Making the rounds online is an entry titled Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo? (A special report from a volunteer) originally published in ellaganda.com. When I first posted this entry, the site had vanished, but the entry had been preserved in Google’s cache; now the site is back up. Over at the Multiply site of Jenny Epperson you can find the entry reproduced as well.
The entry does not allege that relief goods donated by foreign governments are being pilfered, or have been stolen, or kept in conditions that are destroying the goods. The entry bewails the fact that the DSWD lacks manpower to repack the goods and distribute them. The entry also pointed out imported relief goods remained unopened while volunteers focused on repacking domestically-produced relief goods.
The entry allows the reproduction of photos in the entry so here they are.
First, of goods in the DSWD warehouse:
(unopened, and unused foreign bedding)
(domestically-produced banig, or sleeping mats, which were repacked in DSWD relief packs)
Second, what goes into a standard DSWD relief pack:
Into an aluminum cooking pot goes ten cans of sardines and nine bars of soap (all domestic products);
Plus a towel and a pack of sanitary napkins.
Three rolls of bedding and a blue water jug.
Followed by two banig (sleeping mats).
The whole thing then sewn shut.
According to the entry, in the prescribed manner, the volunteers, in one afternoon, were able to pack 150 sacks of relief goods, which were then dispatched.
The relief good consisted entirely of domestic goods, while imported relief goods remained untouched. As the goods packed were dispatched, more relief goods arrived at the DSWD warehouse.
But this is a far cry from the assumption many seem to be making, that something criminal has actually taken place. Surveying public opinion on Twitter, people seem upset on the following grounds:
1. The lack of a public call for volunteers.
2. Questions over what happens to relief goods, once the emergency passes.
Media’s being urged to swoop down on the DSWD Warehouse at Chapel Road, Pasay City (at the back of the Air Transportation Office, towards NAIA II) and see what’s actually going on.
The only thing the DSWD can be held to account for, at this point, is tardiness when it comes to distributing aid from overseas. Over on Twitter, there’s a claim that the Palace will be holding a relief-repacking event tomorrow, featuring United Nations workers and volunteers. So the only other criticism might be of politicking by means of turning the repacking of relief goods into a photo-op for the Palace.
4:09 PM The best I have been able to find out from my own sources is the following SMS:
Sir according to Dir. Reynes of PMS that there’s an information about the foreign donations and volunteers but not yet confirm. They will have a meeting today with Usec. Oca regarding the matter.
4:58 PM Update is that 150 United Nations people will be going to the Palace at 7 AM tomorrow, to observe relief operations taking place, and possibly help in repacking relief goods already stored at the ground floor of Kalayaan Hall.
The Palace had a problem in that public mistrust of officialdom led to a lukewarm, at best, response to its appeals for donations from the public. At one point, the relief effort going on at the Ateneo de Manila University had to give relief goods to the Palace so that something could be given the volunteers who showed up (and officials and government workers drafted into relief operations) something to do.
The entry also said the following exchange took place between Philippine News and the DSWD Secretary on October 21:
Kahapon, tinanong ng Philippine News si DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral:
Editor of Philippine News: Why are the relief goods in DSWD warehouses not moving?
DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral: Wala kasing volunteers.
This short interview was done over the phone. Philippine News wanted to hear her side pero ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa press. After four tries, pinasabi na lang niya ang maikling sagot na ito sa secretary niya – “Walang volunteers”.
The entry says a cover story in Philippine News is in the works, so let’s see if it appears. Here is the Philippine News story, October 23: Donated goods sitting in DSWD warehouse.
What the DSWD itself has said (reported on October 19) is this, in DSWD vows ‘politico-proof’ distribution of relief goods:
In a radio interview, DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral said her department will handle the food items from the UN, while its personnel will keep watch over the distribution process.
“Hindi po [mga pulitiko ang magre-repack] ng relief goods. Kami ang humahawak at nandodoon ang mga tauhan namin habang dini-distribute ang mga iyon (We will not allow politicos to repack the UN-donated goods. These will go through us and our personnel will be there while the goods are distributed),” Cabral said on dzBB radio.
An initial 100-ton food shipment from the UN World Food Program (WFP) arrived in the country Sunday for victims of cyclones “Ondoy” (Ketsana) and typhoon “Pepeng” (Parma). [See story on UN flash appeal for relief assistance]
WFP country director Stephen Anderson said another 100 tons of biscuits is scheduled to arrive on Oct. 24.
