Attending PSG party a show of gratitude to security men, Aquino says 

  Aquino's spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Aquino dropped by the party on Sunday for a few minutes to show his appreciation to the PSG. “He (Aquino) did not sing. He just sat and watched for a few minutes the party, and then he left immediately,”Lacierda said at a press briefing. Aquino stayed long enough to catch actress Valerie Concepcion's performance for the security group and their families.  "It was nice to see Pres. P-Noy laughing at my jokes and enjoying my performance...u," Concepcion said in a tweet, which has since been deleted from her timeline.  Lacierda said the president notified PSG chief Col Ramon Dizon that he won’t be staying long in deference to the Mindanao flooding. He further said Aquino cancelled on Sunday the Christmas party for the Cabinet secretaries scheduled on Monday.                                                                                             “In deference to the Mindanao flooding and Mindanao casualties, we have decided, the President has decided to cancel the Christmas party today for the Cabinet secretaries,” Lacierda said.   “The President was very much aware of what was going on and he made sure that all relief efforts and all necessary efforts insofar as search and rescue are given to the people affected,” he added. Lacierda said the President was in touch with the secretaries of the concerned agencies to get updates and give instructions. He also said the President wanted to visit the affected areas as early as Sunday but was advised against it by the PSG and Department of National Defense due to the poor weather conditions. Aquino will instead be visiting Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and Dumaguete on Tuesday.  Always 'on alert'     Quoting from Aquino's statement, Lacierda said “the PSG by nature of their job is on alert 365 days of the year. Christmas Day is not an exception.”   “Separation from their loved ones is part and parcel of the job and holidays are not exceptions,” he added.   The President said the Christmas celebration is meant most especially for the younger members of the families of the PSG who refer to that one day where the importance of the family is emphasized.   “It would be most unfair to deprive them of this singular familial activity,” he said.   Massive flooding   Heavy rains from "Sendong" caused massive flooding in Mindanao, especially in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.   Philippine Red Cross (PRC) secretary general Gwendolyn Pang said as of Monday morning, 652 were reported dead while 911 people are listed as missing, after "Sendong" triggered flash floods and landslides that swept away entire coastal villages.   Local government officials of areas hit hard by tropical storm "Sendong" last weekend appealed on Monday for donations of bottled water and clothes, saying many of the flood victims have not had a change of clothes since Friday. - VVP/HS, GMA News