President Aquino visits repacking station in
Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City
President Benigno S. Aquino III visited a
repacking station in Ateneo de Manila University in Katipunan, Quezon City on
Thursday night and assured that his government continues to intensify relief
operations to attend to at least 1.4 million people affected by super typhoon
Yolanda (international name Haiyan).
The Chief Executive, who was accompanied by
Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Presidential Communications
Operations Office Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr., arrived at the Covered Court of
Ateneo de Manila University where volunteers are repacking relief goods at 6
p.m. Monday.
The President expressed his gratitude to
volunteers, mostly composed of Ateneo students and graduates, for their
assistance being extended to typhoon victims. The volunteers are helping the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) personnel to speed up the
repacking of the food packs.
The President, an alumni of Ateneo de Manila
University, explained to the volunteers the procedure on the distribution of
relief goods to disaster victims.
"We have to attend to at least 1.4 million
people and to feed them daily. And it is not really a simple matter, this is
the biggest challenge we have to face," the President said.
The President expressed elation to see
volunteers working very hard in repacking the relief goods for the typhoon
victims in Leyte, Samar, Palawan and other parts of Visayas region.
"Nobody seems to be getting tired," he
said.
The food packs are being shipped to Central
Visayas for the families affected by typhoon.
The President stayed for at least 30 minutes
before proceeding to three other repacking stations in Metro Manila.
The DSWD targets to produce 2.04 million family
food packs within two weeks starting Thursday. Each pack can feed one family
for three days.
To facilitate this, the DSWD has set up
additional repacking stations around Metro Manila in addition to the
DSWD-National Resource Operations Center (NROC).
The said satellite stations are in De La Salle
University in Taft Avenue, Manila; Ateneo de Manila University in Katipunan,
Quezon City; and, Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. Repacking is also being done
in Camp Aguinaldo and in Villamor Air Base.
Regional repacking centers in Regions V, VII, X,
and CARAGA remain open. PND (js)
Continue preparing food packs for
Yolanda-affected victims, President Aquino asks volunteers
President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday evening
exhorted volunteers to continue preparing food packs for families affected by
super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
The President visited volunteers preparing food
packs at various venues and thanked them for their work, stressing that there
is still much to be done.
He said they have to prepare 140,000 food packs
a day for 275,000 families affected by Yolanda.
Most of the families there remain isolated since
power and communications have yet to be restored, he said.
"Yung problema hong dumagok, yung Yolanda,
ang pamilyang apektado ay tinatantya natin sa 275,000 families. Sinusubukan
nating magawa, dahil yung food pack ay good for two days, 140,000 food packs
ang production sa limang repacking centers (Yolanda has affected about 275,000
families, and the food packs are good for two days. So we are trying to produce
140,000 food packs)," the President said.
"Kailangan talagang maramdaman ng mga
kababayan natin na hindi sila napabayaan para humupa ang tensyon, at hindi
maging desperado ang mga tao (We have to make people feel they are not
abandoned, so the tension will go down and they will not turn desperate),"
he added.
Also, the President said the government is
looking for trucks and vessels to transport the supplies to affected areas.
Yolanda left more than 2,000 dead and P4 billion
in damage.
Among the repacking centers the President
visited were the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, and National
Resource Operations Center in Pasay City, and those at the Philippine Air Force
and Philippine Army headquarters. PND (jl)
President Aquino thanks volunteers for helping
government in its relief missions
President Benigno S. Aquino III expressed
gratitude to individuals and company owners who donated their time, effort, and
facilities to help the government in its ongoing relief missions for the
victims of super typhoon “Yolanda” in Central Visayas.
The Chief Executive took a hastily scheduled
visit Thursday evening to various relief operations centers set up in Metro
Manila where he made some inspection on the family food packs (containing rice,
coffee, canned goods, and noodles) being assembled by volunteer citizens.
In a brief message, President Aquino said he was
very grateful for the presence of those who volunteered because it helps
accelerate the process of bringing the necessary aid intended for the victims
of calamity.
“Ito pong ginagawa ninyo ay malaking tulong,
talagang napapabilis 'yung kalinga ng buong Pilipinas, saka 'yung magagawa ng
gobyerno. Kung wala kayo talagang babagal ang proseso para maihatid ang tulong
na ito,” he told people at a cargo area in Barangay Vitalez, Pasay City.
The President said there are about 275,000
families in Central Visayas right now that don’t have the ability to feed
themselves owing to the catastrophic onslaught of super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ over
the weekend.
“Sinusubukan nating magawa, dahil 'yung food
pack ay good for two days, 140,000 food packs ang production sa limang
repacking centers,” he noted.
The President already made an initial visit to
Tacloban and Capiz, two of the areas severely destroyed by ‘Yolanda’, last
Sunday but he plans to go back there this weekend to personally oversee the
government’s relief missions.
