Dec 082013
 

Tacloban mayor recounts Yolanda ordeal at Congressional hearing

Tacloban mayor recounts Yolanda ordeal at Congressional hearing. At a Congressional oversight committee hearing on PHL disaster management law at the Senate on Monday, December 9, Tacloban City Mayor Alfredo Romualdez becomes emotional as he recounts his ordeal when Typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban on November 8. At right is Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. Benjie Castro

Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez decried Monday how the national government supposedly did not help his local government unit in rescue and security efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

During a post-disaster assessment at the Senate, Romualdez said he asked for additional security personnel from the national government a day after Yolanda’s landfall, but Interior Secretary Mar Roxas did not grant his request.

Romualdez said Roxas instead asked him to write a letter that the local government could no longer function and that the national government should step in.

“Secretary Roxas said we should legalize everything… He told me we have to be very careful because you are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino,” Romualdez said.

The mayor said he practically “begged” national officials for help, but to no avail.

“I could not understand why I could not get help from national government… Kung kaya ng police at military na ma-secure ang President, bakit ‘di kami nabigyan ng security para ma-secure ang siyudad?” Romualdez said.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who was presiding over the post-disaster assessment, said the committee wants to hear Roxas’ side on the matter next hearing.

Close to 6,000 individuals have been confirmed dead after Yolanda ripped through central Philippines last month. Tacloban City in Leyte was among the areas worst hit by the typhoon.

Some 2.6 million families were affected, and P35.5 billion worth of properties were damaged by the weather disturbance, based on latest government records. —KG, GMA News

Jul 302013
 
Solon seeks suspension of PDAF implementation for 3rd quarter of the year

If Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza could have his way, “pork barrel” implementation for the third quarter of the year should be suspended pending the investigation on the alleged misuse of pork barrel funds, or formally known as Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). Instead, legislators should focus on their job, which is crafting laws, Atienza said in a statement Tuesday. “We recommend that we suspend the implementation of the PDAF,” Atienza said. “(Instead we should) buckle down to our real work of legislation.” “We are all honorable men and have been elected to legislate, get the country moving towards economic growth and not get involved with the delivery of basic services that could be best done by local government units,” the former Manila mayor said. He said P200 billion in PDAF could have easily built 10 million homes for the poor and one million classrooms, and provide facilities like CT scan, dialysis and MRI equipment to public hospitals. “But when we look back at how this money has been utilized, all we see are waiting sheds, basketball courts, covered courts and now the scandalous allegations of giving money to non-existent NGOs,” Atienza said. House members get P70 million in PDAF every year while senators has an allocation of P200 million. House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales has yet to give a comment on Atienza’s proposal. In a text message to GMA News Online, Budget Secretary Butch Abad said they will implement it if the Congress adopts it. “If Congress adopts the Read More …