President briefed on calamity concerns at Camp Siongco

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao del Norte --- President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. today urged officials involved in relief operations for victims of Tropical Storm Paeng to do away with bureaucratic processes that can limit their access to essential provisions and services.

The President presided over a calamity impact assessment meeting here today with heads of Region 12 line agencies, local executives from Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur and Sultan Kudarat provinces and officials of the Bangsamoro government where the plight of more than 500,000 calamity-stricken individuals was discussed extensively.

Local and regional officials took turns briefing President Marcos on the devastations wrought by landslides and flashfloods that ravaged villages in the three provinces as a result of Tropical Storm Paeng and the extent of the displacement of affected communities.

The President said state relief entities, barangay, municipal, city and provincial governments should do away with the practice of releasing relief supplies only to direct constituents and from using coupons, distributed to calamity-stricken families prior to actual distribution of food supplies, as proof of residency.

“Let’s give them what we have, what we can give. It doesn’t matter if they get double of what is intended per person, or per family,” the President said.

Mayors from calamity-stricken towns in Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur were present in the meeting, held at the Officers’ Club here of the Army’s 6^th Infantry Division.

Defense Secretary Jose Faustino Jr., Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr., Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo, Presidential Assistant Antonio Lagdameo, Jr.  and Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao were also present in the meeting that lasted for more than an hour.

Worst hit by landslides and flashfloods caused by six hours of rains after midnight Thursday, spawned by Tropical Storm Paeng, were Maguindanao del Norte’s Upi, South Upi, Datu Odin Sinsuat and Datu Blah Sinsuat towns.

The Bangsamoro Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence contingent, the police and the Army’s 6^th Infantry Division have confirmed that, as of November 1, a total of 55 people perished in the floods and landslides that hit the four towns and nearby areas.

The President also instructed Tulfo, during the meeting, to focus on extensive distribution of medicines for common ailments to evacuees still in evacuation sites.

He called on provincial and regional officials to also focus on massive planting of trees on denuded hills as part of their flood-control programs.

“All of these landslides happened in areas where there are no more trees,” he said.