Cabral noted the UN also gave rice for the cyclone victims. But she said that while the UN-donated rice will be included in food packs for victims, it will be placed with other goods in containers with the UN logo.
“May bigas na binigay ang UN sa atin at ito [ay] isasama sa food pack na iba. Nakalagay ang kanilang tatak sa rice pack (The UN gave some rice and we will include it in our food packs. The packs with UN donations will have the UN logos),” she said.
Believe it or not? It depends on where you are in the current zeitgeist.
Postscript, 2 AM Saturday (updated further 2 PM)
In Blog about ‘rotting’ relief goods at DSWD warehouse sparks cyberspace, the DSWD Secretary answered a non-question:
According to her, it is impossible for relief goods to be rotting inside the warehouse as they do not store perishable items. She said the warehouse — a complex of five buildings — only has rice, clothes, non-food items and canned goods.
“Walang nabubulok. Stocks ‘yun na hindi perishable (Nothing is rotting. Those stocks are non-perishable), ” she said.
Cabral also explained the photos circulated from the blog showing towering boxes of relief goods, saying the stockpile in the warehouse stemmed from the outpouring of donations from various individuals and groups at the height of Ondoy and Pepeng.
Cabral said the relief goods would be used in case Typhoon Ramil, which has been forecast to hit Luzon on Sunday, causes another disaster.
She also said they cannot release the relief goods right away since they need to check on the items and make an inventory.
“This takes two to three hours to do,” she said.
“Over the past 24 days, we have already given out 500,000 family food packs, 300,000 clothing packs and several non-food items like mosquito nets, blankets and water containers. We are now distributing 10,000 packs a day,” Cabral added.
The relief goods, per the entry, were figuratively rotting in the warehouse, not actually rotting; and if you notice the entry never mentioned that there were people busily taking down inventory about the shipments; and the volunteer blogged that all they were able to pack amounted to 150 bags of goods. The blogger, ella, says so herself in her response to the manner in which the networks carried the story:
I know what non-perishable goods are. You see, doon tuloy na-focus ang denial ng DSWD, hindi sa santambak na goods. Kakaiba.
On to the next point. Marami akong nabasang comments, posts at kung ano-ano pa, doubting the veracity of my “allegations”. I was there in the warehouse. I presented the pictures. I think I’ve done my part as a concerned citizen.
To the DSWD officials and Ms. Cabral:
The burden of proof is on you. The donors expect that everything they sent be distributed immediately to the intended recipients and not be stored in some warehouse. As government officials, it is your social responsibility to the people.
The article ends with Sec. Cabral denying -or not remembering, anyway- she talked to Philippine News. Here’s a comment posted on blog ni ella by Beting Dolor, October 23, 10:51 PM:
My name is Beting Dolor and I am a columnist and contributing editor for US-based Philippine News. I have been with this paper since 2002.
I was the one who called DSWD four times to try and get their side. I was told that Sec. Cabral was 1) at a meeting, 2) interviewing applicants, 3) in the comfort room, and 4) about to leave for Pampanga.
It was her office secretary who relayed to me her message that there are not enough volunteers.
I wrote my piece for Philippine News because I was disturbed by the relative inaction of the department. The Philippines is under a state of calamity. As such, action is needed now, not tomorrow.
The hundreds of thousands of displaced Filipinos need all the help they can get. They cannot wait.
In times like these, I expect the DSWD to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The DSWD says there are not enough volunteers. I disagree. There are tens of thousands of Filipinos willing to help. The DSWD should have gone to the schools to ask for volunteers. There are countless employees in the private sector willing to help. The DSWD could have asked the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police to help.
I expect the department to take a more pro-active rather than a reactive stance. I expect the secretary to DEMAND that everyone help out. Lest we forget, human lives are at stake.
The victims are dying by the score everyday. It’s in the news.
As for the rotting of the goods, we all know that it is not only food that can rot. So, too, can clothes, canned goods, biscuits, blankets and everything else that can be found in the DSWD warehouses.
Time is of the essence. The food that the DSWD hands out today will be forgotten tomorrow. Believe it or not, the victims still need to eat every day. Three square meals, if possible.
Finally, the hoarding of the relief goods for future calamities does not make sense. We have just undergone the worst calamity in 40 years. Does the DSWD plan to keep those goods for the next four decades?
Distribute them now, not tomorrow, not next week, not next month.
Agreed, Madame Cabral?
