THE Palace on Tuesday confirmed a plan to release P2 billion in aid to victims of the powerful earthquake that damaged Surigao City, contradicting the interpretation of Communications Secretary Martin Andanar the day before that the money had been promised for another purpose.
Speaking in his native Bisaya in Surigao City Sunday, President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to release P2 billion in relief for victims of the powerful Feb. 10 earthquake. Major Manila dailies and Mindanao-based news organizations reported the President’s promise to Surigao quake victims.
But in a radio interview on Monday, Andanar denied that the President had pledged P2 billion in aid for quake victims. Instead, they were earmarked to soften the impact of the closure and suspension of some 28 mines for environmental reasons, Andanar said.
But on Tuesday, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella issued another clarification, saying that the earthquake victims who lost their homes and livelihoods would be assisted as promised by Duterte.
Abella, who was asked by reporters on Monday to clarify Andanar’s claim, initially agreed that the P2 billion was earmarked for miners who would be displaced by the closure of mines in Surigao.
But reading out part of Duterte’s speech Tuesday, Abella said the aid package was indeed for victims of the earthquake.
“The essence is that he would release the money and the funds in the needs of those affected by the earthquake victims … The primary source is [President Duterte] and he made a commitment to meet their needs,” Abella said in a Palace press briefing.
On Monday, Andanar said he had checked with Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go on his interpretation.
“I would like to clarify that. The President was saying that in the context of the mining,” Andanar said. “That’s how I understood it. Because that’s what the President is saying, he was talking about the mining problem all throughout, then he inserted the P2 billion,” he added.
Abella said he was not casting blame on Andanar.
“I did not say he released wrong information,” he said. “I’m just going to base on what the President is saying.”
“The figure is important but the collective intent of the President is to provide all their needs of the survivors of the earthquake,” he added, referring to the President’s P2 billion promise.
In the same news briefing, the Palace blamed the Surigao local government for having an “inadequate distribution system” for quake-struck residents, after victims were left to wait for hours before relief reached them during the President’s ceremonial turnover on Sunday.
“Distribution was initially hampered by an inadequate distribution system. The victims were already expecting the relief goods as early as 5 a.m., but the local government made a judgment call to wait for the President who arrived by 1 p.m.,” Abella said.
“At the end of the day, it was successfully distributed. There was a slight delay and I suppose everybody just needs to just learn how to work together,” he added.
Despite Duterte’s earlier instructions not to wait for him for the relief packs to be distributed, victims of Friday’s magnitude-6.8 quake were only able to receive food packs at 2 p.m., after Duterte made the initial distribution.
Three thousand family food packs were already distributed to quake victims, the presidential spokesman said.
Asked to comment on the mix-up, Abella siad the government is “still learning” to adapt to the President’s pronouncements.
“I suppose we are all learning,” he said.