NDRRMC investigates complaints of uneven distribution of relief goods among Pablo survivors

Published January 17, 2013 8:18am

The National Disaster Risk Reduction has started looking into the claims by some survivors of Tropical Cyclone Pablo (Bopha) about the alleged uneven distribution of relief goods.

The residents of various towns devastated by Typhoon Pablo barricade for more than 10 hours portions of the national highway in Montevista, Compostela Valley on Tuesday to express their rage against the alleged poor and selective delivery of relief services. The residents also called for the banning of foreign and large-scale logging and mining operations in the region. Karlos Manlupig

Outgoing NDRRMC head Benito Ramos asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development to take concrete steps to address the cause of the protests, radio dzBB's Glen Juego reported early Thursday. Ramos also allayed the residents' worries that there are not enough relief supplies, saying the government has received many donations, including those from the international community. Pablo had devastated parts of Mindanao and Visayas last December. It left more than 1,000 dead in its wake. Last Tuesday, several survivors of Pablo blockaded the national highway linking Davao City to the eastern part of Mindanao. A report on The Philippine Star said the protesters also demanded that large-scale mining companies on Mt. Diwata pull out and logging permits in the area be canceled. —KG, GMA News

Tags: pablo, typhoonpablo, ndrrmc, reliefgoods