Government dispatches relief assistance to
victims of Typhoon Vinta in Northern Luzon
The national government has provided P743,100
worth of relief for Region II and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) as
a response to the devastation of Typhoon Vinta in those regions.
Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte
said in a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday that the
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Operation
Center continues to be on red alert status monitoring and coordinating efforts
between the national government and the affected local governments.
“Tiningnan natin ang mga assets na naka-standby
dito para sa pagtulong doon sa mga rehiyon na ito; and we have enough to help
the local governments that will be needing our assistance,” Valte said.
Based on the NDRRMC’s report to the President at
least 70 percent of power supply has been restored in Laoag City as of 7 p.m.
yesterday.
In the municipalities of Burgos, Bangui,
Dumalneg, Pagudpod, Badoc, Nueva Era, Paoay, all in Ilocos Norte, 85 percent of
the power supply was restored as of 7 p.m. last night, Valte reported.
The Palace official also reported that six roads
and three bridges in Region III and CAR were damaged by the typhoon.
“Ang importante sa atin ngayon ay ang
nai-provide na relief assistance in the amount of P743,100 to the affected
families in Regions II and CAR coming from DSWD. Iyong iba naman na nai-report,
(iyong mga) nagpunta ng evacuation center sa Gonzaga ay nakabalik na sa
kanilang mga tahanan,” she said.
Typhoon Vinta exited the country yesterday after
hitting the northern part of the Philippines. PND (as)
Government will not waver on going after abusers
of PDAF, says Palace
Malacanang reiterated that the justice
department will file cases against those who misused and abused the Priority
Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) that will stand scrutiny in courts and
ensure convictions of wrongdoers.
In a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on
Saturday, Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the instructions
of the President is to make sure that the cases being filed will stand scrutiny
and guarantee conviction.
The latest Palace comment is in the midst of
calls from anti-pork barrel advocates for the President to completely eliminate
pork barrels within 100 days.
As a response, Valte said “the President and the
administration will push for the correct things at the correct time.”
In relation to the issue, the Department of
Justice has filed two cases against those who allegedly pocketed public funds.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima will file charges against another batch of
people involved in the scam, Valte said.
But the government couldn’t rush things because there
are processes to be followed to come up with strong cases, she said.
Asked if there will be no sacred cows in the
government investigation, Valte said the DOJ’s inquiry is impartial.
“Impartial ang imbestigasyon ng ating Department
of Justice at sasalain pa rin iyan ng Office of the Ombudsman, at paulit-ulit
nang sinabi ng mga head ng dalawang kagawarang ito na impartial at wala silang
sasantuhin,” she said. PND (as)
Palace says government ready to bring home
Filipinos affected by 'Saudization' policy
Malacanang said the Philippine government has
been providing shelters to Filipinos undergoing repatriation process as the
Saudi Arabia government’s November 3 deadline against illegal workers expires.
Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte
said the real issue is continuous repatriation of Filipinos from Saudi Arabia
affected by its “Saudization” policy.
“Meron na tayong mga pino-provide na shelter for
them. Kapag dumating kasi ang deadline at hindi talaga maproseso ang kanilang
papers, they will have to stay in a particular place until they are repatriated
to the country,” Valte said in a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on
Saturday.
“Patuloy pa rin ang pakikipag-usap ng ating mga
kasamahan doon kung papaano magagawan pa ng paraan ang kanilang sitwasyon.”
According to Valte, it could be recalled that
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario made an appeal to overstaying
Filipinos to avail of the assistance that is being given by the Philippine
embassy to avoid queuing in the streets, which is prohibited by the Saudi
Arabian government.
'Saudization' is a national policy of Saudi
Arabia encouraging employment of Saudi nationals in the private sector, which
was largely dominated by expatriate workers from Asia, Europe and US.
The Saudi government has enacted policies to
promote 'Saudization,' including warnings to companies that will fail to comply
with 'Saudization' regulations will not get government contracts. PND (as)
