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MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will take legal action against the typhoon victims who ransacked its Davao City office.
“We respond to the exigency of public service at great cost to ourselves and our families. That we are now being subjected to harassment is deplorable. This will leave us no choice but to pursue legal action against those who are responsible,” Soliman said in a statement, “Dialogue, not Destruction.”
Member of Barug Katawhan, a group of Typhoon Pablo survivors, ransacked the DSWD office in Davao City on Tuesday, February 26.
Protesting DSWD’s alleged hoarding of relief goods, they supposedly destroyed the gate of the DSWD office to force their way inside and carted off sacks of rice and cartons of sardines.
The DSWD earlier promised the same group 10,000 relief packs but the agency is yet to deliver them. Soliman said Barug Katawhan failed to provide them the list of beneficiaries and distribution plan for the relief packs.
Typhoon Pablo battered the Davao Region in December 2012. It left at least a thousand people dead. The stolen relief goods were supposedly allocated for the victims of the last week’s typhoon Crising in Davao del Norte.
Soliman: Political propaganda?
Soliman appealed to Barug Katawhan and its allies not to use the typhoon victims for their own political propaganda. Barug Katawhan has been supported by national Leftist groups in protesting DSWD’s supposed mishandling of relief goods to typhoon victims.
“We are willing to resolve these issues, and serve those who are in need. We need not engage in counter-productive propaganda war,” Soliman said.
The DSWD statement narrates how Barug Katawhan members were joined by groups carrying the banners of Leftist groups Anak Pawis, Gabriela, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, and Kilusang Mayo Uno.
Even senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño of Bayan Muna visited the picket line a day before the attack, February 25. Before his visit to the picket line, Casiño supported Barug Katawhan’s complaint against DSWD for allegedly distributing rotten rice.
Soliman said they’ve been trying to get Barug Katawhan to a dialogue but the group opted to hold a protest outside the DSWD office.
Leftist solon: DSWD selling relief packs
Supporting Barug Katawhan, party-list lawmaker called on Congress to investigate what he said was a mishandling of calamity funds and international aid for the typhoon victims.
Kabataan party-list Representative Raymond Palatino said he will file a resolution calling on the House of Representatives to do an investigation. (Congress is on a break.)
“What transpired was not looting but the result of DSWD’s ruthless hoarding of relief. The organized retrieval of relief goods stored by DSWD is not only just but also the right thing to do. The people of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental have painstakingly waited for the goods to be distributed, but DSWD chose to turn a blind eye on the suffering of the people,” Palatino said.
Palatino said Barug Katawhan documented several incidents involving DSWD personnel selling relief packs to victims in Baganga, Davao Oriental at P200 each.
Palatino said several reports have shown that funds intended to provide relief and rehabilitation for Pablo victims are also being “systematically siphoned” to the pockets of DSWD officials. – Rappler.com
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