| Volunteers on Wednesday help in loading relief goods at Pier 15 in Manila that will be shipped to victims of Typhoon Sendong in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. PHOTO BY MIGUEL DE GUZMAN |
Local and foreign donations, which have started pouring in for victims of Typhoon Sendong, might be misused or misallocated if not properly accounted for.
Fearing irregularities, Sen. Loren Legarda on Wednesday called on the government,
“Strict monitoring and transparent accounting of aid should be undertaken to avoid misallocation or misuse of resources,” she said.
The NDRRMC, the senator added, should coordinate relief efforts of local and foreign donors.
“Effective administration of aid will immensely contribute to the immediate recovery of severely affected communities,” said Legarda, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Climate Change.
She recalled that a year after Typhoon Ondoy battered Metro Manila in 2009, more than a thousand families were still living in evacuation centers.
“Funding came, but results a year after or maybe even two years after were lacking. We should not let this happen in the case of the Sendong disaster. It is crucial to ask, ‘What are we doing with the money so far?’” Legarda asked.
She ticked off some of the donations in cash and kind that were reported to have been or about to be received by the government: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 42,000 tons of blankets and kitchen sets; and Oxfam, P24 million to families in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City.
The two cities in Northern Mindanao in southern Philippines were the hardest-hit by Sendong, accounting for more than 1,000 of fatalities, with also over a thousand more missing.
Legarda also mentioned pledges that have been made by four countries: US, P4.1 million ($100,000); Denmark, P2.3 million (300,000 krones), Indonesia, P13.3 million ($310,000); and New Zealand, P17 million (NZ$500,000).
The South Korean government earlier gave $500,000 worth of goods through its Korea International Cooperation Agency for the typhoon victims.
Its ambassador to Manila, Lee Hye Min, will turn over the donation to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in a ceremony today at the department’s head office in Quezon City (Metro Manila).
The donation includes 500 sets of tents, 15,000 pieces of towels, 3,000 boxes or 63,000 pieces of chicken and 6,800 pieces of aqua tabs or water purification tablets.
It arrived in the Philippines on December 24 and was immediately transported by DSWD personnel in a Philippine Navy ship to Cagayan de Oro on December 27.
Legarda expressed support for a joint appeal of the Philippine government, UN specialized agencies, international organizations and development partners to raise P1.2 trillion ($28.5 million) in aid to cover all the needs of the victims of Sendong.
As also the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, she echoed a call of the Department of Foreign Affairs to Philippine embassies and consulates to inform their host governments of the joint appeal.
The Philippine Red Cross itself has received P90 million in aid, on top of food and non-food donations, from local and international individuals and business firms.
But the agency’s secretary-general, Gwendolyn Pang, also on Wednesday told The Manila Times that the P90 million would not be enough to build houses for the thousands of Sendong victims.
“The money is still not enough for these victims. We want to give them a normal life like before the calamity happened,” Pang added.
“We are constructing temporary shelters for them so that they would not be sleeping on roads and other dangerous areas,” she said.
Pang reassured the public that the funds coursed through the Red Cross would go straight to the victims.
Amid the gloom, she said that they are happy that many Filipinos are willing to help and donate whatever they can.
“It’s so nice to see that many Filipinos have a good heart.. they are really willing to help us,” Pang added.
Those who want to help can send donations to Red Cross national headquarters in Manila or to Red Cross chapters in the affected area.
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