Disaster management chief resigns

MANILA, Philippines – Three months after he first offered to quit, the chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) tendered his resignation again.

Retired army general and NDRRMC executive director Eduardo del Rosario gave his resignation letter to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Thursday, April 24, according to NDRRMC spokesman Major Rey Balido.

Del Rosario’s resignation does not come as a surprise. Earlier, Rappler learned that Del Rosario offered to resign in January 2014, but this was rejected by Gazmin.

The NDRRMC and Del Rosario were criticized for allegedly “underreporting” the number of deaths caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda just to avoid embarrassing President Benigno Aquino III. The NDRRMC chief denied the accusations, and offered to resign if proven guilty.

The official death toll as reported by the NDRRMC on April 17, 2014, stands at 6,300 with 28,689 inured and 1,061 still missing. 

The figures are a far cry from initial estimates by people on the ground that 10,000 died during the typhoon.

Del Rosario took over the NDRRMC in February 2013 after Benito Ramos’ resignation.

It was not immediately known if the defense department and Malacañang have accepted Del Rosario’s resignation. – Bea Cupin and Carmela Fonbuena/Rappler.com