PRESIDENT Arroyo on Wednesday ordered
immediate relief and rehabilitation operations in Eastern Samar
following the landslides and flooding brought by incessant rains
that have now affected some 8,973 families.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said additional
calamity funds would be made available when needed but at
present, existing resources that had been released to the
Departments of Public Works, Social Welfare, National Defense
and other agencies close to the affected province should be used
first.
"The President ordered the rehabilitation of
damaged public works, at gawin as soon as possible, weather
permitting The President also ordered the use of local labor as
much as possible through the food for work (project) in relief
and rehabilitation works," he said.
Deputy Presidential spokesman Anthony Golez
said the President immediately initiated the provision of relief
goods from the DSWD, Department of Health and other agencies
with the help of the Philippine National Railways and the Air
Force. He said a C-130 carrying Defense Secretary Gilbert
Teodoro and relief goods left for Samar yesterday and Social
Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral will follow today with more
relief goods and to oversee activities in evacuation centers.
"The President also directed all concerned
agencies to fast track the damage and needs assessment to find
out how much from the National Calamity Fund and which resources
must be provided and prioritized to bring back normalcy to the
region," Golez said.
Other instructions of the President include:
round-the-clock road and bridge clearing and maintenance of
lifelines ad communications by the DPWH; medical services and
deployment of disease surveillance teams to evacuation centers
by the DOH; coordination of all efforts by regional, provincial
and district disaster councils by the Office of Civil Defense;
security and order, search and rescue, assistance and
facilitation to be ensured by PNP and AFP
DSWD records showed that of the 8,973
families whose homes and farms were flooded, 4,050 are from
Dolores; 2,556 from General MacArthur; 1,328 from Jipapad; 802
from Maslog; and 237 from Borongan City.
Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evar-done said in a
statement that the landslide last Sunday has isolated the
province by blocking a portion of the Wright-Taft Road which
links Eastern Samar to Samar. He said a farm-to-market road and
two wooden bridges were washed away and crops worth around
P500,000 were destroyed in Giporlos.
Leyte Gov. Jericho Petilla said in a statement that close to
400 families from Tacloban City, Palo and Dagami had been
affected by the floods but they are not evacuating anyone yet.
– Jocelyn D. Montemayor