This is “Madame” Cabral’s official statement on the matter, see Statement of Dr. Esperanza Cabral on the issue of relief goods in the DSWD Warehouse:
When typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng hit the country, we received and are continuing to receive donations. Our warehouses are indeed full, inspite of the fact that we have distributed 500,000 food packs and 200,000 clothing packs as well as thousands of sacks of rice, blankets, beddings, and items of personal hygiene in the past almost 4 weeks. That is the reason why when asked if we still have enough goods, my constant reply is yes, so far we do, thanks to the many kind-hearted individuals and organizations as well as countries who responded and are still responding to the plight of the typhoon victims.
There are no rotting relief goods in our warehouses as we do not keep perishables there and the relief goods that are there, save for the donated old clothes are quite new since they have been either recently purchased by us or have been just donated.
Our goods are repacked by volunteers who are there because they want to help. But they are volunteers and report when they have time to help us. Sometimes there are two hundred of them and sometimes there are only a dozen. However many or few they are, we appreciate their presence and their assistance. Weekdays are usually quiet but on Saturdays and Sundays, the students, along with others who work Monday to Friday, including our own employees, are there.
Our staff at the warehouse work round the clock even now, making sure that the requests for relief goods are met in a timely manner. They work hard, they work quietly and they work humbly and I feel bad that they have been subjected to public vilification that they do not deserve.
Around the clock!?
Around 11 PM some friends and I went to the DSWD warehouse, just to take a look-see.
The warehouse is located near the NAIA Centennial Terminal (DSWD National Resource Operation Center, Chapel Road, Pasay City, behind the Air Transport Office).
According to Gang Badoy, DSWD Sec. Cabral had agreed to allow her to organize shifts of volunteers to sort and pack relief goods at the DSWD warehouse from Monday to Friday, 3-11 PM.
So at the time we showed up, I was expecting to see things winding down, the last trucks loading or in the process of departing, or people filing home after a tiring day’s work.
There was a white fluffy dog that was awake, and a guard that was asleep; through the gate I could spot part of the open-sided warehouse in the last picture above. Otherwise, everything was sleepy and quiet.
The guard, when he finally woke up, mumbled something about our being at the wrong gate. We asked whether volunteers were coming in, and he said yes, and when asked what time, replied, all the time, but when pressed further said only until 11. He said a few days previously, 200 students from the Philippine Maritime Institute had shown up; and more recently, 50 volunteers had shown up.
Asked how much got packed and shipped out, he declined to guess. And then said if we wanted to know details about volunteering, to go to the other gate.
Here’s how one of my companions related the conversation that night to blogger Bury Me in This Dress:
friend#1: Gusto namin mag volunteer, san kami pupunta?
guard: Ah, punta kayo sa kabilang gate pero wala ng volunteers ngayon, umalis na at kakaalis lang ng 3 truck dala ang relief goods papuntang region 1 and 2.
friend#2: Marami bang volunteers pumunta dito kanina?
guard: Oo, madami.
friend#2: Ano sila? Puro estudyante?
guard: Oo, mga 200 sila.
friend#2: Ano? Mga elementary students ba to? (feigning ignorance at the kind of volunteers that shows up)
guard: Hindi, mga college students to, mga taga-PMI.
friend#2: Anong oras ba nagsisimula at natatapos?
guard: Sa umaga, tapos natatapos kahit anong oras sa gabi.
friend#2: Kahit anong oras? So bakit sabi mo tapos na ngayon at di na pwede mag volunteer?
guard: Nagsisimula minsan sa umaga tapos hanggang alas-9 or 10 or hanggang 11pm.
friend#2: So san nga kami pupunta kung pwede pala hanggang 11pm?
guard: punta kayo sa kabilang gate
The other gate was a big one covered with rust-colored sheet iron and after knocking on it another guard in a sando said that three military trucks full of goods bound for Regions 1 and 2 had left earlier.
But he kept asking why we were asking questions, if we were doing “coverage,” and that he should get clearance first; he said volunteers could show up at 8 AM, even on weekends, but seemed less certain about what time things were supposed to wind down.
