House Independent Bloc leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Tuesday chided the Aquino administration’s absence of “malasakit” (compassion) with the discovery of 500 sacks of rice bearing the logo of the National Food Authority buried in a pit in Dagami town, Leyte.
“The lack of ‘malasakit’ on this shocking discovery is unthinkable and beyond human comprehension. I can’t understand why this had to happen given the continued hunger among Yolanda survivors who continue to hope for government assistance. The lives of survivors remain uncertain and this negligence and wastage of relief goods in the disaster-hit areas were unforgivable,” Romualdez pointed out in a press conference after learning of the buried rice from the report from Senior Insp. Anthony Florencio, the town’s police chief.
“It seems that the government is unmindful or oblivious of their [Yolanda survivors] fate,” Romualdez lamented.
Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz, member of Romualdez’s The Bloc, demanded accountability from concerned government officials led by Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman for the dumping of relief goods intended for calamity victims.
Dela Cruz expressed belief that it was Soliman’s duty and responsibility more than anybody else to facilitate the supposed distribution of hundred of sacks of rice that was rotten at the warehouse of the DSWD in Leyte.
“She must explain and accept responsibility,” Dela Cruz said.
Romualdez said all donations especially relief goods must be distributed immediately or they may be accused of “ignoring the people’s need.”
“The pictures of rotten rice sacks speak for itself (absence of malasakit). It needs to be distributed right away. Dapat bigay ng bigay kasi maraming nangangailangan,” Romualdez said.
Florencio said Dagami Mayor Abundio Delusa was shocked to learn about the incident especially his area is a third-class municipality with annual income of P35 million to P45 million and was among hit by Yolanda.
Assistant Director Henry Tristeza of the NFA regional office promised to come up with its own report.
While acknowledging that the rice were from the NFA, Tristeza said the plastic bags with markings of the DSWD were also retrieved.
Florencio saidhis men found the sacks of rice in Barangay Maca-alang last week through information relayed by a villager.
He said the dump is 50 meters away from the center of Maca-alang, which is about 20 kilometers away from the town center.
The police official added that the pit measures 3 m wide, 4.6 m long and 2.4 m deep, enough to accommodate even two police service vehicles.