By Civ Alonzo-Cruz
Bohol Governor Arthur Yap appealed for help from the national government for the immediate relief aid of his constituents in an interview on Tuesday morning (Dec. 21) and said police forces and military presence would have to be deployed to prevent the threat of looting in the province.
In an interview, Bohol Governor Arthur Yap asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to send financial assistance to help the local government purchase food in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette. He said that he could no longer secure rice and other food aid after his contingency fund ran out.
“Iyong DSWD, hinihingian namin ng pondo kasi ubos na ubos na kami…Padalhan [sana] kami para makabili kami sa [mga] supermarket o grocery. May 100 volunteers na magre-repack,” Yap said.
“We are a provincial island of 375,000 households. Dinaanan ‘yun, inararo ng Typhoon Odette ‘yung lalawigan namin. Everybody needs that level of support…Kung hindi man natin mabigyan ng tubig o ng pagkain ang mga tao, at least pera man lang para sila na ang dumiskarte [na] mapaayos ang mga bahay nila or makabili sila ng pagkain,” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte visited Bohol over the weekend to personally assess the extensive damage in the province.
Yap thanked the President for visiting his province but he appealed to send more police and military forces if the aid might get delayed. Yap said he received reports of small-scale looting incidents but the local government can still manage the situation for now.
“If the DSWD cannot give us financial support right now…Mr. President, I don’t know how to reach you…Thank you very much for coming to Bohol…Please send troops and police kung hindi kayo magpapadala ng pera para sa pagkain. Magpadala kayo ng sundalo, magpadala kayo ng pulis, dahil kung hindi, maglu-looting po rito,” he said.
“I have a confidential report [on a few looting incidents in the province] but I cannot divulge it kasi nako-control pa,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gov. Yap also emphasized the importance of restoring the telecommunication services in his province and expressed the difficulty in reaching out to the local government units (LGUs) to assess the situation of every barangay after the mobile signal went down during the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
“Please, Globe at Smart, mag-double time tayo o mag-triple time kung puwede. Let us restore communication lines. We cannot even talk to each other. Hindi namin alam kung saan dadalhin ‘yung tulong o kung ano ang kailangan ng mga tao,” he said.
“May mga special needs na hindi namin maibigay because hindi nga namin alam. Hindi kami magkausap-usap ng mga mayor. For the past two or three days, hirap na hirap silang kausapin. Nagpadala pa tayo ng mga tao para isa-isahin sila bago kami nakakuha ng report,” he added.
Meanwhile, The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) transported 50 boxes of relief goods from Cebu to Bohol on Monday afternoon (Dec. 20) through BRP Tubbataha and ferried 16 key personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), and Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), as well as six medical volunteers who participated in various humanitarian operations in the province.
In a statement released by Acting Presidential Spokesperson Cabinet Sec. Karlo Nograles, he said that the national government is committed to urgently provide for the needs of typhoon-hit areas and their residents, which include rice and water, construction materials for the rebuilding of damaged houses, and housing assistance, with topmost priority given to the poor.
Nograles also said that the Palace extends thoughts and prayers to all the families affected by the typhoon and thanked Filipinos for helping others in this time of great need. He also thanked the international community and partners for their show of support, solidarity, and readiness to extend assistance to the Philippines. -with reports from Allan Francisco/-rir