Here’s how one of my companions related the conversation to blogger Bury Me in This Dress:
friend#1: Dito kami tinuro ng guard sa kabilang gate para mag volunteer sa relief operations.
guard: Ha? Anong balak nyong gawin? San kayong grupo?
friend#1: Sa RockEd kame. Gusto namin sana makita ang warehouse para sa volunteer work.
guard: Ah balik na lang kayo bukas, kse sarado na ang warehouse.
friend#1: Bakit di pwede tingnan, sabi sa balita na pwede kami mag volunteer kaya nga nandito kami eh tapos sasabihin mo sarado?
guard: Sarado na kse nag lo loading ngayon dun ng relief goods.
friend#1: Eh bakit sinabi mo sarado kung may loading pala nangyayari dun.
guard: Ano ba balak nyo? Di pwede dito ng coverage. Di pwede tumingin lang, kailangan mag volunteer.
friend#1: Sige, pero gusto namin tingnan para lam namin kung pano magbigay ng instructions sa ibang volunteers pero since ayaw mo lang na tumingin kme, mag vovolunteer na din kami ngayon na.
guard: Magbubuhat kayo ng carton?
friend#1: Hindi, magre repack kami.
guard: Bakit gusto nyo lang tingnan?
friend#1: Sinabi na nga namin mag vo volunteer na nga kami kse ayaw mo na tumingin lang kami eh. Lam mo ba na wala kaming problema na makita ang relief goods sa red cross at sa abs-cbn kahit late na ng gabi? Sikreto ba ang location ng sardinas?
guard: (already pissed off) Bakit paulit-ulit ang sinasabi mo?
friend#1: Bakit nga? Anong problema talga? Talgang sikreto nga ang taguan ng sardinas?
guard: akin na ID mo.
friend#1: eto.
guard: (went away for a few minutes and returned with the ID)
friend#1: So ano?
guard: Balik na lang kayo bukas ng umaga.
friend#1: Anong oras ba talga relief ops dito? Meron ba kanina?
guard: Oo meron, mga 50 lang na estudyante.
friend#2: 50 lang? Pano sila makaka repack ng marami para sa 3 trucks?
guard: (irked again, maybe he was irked of how stupid his answers were.) Bukas na lang kayo bumalik kse walang advise sa amin sa ganitong oras ng pag volunteer.
friend#1: Eh bakit sabi sa amin ng isang guard minsan hanggang 11pm or hanggang gabi talga ang repacking? Anong oras ba talga nagsisimula at natatapos?
guard: basta bukas sa umaga tapos hanggang hapon o gabi.
friend#1: anong pangalan mo?
guard: bukas na lang.
friend#1: Bakit ayaw mo ibigay pangalan mo? Di ba sa gobyerno ka nagtratrabaho? Kinuha mo ID ko, alam mo pangalan ko tapos ayaw mo ibigay pangalan mo sa akin?
guard: (hesitated and stalled) Jay Lou Sadaya
friend#1: Jay Lou Sadaya? Jay Lou Sadaya?
guard: (nodding)
friend#2: sige babalik kami bukas.
One thing’s certain: the place is not a beehive of activity, even in what is an ongoing emergency with areas still needing relief.
If there hadn’t been the blog entry and pictures that provoked so much indignation, the public would never have been alerted to the -apparently- great and pressing need of the DSWD for “volunteers,” something the state media and all media could have amplified if a call had been made.
I asked a senior Red Cross official what their protocols are concerning foreign aid shipments.
My Red Cross source said upon receipt of inventory, the packages are opened, to check their contents, make a preliminary allocation of the contents based on the Red Cross’ protocols for sending relief (there are different stages of relief: the first round, for survival, and subsequent rounds for more sustained relief), the contents are therefore unpacked and resorted and repacked in combination with other items, and then dispatched as requests from various chapters and localities come in.No effort is made to “conserve” one kind of donation in favor of using up another.
An editor I talked to reminded me of past practices in the Visayas some years back when government officials set aside imported canned food, and sent domestic items only as relief, in some cases the domestic items sent were past their shelf life.
At this point I think it’s safe to say that the DSWD was caught:
1. Reacting slowly to an ongoing emergency;
2. Trying to blame the public -the “lack of volunteers”- for not getting its (the DSWD’s) job done (within hours of the story gaining wide readership on the Internet, guess who Tweets an appeal for volunteers);
3. Trying to reassure the public by means of press releases saying they’re “working around the clock” when the only thing awake tonight was a fluffy white dog.
Gang Badoy on her Multiply site lists ways you can help to do the DSWD’s job for it.
Here is the DSWD’s official list of donations received, last updated September 27, 2009. Note that the donations from the Kingdom of Jordan and the US Peace Corps, for example, are classified as “for monetization,” which I guess means they cannot be dispatched until their value has been calculated.
Here is the DSWD’s official list of donations sent out, last updated October 22, 2009.
