After day of discord, Villamor operations to help Yolanda evacuees resume

(Updated 5:04 p.m.) Crab mentality nearly sank the vaunted volunteerism at Villamor.

But after a day of discord and confusion, volunteers, military and civilian officials are cooperating again to attend to victims from the Visayas who are flooding into Metro Manila via Villamor Airbase in Pasay.

“In a way, it was a blessing in disguise,” said James Deakin, one of the more vocal organizers of the volunteer-led Oplan Hatid which offers free rides for the evacuees to their relatives in Luzon.

He said the incident “gave us an opportunity to regroup and communicate with the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development).”

Deakin was referring to the word war that started after military officials transferred the evacuees from Villamor Airbase in Pasay City to Camp Aquinaldo in Quezon City.

Officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), upon the supposed prodding of a senior Cabinet official, reportedly ordered the transfer to Camp Aguinaldo after a tiff over turf with wives of Air Force officers angling for more control over the relief effort on the base.

The DSWD then reversed its decision on Friday and moved its processing operation back to Villamor, but only after busing hundreds of tired and traumatized typhoon victims across town to Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Thursday.

The abrupt transfer of operations and evacuees by the government led to loud grousing by irate volunteers, some of whom expressed their disgust and anguish on Facebook.

By Friday morning, the hotheads had cooled down in favor of focusing on the needs of several thousand evacuees who have landed in Manila, often for the first time and without knowing anyone.

Herculean task

Beneficiaries of Oplan Hatid were the thousands of grief-stricken residents of typhoon-hit areas in the Visayas who have been brought to Metro Manila to seek temporary shelter with relatives and friends.

Scores of other volunteers have been preparing and bringing food for the new arrivals, while others provide clothes, counselling and plain comfort.

In an interview with GMA News Online, Deakin admitted that with the herculean task at hand, volunteers didn't have the chance to coordinate with government officials regarding the transfer to Camp Aguinaldo.

“Without laying any blame, biglaan (ang pangyayari). There was no time to sit down and meet,” he said, adding the influx of volunteers and their vehicles had caused heavy traffic and filled the airbase's parking spaces.

The transfer surprised the volunteers, with Deakin taking to Facebook to vent his ire. He apologized later. On Thursday night, however, the DSWD announced that the processing operation for the typhoon victims will remain at Villamor Airbase.

Deakin said they were invited back at the Villamor Airbase and they happily obliged after a talk with the official in charge Friday morning. “Around 8 am, we had a talk with the base (commander). They invited us back and we are more than happy to resume,” he said.

Requests granted

During the talk, Deakin said they requested for a little more transparency on flight details for a more efficient operation. It was granted although they were told that there are some difficulties in communication in some typhoon-hit airports.

He said they also got their booth back, a parking area, a receiving area at Gate 5, and a point person to talk to, guaranteeing a “100 percent cooperation and communication.”

Deakin said they also asked the officials not to change policies abruptly. He believes the officials have now realized that the Oplan Hatid system is effective.

“Now they treat us as equal. They trust us and they treat us as partners. They see our system works. We are not perfect but it works,” he said as he lauded Villamor Airbse officials for being humble.

“It takes a big guy to ask for help,” he pointed out.

He said the organizers also defined their respective roles to avoid confusion and for an effective mobilization of resources. He said amid the tension, some 40 volunteers continued Oplan Hatid Thursday night and ferried the survivors to their relatives in Metro Manila.

“Kahit wala kami, they still offered help. Our hardcore volunteers are still there. We are proud of them. They didn't care about politics, their concern were the survivors. It is not about us, it is about the survivors who need our help,” Deakin said.

Volunteers still needed

He said since there was a backlog due to the transfer, they will be needing more volunteers. As of Friday noon, there were 700 evacuees at the airbase in need of a ride.

“We need drivers and non-drivers. We need someone who will man the desk, do administrative works, dispatching of vehicles, among others,” he said.

On his Facebook page, Deakin called for volunteers “to rebuild the team into a bigger and better operation to clear the massive backlog at Villamor at the moment.”

He said some telecommunication companies have also committed donating their services for a free SMS text blast system for the tracking of the families they ferry.

“This is to send messages for free pag naihatid na yung pamilya sa kamag-anak nila para ma-register sa system namin. This will allow us to keep track of the survivors kung naihatid nga sila,” he said.

Palace appeal

Malacañang, meanwhile, appealed to volunteers not to stop help Yolanda victims.

“Patuloy pa rin naman iyong pangangailangan para sila ay makatulong dito sa internally displaced persons at doon sa relief operation center natin, nagkakaroon pa rin ng repacking of relief goods,” Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) head Herminio Coloma Jr. said at a press briefing.

But he also asked them to understand that there are rules to be followed in volunteering.
 
“Nag-introduce lang po tayo ng certain regulations para maging maayos iyong pagtanggap sa tulong ng mga volunteers,” Coloma said.

“Pero most welcome po sila. Patuloy po ang pagpapasalamat natin at pananawagan na kung meron pang gustong mag-volunteer ay bukas po ang pagtanggap sa kanila,” he added. — with Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK/HS/JDS, GMA News