“Kailangan talagang maramdaman ng mga kababayan
natin na hindi sila napabayaan para humupa ang tensyon, at hindi maging
desperado ang mga tao,” he stressed.
The President, moreover, asked volunteers if
they can still encourage more people to help repack the goods to do so because
our calamity-stricken countrymen need all the assistance they can get from
everyone.
Prior to visiting the cargo area in Pasay City,
President Aquino first went to the relief centers in Ateneo de Manila in Quezon
City and the National Resource Operations Center of the Department of Social
Welfare Development.
He then proceeded to the Philippine Air Force
Gym in Villamor Airbase, Pasay City and the Philippine Army Headquarters in
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City where relief missions were also being held and
participated by volunteers.
President Aquino was accompanied by Cabinet
Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio
Coloma, Jr., Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Internal Revenue Commissioner
Kim Henares, and Secretary Julia Abad of the Presidential Management Staff
during his visits. PND (hcd)
President Aquino designates four Cabinet
Secretaries as coordinators for relief and recovery efforts
President Benigno S. Aquino III issued a
memorandum order designating four cabinet secretaries as coordinators for the
relief and recovery efforts in connection with the calamity wrought by super
typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
In a Memorandum Order No. 60 signed by Executive
Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on November 14, the Chief Executive designated
Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima as the overall coordinator for the
preparation of all relief packs/goods prior to their distribution to the
affected localities.
Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority Director-General Joel J. Villanueva was designated as co-coordinator
to assist Purisima in the said activities.
The President named Transportation and
Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya as coordinator for all
transportation and other logistical needs in connection with the distribution
of relief packs/goods.
He assigned Labor and Employment Secretary
Rosalinda Baldoz to the Volunteer and Assistance Coordination. The offers of
donation and other assistance will be referred by Baldoz to concerned
implementing agencies. She will also monitor the actions that are taking place,
report the benefits and services delivered to typhoon victims and check on the Call
Center Operations through the facilities of Air 21 in NAIA 2 complex.
The President ordered all other departments,
agencies, bureaus, and offices of the government to coordinate with and assist
the designated officials on any matter relating to their activities.
The MO shall take effect immediately. PND (js)
President Aquino orders website tracking of
Yolanda foreign aid
President Benigno S. Aquino III has ordered the
creation of a website that will track the foreign aid being brought in for victims
of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), Malacañang said Friday.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said in a media briefing the website could be launched in as little as a week's
time.
"The President has given instructions for
the creation of a website. In a week's time ila-launch na yan (In a week's time
it will be launched)," she said.
She said President Aquino particularly wants the
website to display how much of the aid was coursed through government agencies,
for transparency purposes.
The President specifically wants the site to
display "who are the accountable persons and agencies," and where the
aid will be funneled, as well as the status of the aid.
Valte also said the Department of Foreign
Affairs has been preparing the matrix on the foreign aid.
In the meantime, Valte said the government
continues to take the needed actions to assist those affected by Yolanda.
She said the Philippine National Police is
augmenting the Philippine Coast Guard in grouping people boarding ships and
leaving affected areas like Tacloban.
This aims to give national and local government
officials concerned the means to provide the proper assistance to them, she
said. PND (jl)
Palace says government eyes more production
hubs, food-for-work programs
To help in the recovery of residents affected by
super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the government is considering setting up more
hubs for producing family food packs, Malacañang said Friday.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said coordination is being done in the local government units concerned to see
where such hubs can be established soonest.
"The airstrip in Borongan, Samar can soon
be the fourth hub. So we are looking at others, as we have mentioned
previously, we’re looking at other areas that can be made into hubs to expand
the access points from (areas like) Manila and from Cebu," she said at a
media briefing.
She pointed out that the government has to
sustain 275,000 families in Leyte and in Eastern Samar. This amounts to 1.1
million food packs a week.
Thus, she said the food repacking centers in
Manila may have to produce some 140,000 food packs per day.
Meanwhile, Valte said the Department of
Education is accounting for teachers in all affected areas, to start a
food-for-work program for teachers. PND (jl)
Palace assures help for refugees from
Yolanda-hit areas
Malacañang on Friday reassured residents of areas
hit by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) of medical and other forms of assistance
once they take flights to Metro Manila.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said this is why the Department of Social Welfare and Development is seeking a
stricter monitoring of flight manifests.
"The immediate need for them is relief.
Either they are brought to hospitals for medical care, sinasakay sa C-130 at
dinadala diretso sa hospital (where) they are administered first aid as soon as
we can give it to them. And those who are not injured either go to their
families or relief centers kung walang pupuntahan (The immediate need for them
is relief. If they are injured, they are brought to hospitals for medical care
via C-130 planes. If they are not sick they may go either to their families or
to relief centers)," she said at a media briefing.
