President Aquino hopeful that lives of typhoon
survivors will normalize soon
(TACLOBAN CITY) President Benigno S. Aquino III
expressed optimism that the situation here will normalize soon as businesses
and trade open.
In an interview during his visit at the
Australian mobile hospital Monday near Tacloban City Airport, the President
said many things have changed since his initial visit to Tacloban last week.
Obstructions in major roads were cleared making
the flow of traffic in the city smoother, he said.
“Pero siguro ang pinakamagandang masasabi natin
sa lahat ng kababayan natin, medyo nagno-normal na. Nagbukasan na ang
gasolinahan, ang bangko magbubukas sa Miyerkules,” he said.
Businesses and trade have started to normalize,
according to the President, noting that when he visited the municipality of
Palo, people are already selling goods and some products coming from nearby
municipalities are already reaching the town center.
This is an indication that the lives of the
people in Leyte are starting to go back to normal, he said.
The President also said he noticed during his
visit within Tacloban that there are gas stations already serving customers.
The supply of water in Tacloban has gone back to normal and the energy
department announced that there will be street lights in Palo starting Monday
night.
The Landbank will also start ATM services
Wednesday or Thursday, according to reports.
Since the roads are cleared, the President said
he expects continuous flow of relief goods and equipment to the province and
other areas affected by typhoon Yolanda.
The President, who is now in his third day of
his stay here, visited Palo and Alangalang towns on Monday. Today, he is
scheduled to go to Basey in Samar and in Ormoc City. PND (as)
Foreign aid will be a big component in country’s
rebuilding efforts, says Aquino
(TACLOBAN CITY) The Philippine government will
be grateful if the international community stays in the long term for
rebuilding and rehabilitation of typhoon-devastated areas but it would depend
on every country’s capabilities, President Benigno S. Aquino III said on
Monday.
In an interview during his visit in a mobile
hospital here in Tacloban City, the President said that while he understands
the capability of each country extending help, the Philippines has to plan based
on its own resources after outside support is gone.
“We'll be very grateful if they do so but we
also understand everybody's capabilities, needs and wants. But I think we as a
matter of prudent action should be planning based on our resources and our capabilities
and addressing our needs,” he said during the interview.
Asked about the importance of the international
element in the rebuilding and restructuring work, he said the Philippines
welcomes all help they can extend starting from materials, manpower and
expertise.
The government is still collating all the data
on the damages before it can come up with the actual need for rebuilding and
rehabilitation, he said.
One of the first countries that helped is the
United States, he said noting the US provided massive lift capability from the
start with its C-130s and Osprey aircraft and augmented the three C-130s of the
Philippine Air Force.
“They sent a carrier battle group together with
all of its components from water filtration to the helicopters that enable us
to really reach in a more timely manner all of these isolated islands,
barangays, and municipalities,” the President said.
Australia provided emergency health care to the
survivors putting up a mobile hospital. This helped augment the services of
local hospitals here which started to operate this week.
The Philippines, being a country composed of
islands, also needs the expertise of other countries to minimize the effects of
storm surges, the President said.
“We have a 36,000-km coastline and we have to
map out storm surge danger areas and this is dependent on topography next to
beaches. Of course, more people working at the problem will give us the answers
quicker,” the chief executive said.
“At the end of the day, we are hoping to draw on
the expertise of everyone willing to help us, augment the resources we do have,
and get our people situated in a better situation at the quickest possible
time,” he added.
And when the government helps people rebuild
their homes, the President said he wanted better structures that could
withstand the forces of nature and minimize casualties in times of severe
events. PND (as)
President Aquino says government agencies
assessing the damage of typhoon ‘Yolanda’
(TACLOBAN CITY) Government agencies involved in
the assessment and rebuilding efforts will be meeting this week to come up with
a budget figure needed to rehabilitate typhoon-ravaged areas in the Visayas,
President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Monday.
The President said in an interview during his
visit to a mobile hospital here that the government spends P70 to 75 million a
day for food supply in Region 8.
To rebuild new homes, the initial figure is
P380,000 for more weather-resistant housing for the socialized housing
component, he said. Fortunately, for infrastructure, the President said very
few roads and bridges in the affected area were damaged.
The government still doesn’t have the bill for
power restoration, he said noting that around 150 towers of the national grid
were damaged by typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas.
The major concern is how the government pays for
the construction of the towers without resulting to higher energy bills.
“So I have tasked my legal counsel to study
whether Malampaya would be the better avenue to restore this state asset. If
you remember, the transmission lines are in effect just leased to the
concessionaires and they are state assets,” the President said.
