MANILA, Philippines - Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman gave assurance that donations for Typhoon Yolanda survivors are all accounted for and that her agency is helping victims without political considerations.
In a press briefing at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City yesterday, Soliman said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is doing its best to help Yolanda survivors without any political undertones.
She was reacting to the reported bickering between Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez in the aftermath of the monster storm.
Roxas and Romualdez have been blaming each other for the government’s alleged failure to respond quickly to the needs of Yolanda survivors in Tacloban City, where thousands of residents perished at the height of the typhoon.
Soliman also belied reports that food donations from the United Kingdom intended for Yolanda survivors were diverted.
“The DSWD has not received any food aid from the government of the United Kingdom, nor has it received food donations from any group or organization from the country,†Soliman said.
Citing DSWD’s records, Soliman said that donations from the UK that entered the country were non-food items such as shelter box, communications equipment, solar lights and blankets. These were all consigned to non-government organizations and United Nations agencies.
The only items that were consigned to the DSWD were 504 tents which arrived in Manila on Nov. 25 and another 576 tents and 224 shelter boxes which arrived on Nov. 13.
Earlier, a television station also reported that MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) issued to United States servicemen deployed in the Philippines were being sold in a Makati supermarket. It turned out later that the MREs were not food donations for the typhoon survivors.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that these MREs were being sold at Cash and Carry supermarket in Makati City and in Dau, Pampanga long before Yolanda hit the country.
The DSWD has also maintained that their relief food distribution has reached even the most remote communities in Eastern Visayas affected by Yolanda, following allegations that food donations did not reach barangays and are just locked up in warehouses.
In a statement, the DSWD said that coordination with the Philippine Air Force has allowed the air transport of food packs to communities in island barangays and mountain areas.
The DSWD also said that it is regularly monitoring the movement of relief items, and that it has set up a text hotline (0920-9463766) that is open for appeals for assistance or complaints.
Training on carpentry
Meanwhile, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) yesterday said that the agency would provide training to 2,500 Yolanda victims in Samar and Leyte in the next three months.
TESDA chief Joel Villanueva said the typhoon victims would undergo a crash course on basic carpentry and house wiring to enable them to help in reconstruction work in their communities.
The training will be for 15 days, covering short sessions on the principles of carpentry, basic electrical repairs and hands-on application supervised by trainers.
The trainees can take a competency assessment test after the training to be a certified TESDA graduate.
“Aside from having the knowledge and skills to build their homes, the graduates can also be employed in the construction projects of the local government units, the National Housing Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways. They can also be self-employed,†Villanueva added.
TESDA Eastern Visayas regional director Cleta Omega said the training has started with 300 beneficiaries in 15 sites in the region, including six sites in Tacloban City and four sites in Palo, Leyte and four sites in Eastern Samar and one site in Basey in Samar.
In Bantayan, Cebu, TESDA also has an ongoing training on construction with 200 beneficiaries. – With Mayen Jaymalin