UNDELIVERED ASSISTANCE TO PANGASINAN

LINGAYEN-The boss lady was mad.

Mayors who were in the meeting of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan session hall at the capitol, which was off-limits to the media, saw for themselves a sample of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s noted temper after she learned that only a few of Typhoon Cosme’s victims received the assistance she promised and worse, got these only in trickles.

The President visited the province Friday afternoon to personally verify if the assistance she promised was really received by the people.

Pangasinan officials who attended the meeting were Governor Amado Espino Jr., Rep. Victor Agbayani (2nd District), Rep. Mark Cojuangco (5th District), Acting Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez, and several town mayors.

The regional directors of national agencies, who are members of RDCC, were in the meeting as well.

Chief Superintendent Romeo Hilomen, RDCC chairman, reportedly told the President that only 6,000 G.I. sheets had been received so far, out of the P500 million worth she promised for Pangasinan, La Union and Zambales,

Media reporters were asked to leave the meeting after the formalities were extended.

Of the 24 towns and cities in Pangasinan badly hit by the typhoon, Dagupan City, Bugallon and Infanta initially received galvanized iron sheets from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Mayor Ruperto Martinez of Infanta said he received only 358 G.I. sheets of the 16,000 pieces he initially requested and these were distributed equally to the barangays, each one getting only 29 pieces of G.I. sheets.

“How can my barangay captains divide 29 G.I. sheets among their constituents.” he asked.

It was learned that Dagupan was the first to submit a list of typhoon victims validated by DSWD and was given 2,000 G.I. sheets although it had asked for 6,000.

No figure was given for Bugallon.

Sison Mayor Kimi Cojuangco, wife of Rep. Cojuangco, complained that the Department of Education already released rehab funds to the Pangasinan II division under Schools Superintendent Armando Aquino but not a single cent was allocated for the repair of damaged schools in her town.

She said she appealed to DPWH Regional Director Fidel Ginez to release the G.I. sheets needed by her people but not a single piece of roofing material was released to them yet.

She later admitted that she had complained earlier to the President that the promised help to Pangasinan has not reached the typhoon victims.

Mayor Simplicio Rosario of Binmaley confirmed that the President went ballistics when she learned about the slow pace in the delivery of the G.I sheets she promised for Pangasinan, pointing out that his town has not received not a single G.I sheet from the DPWH.

Arroyo had instructed DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane while in barangay Portic, Bugallon last month that there should be weekly deliveries of G.I. sheets at P50,000 worth each week for 10 weeks till all the G.I. sheets are delivered.

It appears that only one delivery to the Second High District Engineers Office was made.

Ebdane was not with the President during Friday’s visit. —LM

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