The government still doesn’t have a total tally
for the damages in the agriculture sector, he said adding that the Department
of Agriculture’s initial estimate is more than P3 billion for the damages in
Region 8.
There is also high demand for certified seeds to
enable farmers replant for the December cropping season, the President said.
A separate program is also being implemented for
the coconut industry, in which the government will extend assistance. Farmers
have to adopt intercropping methods to increase yield, he said. PND (as)
President Aquino assures residents of Basey,
Western Samar that government would continue to extend assistance
(BASEY, Western Samar) President Benigno S.
Aquino III on Tuesday assured the residents of Basey that the national
government would continue to extend assistance to them following the extensive
damage caused by Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ (Haiyan).
The President, along with some Cabinet
officials, visited on Thursday the town of Basey to check the situation on the
ground, as well as to ensure that the immediate needs of those affected by the
typhoon are being provided.
“Pumunta ho ako dito para makita ang kalagayan
ninyo, at maniguradong naaasikaso lahat at maipabatid sa inyong lahat na hindi
ho tayo titigil hanggang naibangon kayo sa mas maayos na kalagayan,” he said in
his message to the residents here.
The President met with Governor Sherrie Ann Tan,
Basey Mayor Igmedio Ponferrada, Vice Mayor Paul Charles Adona and other local
government officials to draw up a “comprehensive plan” for the immediate recovery
of Basey from the devastation by the typhoon.
“Iyong binanggit sa atin (ay) housing, ‘yung
agrikultura, lalo ‘yung nagno-niyog, at saka ‘yung mga nangingisda, at ‘yung
mga current na problema. Tinukoy na po ang mga lupa kung saan tayo magtatayo ng
temporary shelter, at pagkatapos noon ‘yung tinatawag na bunkhouses,” he said.
The President, after his meeting with the local
government officials, led the distribution of relief goods, including non-food
items such as mats and tarpaulins, to those affected by typhoon Yolanda.
“Umasa ho kayo, lalo na doon sa mga naghahanap
ng mga certified seeds, inatasan na natin si Secretary (Proceso) Alcala na
mag-source nito para maabutan natin ‘yung pagtatanim nitong Disyembre,” the
President said.
The President was accompanied by Interior and
Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas, Social Welfare and Development
Secretary Corazon Soliman and Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio
Singson during his visit to Basey. PND (co)
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council forms five clusters to fast-track delivery of goods to hardest-hit
regions by Yolanda
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC) has formed five clusters to fast-track the
operations in the delivery of relief goods to the hardest-hit regions by super
typhoon Yolanda (internationally known as Haiyan), Presidential Communications
Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said.
Coloma said during the regular news briefing in
Malacanang on Tuesday that the NDRRMC has formed five clusters namely, peace
and order, distribution of food and other relief goods, cadaver recovery and
burial, clearing and inspection, and normalization to immediately attend to the
needs of at least 1.4 million people in Leyte and Samar provinces.
"The government has ramped up operations in
the delivery of relief goods to the hardest-hit regions. Priority one is the
distribution of food packs to the primary target beneficiary groups, consisting
of 275,000 families or approximately 1.4 million individuals in Leyte and Samar
provinces," Coloma said.
"These are also the areas with the most
damaged homes numbering about 26,598. These areas account for almost 94 percent
of the recorded fatalities totaling 3,982 as of the latest report of NDRRMC. Of
this number, more than 3,000 are from Tacloban City and the nearby towns of
Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa, and Dulag," he said.
According to Coloma, the NDRRMC reported that a
total of 524,147 family food packs, 192,975 liters of water, and 58,876 units
of high-energy biscuits have been distributed to the affected areas in the
provinces of Leyte and Samar as of Tuesday.
A total of 24,770 personnel from both the
government and private corporations and 88 local and foreign medical teams are
involved in relief and medical operations and maintenance of peace and order,
Coloma said.
The Communications Secretary said foreign
medical teams from Belgium, Japan, Germany, Australia, Hungary, Canada, Norway,
Switzerland, USA, Korea, South Africa, France, Italy, and Israel joined the
relief operations.
He said 1,306 vehicles, 104 seacrafts, 163
aircrafts, 27,532 units comprising of various equipment are operating in the
field to fast track delivery of relief goods, clearing of debris, recovery and
identification of cadavers for burial.
The Communications Secretary also said the water
supply in Leyte has been restored while mobile communication lines have been
fully restored in the provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Guimaras, and Negros Oriental.
