MALACAñANG on Wednesday scored Vice President Leni Robredo for her “cynical political mindset” after claiming the relief operations on Typhoon “Nina’’-hit communities were “slow.”
“Ms. Robredo saying the relief operations were “slow” suggests a cynical political mindset willing to capitalize on disaster,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
The Palace official also threw a snide against Robredo for criticizing efforts of the government’s calamity response, when she herself was reportedly vacationing out of the country when the typhoon struck.
“One wished she displayed more appreciation of the work of our disaster officials, our social workers, and other volunteers who were on Ground Zero even before ‘‘Nina’’ made a landfall,” Abella added.
Claiming efforts to restore power in her hometown have been lackadaisical, Robredo said little had been done eight days after the typhoon battered the Bicol region.
“I think it’s slow, the action is slow. I think we should help on how to make the process faster, because it’s really unusual. Eight days have passed and not even 50 percent of areas affected have their electricity restored,” she said.
“For example, I’ve only been to one village as of now, but the Barangay captain was complaining, he said only relief goods from our office had arrived,” she added.
Robredo claims she wasn’t able to “concentrate” during her vacation, since she was attending to relief operations while she was in the United States.
“It was really a bad timing, it also hurts me that I’m not here when it happened. I was actually in a vacation but I cannot concentrate. I was leading relief operations here,” she said, adding she tried to get tickets for the return flight of her family, but “it was impossible.”
Malacañang defended government relief efforts, pointing out as of Jan. 4 P182 million worth of relief assistance had been provided to families in Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Regions 5 and 8, including those who were stranded in various ports in Regions 5 and 8.
The Social Welfare Department also provided assistance worth P166,976,473 while LGUs and non-government organizations provided P4,225,832 and P11,271,270, respectively.”©”©
The Department of Energy, with support from local government units and private institutions, brought back electricity to priority areas in Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions before New Year, the Palace said, contrary to Robredo’s claims.
For transmission facilities in the on-grid area, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, after deploying 500 technical personnel, reported that as of Dec. 31, the Naga-Daraga 230 kV line and the Naga-Pili-Iriga line had been restored, servicing the provinces of Albay, Sorsogon and Camarines Sur.
Full restoration of NGCP transmission services in Typhoon ‘‘Nina’’-affected areas meanwhile, is expected within the week.