But she said this may need a strict monitoring
system by the DSWD on flight manifests, so the government can track them and
determine what help they need.
Many residents of Yolanda-affected areas such as
Tacloban City had been taking C-130 flights to Metro Manila in past days.
Yolanda battered much of the Visayas and
Southern Luzon last week. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council said more than 2,300 had been killed in its wake. PND (jl)
Government relief goods reach majority of Leyte,
Samar towns affected by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’
(TACLOBAN CITY) The government has been able to
deliver relief goods to 30 out of 40 towns in Leyte and will do the same today,
said Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas.
In an interview after a meeting with government
agencies concerned with relief operations at the Leyte Sports Academy, Roxas
said that the government’s priorities right now are food and water delivery,
cadaver recovery, the maintainance of law and order, and the restoration of
some of the government’s services.
The secretary also said that the government’s
capability to reach those areas severely affected by typhoon increases as more
and more support come in.
In Tacloban, he said that 80 out of 138
barangays were able to receive assistance from the government, while in Eastern
Samar, the government has reached one-third of all the affected areas.
“Walo sa dalawamput-apat na bayan ng Samar ang
napadalhan na pero we expect that by today, ay lalong dadami ang mabibigyan,”
Roxas said.
The government has organized a “systemic”
approach in relief operations.
Roxas assured that the people in those areas
affected by the typhoon could expect continuing flow of relief goods in the
coming days.
He also reported that many vehicles intended for
logistics operations will reach Leyte and Samar in the next coming days to
augment the ongoing relief efforts.
He also said that 10 trucks of the Armed Forces
of the Philippines are expected to arrive here by lunch time today. There will
be an additional 20 trucks coming in and are already on their way here. He said
that the AFP is also assembling 20 more trucks to be sent here.
Aside from the trucks, Roxas said that the DOTC
is sending a cargo vessel containing five-ton trucks, which could carry heavy
load.
He said that there are also payloaders and 20
additional trucks that are coming in from Mindanao. Each truck has the
capability to deliver cargo and equipment in different towns affected by
typhoon, he added.
President Benigno S. Aquino III visited Tacloban
City and Roxas City last Sunday to personally assess the situation and to
coordinate the ongoing relief and recovery operations. PND (as)
No attempt to doctor Yolanda casualty figures,
Palace reassures
Malacañang on Friday reassured the public there
is no attempt by the government to suppress or fudge the figures on the losses
caused by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said the government has been up front with the public via the National Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Council.
"There is no attempt to hide or fudge any
figures. Any assertion otherwise would just be pure speculation at this
point," she said at a media briefing.
She said that as of Wednesday morning, the
official toll of the NDRRMC stands at 2,360.
In the meantime, Valte said the Philippine
government will base its figures on Yolanda on those provided by the NDRRMC.
She also said that President Benigno S. Aquino
III remains in constant communication with Cabinet members who are on the
ground as well as those helping out from Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, Valte defended government security
forces from criticisms questioning their whereabouts when the worst of Yolanda
hit the country.
She said the first responders the Philippine Air
Force's pilots had been flying C-130s that brought relief goods and transported
residents.
She said police and military troops helped
maintain peace and order. PND (jl)
Security forces stabilize peace and order in
devastated areas, says DILG chief
(TACLOBAN CITY) Security forces were able to
stabilize typhoon-ravaged areas following reports of isolated looting and other
crimes here, Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas said Friday.
The PNP sent additional 950 personnel to restore
order in Tacloban while the AFP dispatched 1,100 soldiers to also help, Roxas
said in an interview after meeting concerned government agencies involved in
the relief and recovery efforts.
“Meron pang dagdag na mga parating, pero
na-stabilized na ang law and order situation dito,” Roxas said.
Roxas also belied reports on the alleged attacks
by the communist rebels against troops transporting relief goods. He said no
such incident happened.
On the cadaver recovery operations, he said more
than 200 remains were already buried. He added that 400 bodies recovered will
be buried soon. Of the 434 bodies retrieved, 287 remain unidentified while 147
were identified by their relatives.
Roxas assured that every cadaver is identified
through finger printing, taking photographs, and DNA sampling. Identificard
Cards found along with the remains are also collected for future verification,
he said. All the cadavers will be buried in a mass grave and supervised by the
Health department.
With regards to road clearing operations, Roxas
said that the DPWH provided the Armed Forces four trucks. In Tacloban City, the
MMDA spearheads the clearing operations, he added.
Roxas further said that the government
consolidates and integrates its efforts considering the government’s limited
resources.
Tacloban City is among those areas most hit by
typhoon Yolanda, which resulted to extensive damage to infrastructure and loss
of human lives.
