Garin scores Army, AFP hierarchy over relief distribution fiasco
Iloilo First District Representative Janette Loreto-Garin wants answers as to who made the shots and called off the planned aerial relief distribution set for over 1,000 typhoon victims in her district.
The schedule was apparently firmed up with Chief Superintendent Isagani Cuevas, Police Regional Office 6 (PRO 6) Director and chairman of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC). It was set at 1 p.m. Saturday with the drop-off points in Barangay Lumboyan, San Joaquin, Iloilo and another hinterland barangay in Tubungan, Iloilo.
Initially, talks were for the relief goods to be distributed by visiting American forces of the US Navy using one of the 16 US helicopters sent to assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) here. The lady solon was however told late Friday afternoon that the Americans allegedly insisted on picking up the goods only at the Iloilo airport in Cabatuan "for security reasons."
Further still, the drop-off points were reportedly "not acceptable" to the Americans again "for security reasons."
Garin's dilemma though was lack of communication to relay said latest requirement vis-a-vis changes to local officials concerned with power still out in Southern Iloilo.
"Everything that we wanted to relay had to be done personally so in Tubungan alone it would take at least four hours for the messenger to reach the concerned village/barangay. It was just not feasible also to do all that at night," the lady solon explained.
Eventually, last minute decision was to transfer all 1,000 packs of relief goods to Guimbal for pick-up, the distribution then supposedly to be taken over by AFP's Philippine Army and no longer the American soldiers.
Yet the 1 p.m. pick-up in Guimbal never happened while the beneficiaries waited in vain in Tubungan and San Joaquin.
Worse, when the lady solon tried to check what happened, she learned that military helicopters were ordered to be on standby for visiting Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and other "Very Important Persons (VIPs)." She was also told that orders supposedly had to come from Philippine Army Chief Lt. General Alexander Yano, AFP Chief of Staff.
"Are we here to help the victims or please the VIPs at this very time of calamity and destruction? People are begging for food and assistance of the government. And we are trying to cope with that need. I cannot believe how something like this can happen, VIPs over victims," Representative Garin decried. "As officers and gentlemen in uniform, the least that could have been done was notification immediately after they changed their minds and decided the helicopters must be on standby for VIPs rather than distribute relief goods."
Garin said most families had to walk at least three hours to get to the drop-off points with the Barangay Lumboyan group covering nine other affected barangays in San Joaquin.
In Tubungan, the lady solon added that local volunteers and the "barangay police" assisted Army soldiers tasked to do "ground clearing" as part of security check.
"What was asked were fully complied with. Mayor Vic Tabaquirao of Tubungan was literally up all night to ensure that the families who will walk at least two to three kilometers to the drop-off point will be secured from any potential danger and harm. I do not think any VIPs or intent to please a VIP is more worthy than the effort done by everybody involved. How can we explain to the families that help did not come because the helicopters had to be on standby for people in government?," she added.
In the end, Garin got hold of Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap who made an earlier ocular visit of the devastated areas in Southern Iloilo towns. Calls were apparently made that had a helicopter go to Guimbal about 5 p.m. and made two trips of aerial relief.
Any more trips had to wait because of approaching darkness. Hundreds of beneficiary-families also started to leave by 4 p.m. with the town mayor himself at a loss of explanation.
Sunday had the solon ensure continued aerial relief mission by hiring a private helicopter instead of entrusting the job to either the US relief mission team and the AFP.
"I do not blame our visiting American forces. For sure they had nothing to do with the foul-up. I just want answers though so we know who to trust and what to do when faced with the same sorry situation. We cannot be rendered helpless. We cannot afford that at the expense of the sufferings of our people," Garin ended. "It is really sad and disgusting at the same time."