"In Leyte, the services of the dominant
carrier have been restored, while in Eastern Samar, service restoration is only
at 14 percent," he said. PND (js)
Business establishments resume their operations
in areas affected by super typhoon “Yolanda,” Coloma says
Business establishments are now resuming their
operations in areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda (internationally known as
Haiyan), Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio B.
Coloma Jr. said.
"Resumption of commercial activities is
another indicator of normalization. To achieve this, the Department of Trade
and Industry has organized a series of diskwento caravans in Leyte and Samar,
selling basic commodities at discounted prices," Coloma said during the
regular press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
Rescue Legion volunteers are also working on restoring operations of all public
markets as soon as possible, Coloma said.
The Communications Secretary said various banks
such as Land Bank of the Philippines, the Development Bank of the Philippines,
and other Megalink and Bancnet affiliated banks in Tacloban City have set up on
Tuesday mobile automated teller machines to help expedite the resumption of
commercial and economic activities.
The government is gearing up efforts for
transport and distribution of goods to typhoon-hit areas, Coloma said.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that the line of vehicles entering Matnog
Port in Sorsogon has been substantially reduced from the previous high of 10
kilometers to only one kilometer.
Coloma assured the public that the government
continues to extend assistance to the public in the aftermath of the typhoon.
"The Philippine Broadcasting Service-Radyo
ng Bayan has been able to set up a broadcast facility, dyCT—as in City of
Tacloban—with frequency of 104.3 FM. This facility has been up since Sunday, 17
November, operates from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to service calls for missing
relatives and to give updates on relief, medical operations, as well as
retrieval of casualties," he said.
"The PCOO has also established a media
center in the Leyte Oval, which is managed by PCOO and Philippine Broadcasting
Service, and at the city hall of Tacloban, a Philippine Information Agency
(PIA) information desk to facilitate the flow of information from the disaster
areas and to assist journalists and broadcasters performing their
responsibilities in that area," Coloma said. PND (js)
Aquino government sets up a system in handling
identifying victims in regions hardest-hit by ‘Yolanda’
The Aquino government has set up a system in
handling and identifying typhoon victims bodies in the hardest-hit regions by
super typhoon Yolanda (internationally known as Haiyan), Presidential
Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said.
"The casualty retrieval process is
proceeding in accordance with the established protocols. There are protocols
for identifying and also for properly preparing the cadavers in appropriate
burial sites," Coloma said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang
on Tuesday.
The Department of Anthropology of the University
of the Philippines is fielding a team of volunteers to aid in the
identification of remains, Coloma said.
"They are working with the Public
Attorney’s Office, which is also under the Department of Justice, and these are
resource persons in forensic anthropology as well as osteology," the
Communications Secretary said.
"According to the explanation, what they
will do is a step below the use of DNA because the DNA process is quite
expensive and also extensive. But this could be a good approximation. But they
would need the support of relatives of those that are still missing and have
been unaccounted for," Coloma said.
Coloma said the NDRRMC has already formed five
clusters namely peace and order, distribution of food and other relief goods,
cadaver recovery and burial, clearing and inspection, and normalization.
"So this segment of the operation, as I
reported earlier, is also being undertaken in earnest because we have organized
a specific cluster within the NDRRMC that will take care of the cadaver
recovery and burial efforts," he stressed.
"So you can be assured, our public can be
assured, that everything is being done in order—that we will pay due respect,
we will accord due respect to those that have perished and for the solace of
their families," Coloma said. PND (js)
President Aquino inspects vessel carrying relief
goods for typhoon victims
President Benigno S. Aquino III inspected a
Roll-On/Roll-Off (Ro-Ro) vessel carrying relief goods for typhoon victims while
it was docked in Pier 15, Manila on Tuesday afternoon.
After landing at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay
City from Tacloban City, the Chief Executive proceeded to Pier 15 at 5:15 p.m.
to inspect the Super Shuttle Ro-Ro vessel before its departure for Tacloban
City.
Accompanied by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima
and Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, President Aquino met
the operators of the Ro-Ro to get updates about the delivery of the relief
goods.
The President was informed that the vessel is
carrying 145 20-footer containers loaded with relief goods.
The Ro-Ro vessel will leave the pier at 11 p.m.
Tuesday. It is set to arrive in Tacloban City at 3 p.m. Friday.
The President said the distribution of food
packs to the primary target beneficiary groups, consisting of 275,000 families
or approximately 1.4 million individuals in Leyte, Samar provinces and other
areas remains to be the government's top priority. PND (js)
