Yolanda victims belie PNoy’s claim on fast govt aid

On his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, President Benigno Aquino III boasted how fast government help reached the areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda in November last year — a claim belied by some typhoon victims.

According to Aquino, relief packs and other assistance arrived in Yolanda-hit areas 24 hours after the strongest typhoon in history made landfall.

“Sa loob ng 24 oras pagkatapos ng bagyo, nakapasok na ang tatlo nating C-130 na may dalang ayuda. Sa mismong araw ding iyon, nakapagtayo tayo ng communications hub para maging mas mabilis ang daloy ng impormasyon,” he said.

But in an interview with GMA News, a victim from Tacloban City, the hardest-hit area of the super typhoon, said she disagreed with what Aquino said about immediate assistance from the government.

“Hindi ako sang-ayon sa sinabi ng Presidente. Wag magagalit sa akin ang President, in fact ina-idol ko siya sa pagiging President niya, pero sa ngayon parang mabigat sa dibdib [ang sinabi niya],” the woman said.

Another victim said: “Naghirap ang mga tao dito. Matagal dumating ang tulong.”

The victims noted that it was the non-government organizations which first reached them and provided assistance.

The sentiment of the Tacloban residents on government response was earlier mentioned by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who covered the aftermath of Yolanda.

Among the post of Cooper on his Twitter account were: “There is no real evidence of organized recovery or relief” and “I have not seen a large Philippine military presence around here.”

Even Aquino previously acknowledged the slow response on the needs of Yolanda victims.

The President said in his SONA that more work still need to be done to address the needs of Yolanda-affected provinces, stressing that the government is doing its part to solve the problem.

“Ngayong Hulyo, isinumite na sa atin, at nilagdaan na rin natin, ang LGU Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan para sa Cebu, Iloilo, Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, at Tacloban City,” he said.

Over 6,300 people were killed during Yolanda's onslaught, with damage to property pegged at P89,598,068,634.88, based on government figures. —Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News