“Next week, we will conclude the proper investigation and discuss it with [the team] for some adjustments. By April 5, we will file our recommendation to DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government),” Social Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman told GMA News Online in a phone interview on Sunday.
DSWD’s recommendations will include the the investigation’s findings on who should be held accountable for the spoilage of relief goods, and whether administrative cases should be filed.
Soliman clarified that some relief goods were indeed disposed of in a dumpsite in Palo, Leyte since these were “not seen fit for human consumption.”
She noted that only a sack of assorted biscuits, 10 cups of instant noodles, and a half sack of rice were buried in the dump site despite media reports that truckloads of spoiled goods had been disposed of there.
She said some of the donated food got wet, causing them to spoil.
The Social Welfare secretary explained that the rotten relief goods that were given to another village in Palo town did not come from DSWD but from various agencies.
The relief goods were almost distributed to Yolanda survivors but were intercepted by the chairman of Barangay Gacao, who saw maggots crawling on some of the packages.
Soliman said that the investigation will also look into reports of relief goods being hoarded.
Palo town as ‘focus of complaints’
Although the investigation has yet to be concluded, Soliman stressed that the DSWD is ready to provide technical assistance to the Palo town government in the handling of relief goods.
The Social Welfare secretary said Palo seems to be the “focus of complaints” as the incidents happened in the same town.
Remedios Petilla, mother of Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, is the mayor of Palo town.
Soliman said that the DSWD is considering storing relief goods in the United Nations’ relief operations hub within the area so food packs can be stored in a dry place.
She also advised social workers to sort the relief items according to their expiry date to prevent expired or rotten food being distributed to typhoon survivors.
“Hindi sinasadya ‘yun [pagbibigay ng panis na pagkain]. Walang taong magsasadya niyan sa Leyte. Negligence lang iyan,” she said. — BM/JDS, GMA News
