them, and to help them that this is what we are doing,”
Valte said.
“Apart from
the evacuation efforts, the relief efforts, the DSWD is also providing stress
debriefing para doon sa mga survivors, given the number of them and the number
of social workers that we have, it really is a daunting task,” she added.
As the
government provides the victims with food, clothing and shelter, it is also
working to ensure that the survivors have a healthy well-being, Valte said.
On the
spiritual side, Valte said they’ll leave it to local priests and pastors to
give the victims spiritual counseling.
Reacting
to reports saying the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
issued logging permits that eventually exacerbated the situation during the
typhoon, Valte said they will await the result of the investigation ordered by
the President.
“When the
storm was ongoing and we were only beginning to see the effects of the typhoon,
meron nang mga nagsasabi diyan. We will leave it up to the members assigned to
determine it kasi it can be a factor… illegal logging and mining,” Valte said.
“That
will be part of the investigation. The DOJ, DENR, DILG, sila ang naatasan ng
Pangulo na tingnan kung bakit at ano ang dahilan ng mga pangyayari doon sa
Davao Oriental at sa Compostela Valley,” she added. PND (as)
Palace extends condolences to the families of
Connecticut shooting victims
Malacanang extended its condolences to the
families of the victims of the Connecticut shooting on Friday (US time) that
killed 26 people, 20 of them schoolchildren.
Deputy
presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio interview Saturday over
government-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan that the Filipino public was horrified by
reports on the Connecticut shooting especially because most the victims are
young children.
“Our
deepest condolences go out to the families, to the teachers, to the loved ones
of everybody at talagang hindi natin nai-imagine ang ganitong klaseng
pangyayari. Our hearts and minds... and our prayers are with them as they go
through a very, very difficult time especially magpapasko pa naman,” Valte
said.
Relating
the US shooting to gun control efforts in the Philippines, Valte said the
Philippine National Police (PNP) has a campaign against loose firearms.
“The
campaign of the PNP is underway..., as you know, meron tayong number of loose
firearms that are already in the custody of the PNP, and as well as illegal
firearms,” she said.
“Underway
naman ang kanilang kampanya and so far nakikita naman natin ang kanilang
pagpupursigi. Kailangan lang talaga ng konti pang panahon at konti pang
pagtutulak para maging mas successful ang kanilang kampanya.”
Twenty
six people died Saturday during a shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary
School—20 of them children. Among the six adults killed were the school’s
principal and the school psychologist.
The
shooter was identified by law enforcement officials as 20-year-old Adam Lanza.
He was found dead apparently as a result of self-inflicted wound. Separately,
his mother's body was found at a Newtown, Connecticut, residence.
The death
toll put the Newtown shooting as the second-deadliest school shooting in US
history, behind only the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech that left 32 people
dead.
Authorities recovered three weapons from the
school: a semi-automatic .223 Bushmaster found in a car in the school parking
lot, and a Glock and a Sig Sauer pistols found with Lanza's body.
Police
said the weapons were legally purchased by Lanza’s mother. PND (as)
President Aquino expresses sympathies over gradeschool
massacre in Connecticut
President Benigno S. Aquino III issued a
statement on Saturday extending condolences to the families of the victims of
the New Town, Connecticut shooting that left 26 people dead, 20 of them
schoolchildren.
“At this time of the deepest mourning over the
tragic loss of life in Connecticut, I
extend the deepest sympathy and solidarity to the families of those who lost
loved ones in the Sandy Hook Elementary
School,” the President said in the statement.
“Together with the entire Filipino people, we
stand beside you with bowed heads, yet in deep admiration over the manner in
which the American people have reached out to comfort the afflicted, and to
search for answers that will give meaning and hope to this grim event. We pray
for healing, and that this heartbreak will never be visited on any community
ever again.”
Because most of those killed were young
children, other world leaders expressed grief over the tragedy, including US
President Barack Obama. Obama, a father of two girls, who wiped away tears
while delivering a statement about the shooting.
“Our hearts are broken today. The majority of
those who died today were children. Beautiful little kids between the ages of 5
and 10 years old,” the US President said.
Flags were ordered to fly at half-staff
nationwide in tribute to the victims. There are also planned candlelight vigils
across the country as Americans gather to try to comprehend the tragedy.
Among the six adults killed in the shooting
rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School were the school’s principal and the
school psychologist.
The shooter was identified by law enforcement
officials as 20-year-old Adam Lanza. He was found dead apparently as a result
of self-inflicted wound. Separately, his mother's body was found at a Newtown, Connecticut, residence.
The death toll put the Newtown shooting as the
second-deadliest school shooting in US history, behind only the 2007 shooting
at Virginia Tech that left 32 people dead.
Authorities recovered three weapons from the
school: a semi-automatic .223 Bushmaster found in a car in the school parking
lot, and a Glock and a Sig Sauer pistols found with Lanza’s body.
All the weapons were legally purchased by
Lanza’s mother, police said. PND (as)
