A lawmaker today appealed for sobriety and calm after some 3,000 survivors of the typhoon Pablo stormed the regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Davao City taking off with sacks of rice and boxes of relief goods.
Rep. Maria Carmen Apsay (1st District, Compostela Valley), whose district was greatly devastated by Typhoon Pablo in December 2012, said she fully supports the DSWD and other government offices for responding to help during the onslaught of Typhoon “Pablo” but stressed she cannot condone resorting to violence and theft.
“Many of our people in Compostela Valley are struggling but we all understand the need for cooperation, unity and responsibility for ourselves and for our neighbors if we are to move forward,” Apsay said.
The group belonging to the Barug Katawhan led by a certain Karlos Trangia said the people stormed the DSWD office for its failure to distribute relief goods to hungry residents from Davao Oriental and the Compostela Valley.
Apsay said the DSWD, national agencies, provincial and local governments and her congressional office have all been working together round-the-clock to return the people to normalcy.
“We reiterate our plea for cooperation and sobriety in order to rise from the situation. Let this not impede our collective and continuing efforts to return to progress,” Apsay stressed.
Trangia said the protesters stormed the DSWD regional office demanding the immediate release of the 10,000 sacks of rice and boxes of relief goods promised by Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman during a roadblock in Montevista last Jan. 15.
According to the DSWD regional director Prescy Razon, some 3,000 food packs, 600 boxes of noodles, 300 boxes of coffee, and several boxes of sardines were taken. She said each food pack is worth P250.
Meanwhile, DSWD regional office spokesperson Carmel Duro said the confrontation started when officials asked the protesters some requirements as proof that they were typhoon victims.
However, the protesters complained that their local officials had already submitted their requirements.
When asked for her comment, Secretary Soliman, in a phone interview, condemned the raid and said what they are doing is not helping and they have done everything to help them.
Soliman backlashed at the protesters and said she will hold the leaders of the groups in the raid accountable.
“They are using this for propaganda. If they are hungry, they must include their names on the list in our regional office and we will go to their houses to deliver the relief items,” Soliman said.