You’ll notice a lot was sent to the Palace (recall early on it had to ask for relief goods from Ateneo de Manila University to keep operations going):
DSWD Disbursements to Malacanan
For affected personnel of the government or released to specific officials (Secretary Bello, Reps. Puno, Ermita-Buhain, Abayon, Antonino, Arquiza, Crisologo, Pizarro, and Senator Revilla, a certain Atty. Maramba and the Vice-President:
DSWD Disbursements to Officials
And here is a list of institutional donations, including international agencies, foreign governments, and large corporations; the items should be easily cross-referenced with the official list of disbursements; a spot check of some, e.g. bananas and Coca-Cola, suggests most items should be trackable based on donations received and goods sent out.
Institutional Donations to DSWD
You can help correlate the DSWD’s list of items received, with items sent out, by helping with this Google Doc. By correlating the two, we can figure out: What items have been sent out, and to where, and which items have not.
Update Sunday 12:09 AM
From Deviliscious’ Blog, this entry which ties all of the above together, worth quoting extensively:
I just want to share my experience at the DSWD to shed some light into the DSWD controversy because I had enough of the online speculation and just wanted to go there and see it for myself and volunteer to help.
When I got there I looked for Miss Fabian who’s managing the warehouse for DSWD. She informed me that they no longer need volunteers for the weekend because they have too many. So I asked about UNICEF and they exclaimed that I could help there. UNICEF needs volunteers.
So I met with Ensha of UNICEF, some volunteers from Don Bosco and Jordan, a volunteer from Boston. We were about 15. After about an hour, my fellow volunteers from Red Cross, including Geraldine Repollo, who’s managing Rizal chapter, followed and relieved the students from Don Bosco. We were still about 15.
There are 5 (if my memory doesn’t fail me this time) huge warehouses. 1 warehouse housed the goods from UNICEF. The rest housed rice and other food stuff. The UNICEF goods are packed as starter packs for those families who have been relocated due to the floods. A starter pack consists of cooking pot stuffed with towels, bath soap, laundry detergent, water jug stuffed with 4 blankets, 2 plastic mats. These are then picked up by trucks and supposed to be delivered to the relocation centers. The rest of the warehouses pack food and snack packs, as far as I know because I did not actually pack one. Distribution is centralized through DSWD.
Those are the facts as I’ve seen them.
The blog that started it all, after checking the posted pics and what I actually saw, referred to the UNICEF warehouse. Is there corruption? I don’t think there is. At least not at the warehouse packing stages. Ensha and the volunteers seem intent only on the job at hand. (Bless you guys!)Security seems strict and I see no signs of pilferage. I’m not sure what happens after the goods leave the warehouse. I just hope they get to their supposed destinations. Someone needs to check on that.
Is there intentional hoarding? I don’t think there is either.
Goods are just moving slow. I posit 2 reasons:
1. There are not enough volunteers. Ms. Fabian says that on weekdays they only get around 40 volunteers. When I came there, there were not more than 15 working on a Saturday even when I posted on my FB page with my 1800 “FB friends”, several FB groups totaling around 400 members, twittered it, and SMSed to 20 buddies. 15/2000 is not a good ratio. Gang, I hope you are more successful. No volunteers.
2. Limits set by the management. When I was told that DSWD is no longer accepting volunteers for the weekend because there were already a lot of volunteers from UPS. I don’t have the exact count but I saw several hundreds. However, after 2 hours of work, I noticed that the other warehouses were empty. I strongly think the 5 huge warehouses could accomodate and harness at least 1000 per warehouse. When we were repacking at Red Cross Rizal in a 40sqm room, we had 600 volunteers at some points and managed to release 1000-2000 packs per mission and we ran several missions per day. The DSWD warehouses should be able to improve their output. They could run 24/7 on continous shifts when volunteers and managers (from DSWD, UNICEF, or volunteers) running the packing lines. In business, we call this a good problem. It is a scale problem.
My recommendations:
- Train more packing line managers from staff and volunteers.
- Run the lines as a 24/7 operation with your trained line managers.
- Make the schedules public. Use social media, the internet, radio, whatever. (I know of some who volunteered but returned home when they were told they need no more volunteers. If I, myself, [emphasis mine] did not ask for UNICEF, the peeps at the DSWD office wouldn’t have volunteered the info. Clearly, we have communication problem here.)
- Get more volunteers.
Those are my recommendations to the people in charge of the warehouses.