Last Sunday, President Benigno S. Aquino III flew
here and to Roxas City to personally assess the situation. The President also
coordinated government relief and recovery efforts in devastated areas. PND
(as)
All routes going to Leyte now open, govt says
(TACLOBAN CITY) Relief goods and equipment could
now enter Leyte with ease after the government cleared the supply routes
connecting the province with Luzon and Mindanao, a government official said on
Friday.
In an interview after a meeting with concerned
government agencies here, Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas
said that main supply routes connecting Calbayog, Catbalogan, Santa Rita and
San Juanico Bridge, entering Tacloban have been cleared of obstructions.
The Army engineers cleared the roads and also
now maintain security in those area, the secretary said.
Roads from Tacloban heading towards the West
crossing in Ormoc are also now open. The Maharlika highway connecting Tacloban
City and Maasin all the way to Surigao is also passable at this time, he said.
Secretary Roxas said, however, that although
supplies and equipment could pass through those routes, some portions remain to
be cleared to open them for two-way traffic. The DILG chief also said that
while government personnel cleared major roads in Tacloban, obstructions in
some of the city’s inner streets have to be removed. PND (as)
Asian Development Bank extends $23 million in
grants and $500 million loan to Philippines for typhoon victims
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) expressed its
commitment to President Benigno S. Aquino III to provide $23 million in grants
to the Philippines to address immediate needs for the victims of typhoon
Yolanda (known internationally as Haiyan).
During the courtesy call at the Malacanang
Palace's Music Room on Friday, ADB President Takehiko Nakao relayed the ADB's
commitment to President Benigno S. Aquino III.
Nakao told the Chief Executive that the ADB
stands ready to provide a $500 million emergency loan to help reconstruct
communities devastated by Typhoon Yolanda, also known internationally as
Typhoon Haiyan.
Joining Nakao were ADB vice president Stephen
Groff; James Nugent, director-general of ADB in Southeast Asia; Neeraj Jain,
country director of ADB for the Philippines; and Tomoyuki Saisu, a chief
advisor to the ADB president.
Also in attendance were Finance Secretary Cesar
Purisima and Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary Mateo Montano.
“We are working in close collaboration with the
government and all other international agencies to provide hope and rebuild the
lives of more than 11 million people affected by what is being described as one
of the Philippines’ worst ever natural disasters,” Nakao said in a statement.
Of the $23 million in grants being provided for
immediate relief assistance for affected communities, $3 million will come from
the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund, ADB’s emergency assistance facility,
and $20 million from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, a Trust Fund
financed by the Government of Japan.
In addition to the immediate relief assistance,
ADB stands ready to provide a $500 million quick-disbursing program loan to
help post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction. ADB will work with
bilateral and multilateral development partners for timely and effective reconstruction.
In this regard, the first coordination meeting was held at ADB today with World
Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
ADB is also exploring other ways of mobilizing
resources including the establishment of an ADB-administered multi-donor trust
fund.
ADB has formed the Typhoon Yolanda Response
Team, made up of 40 senior staff members from across the Bank with experience
in post-disaster situations, to coordinate with the government and development
partners. The team will soon be engaged in a comprehensive damage and needs
assessment for recovery and rehabilitation.
“ADB will provide full support to the people and
the Government of the Philippines together with other development partners to
speedily implement both needed relief and reconstruction – especially as the
Philippines is our home,” Nakao said. PND (js)
Hyundai donates 50 million to Philippines for
"Yolanda" relief and rehabilitation efforts
Korean auto firm Hyundai Motor Group (HMC) and
its Philippine distributor Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) provided a total
of P50 million in financial assistance to the Philippines to support its
recovery efforts in the areas devastated by typhoon Yolanda.
During the turn-over ceremony in Malacanang
Palace's Music Room on Friday, President Benigno S. Aquino III received a P25
million cheque donation from HARI chairman emeritus Richard Lee. HARI donated
the P25 million to aid the national government's program for relief,
reconstruction and rehabilitation of the communities in the Visayas region.
Hyundai Motor Group also donated P25 million to
Philippine Red Cross for the disaster recovery efforts in the Philippines.
Joining Lee were HARI chairman Edward Go,
President and Chief Executive Officer Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, HMC regional director
Kim Hoo Keun, general manager Victor Mhun.
The financial aid signifies Hyundai's solidarity
with the Filipino nation to achieve the full and swift recovery of typhoon-hit
Leyte, Iloilo, Samar and Cebu.
"We emphatize with our fellow countrymen in
this most trying of times, with sincere hope and prayer that will rise above
all these....We are confident of the government's resolve to facilitate
enabling measures to fast track recovery," Agudo said.
Also in attendance were Trade and Industry
Secretary Gregory Domingo and Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary
Parisya Taradji. PND (js)