From the above then, it’s safe to conclude the following:
1. There isn’t, hasn’t been, and there’s no reason to suspect, will be, pilfering/stealing of relief goods. Most accounts have been careful to avoid any such insinuations; if you go through the documents, as I’ve begun to do, it’s safe to say the government is trying its best to be transparent about what’s received and sent out. One problem is the (necessary) bureaucratic nature of things (having to assign a monetary value to donated goods, for example); another is receiving goods in one kind of quantity (per box) and doling them out in another (per piece): unless, from the very start, a standard unit is assigned from receipt to disbursement, it makes for a messy inventory system. Messy inventory systems do not inspire public confidence, but it’s not proof of anything other than a sloppy system.
2. The DSWD, dependent on volunteers, lacks them. A public fuss led to appeals for volunteers. Sometimes, even those willing to help can’t help because of scheduling/management snafus. This brings up a policy question: the President has the power to compel the attendance of the necessary manpower or hire necessary manpower to get the job done.
3. The goods are moving slowly. This is the main cause of the public fuss.
Final update Sunday 1:31PM
Blogger Delivilicious posts YouTube video of his visit:
Simple lang naman ito..kung talagang concerned kayo, eh di dapat kayo na ang mag-volunteer. Ang dami kasing sinasabi. Action na lang at puntahan upang mag repack at masiguardong mapadala sa dapt puntahan ang relief goods.
Ang pinoy talaga…puro salita kasi…
Thank you for verifying what Ella already exposed on her blog. This gives her journal entry the needed credibility that the DSWD secretary is trying to downplay.
Will be reposting this in my Facebook.
Ang masasabi ko lang, ititinda yon ni CABRAL sa ALABANG this coming holiday, imported nga naman kaya madlaing mabebenta, GROW UP ESPERANZA CABRAL tanda mong walang tinandaan.
@Silent Waters: In case you’ve missed on “hot it started”, courtesy of Ms. Gang’s blog – pleaser track back and read here:
Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo? (A special report from a volunteer)
http://www.ellaganda.com/?p=1759
Followed by re-post when Ella’s blog was unavailable –
Important info from a volunteer’s blog
http://gangbadoy.multiply.com/journal/item/415/Important_info_from_a_now-blocked_blog
NOTE: Abashet’s blog was posted in FB. I was one of the recipient’s and have followed through, searching for articles, press release from DSWD. Other PINOYS here and abroad have ALSO followed through – and WE ALL KNOW – what you said, “Ang pinoy talaga…puro salita kasi…” is a remark of someone who is not well-informed (to put it mildly).
WORD OF ADVICE: Before you comment, read it through, follow up, do your own research, then comment.
Kaya nga umaalma mga Pinoy na tulad namin is dahil sa likod ng pusong maglinkod sa bayan (by volunteering), DSWD has DENIED us this right. WHY? Eh basahin mo nalang yung content ng blog na eto, at iba pa. OK?
Peace.
pagsamasamahin na lahat ng government officials at sunugin!
Can I repost this? Everybody should know about this! It disggusts me, really, how can they do that? Oo nga naman – (sing with me) Following the Leader, the leader, the leader…
http://upiasia.com/Human_Rights/2009/10/13/relief_aid_to_philippines_indiscreetly_spent/1799/
The government shamelessly BEGS from other countries for help. Once the help arrives, they lose the “brain capacity” to handle it properly. NAKAKAHIYA ANG GOBYERNO NG PILIPINAS. Tama na ang katangahan. Tinalo pa ng NGO ang gobyerno.
Also, I don’t believe that there were no volunteers. There were surplus of volunteers in different universities that were being sent home coz there weren’t enough donations in their respective universities. Bakit hindi nagtawag ang DSWD? Doesn’t the government have access to the media??
hay, nakakainis! crap talaga yang c secretary cabral na yan. kung alam naman nila na madami pang dadating na donations, dapat ipamigay na nila yung anjan na. paano naman natin masisiguro na yung nirerepack sa malacanang yung galing sa dswd? baka mamaya andun pa rin yung mga goods na nakuhanan ng picture kasi hindi naman cla nagpapapasok ng media sa warehouse nila. i-donate na lang kasi nila sa abs-cbn or sa gma. hindi naman pala nila kaya yung trabaho nila!
… Bakit ganon? Alam na ng Pangulo kung gaano na kabasa ang papel nya sa masa pero parang wala siyang paki-alam… DSWD fiasco was in the ‘hot’news pero nananahimik pa rin siya. O baka naman siya talaga ang nag-utos kay Commissioner Cabral na hwag munang ipalabas ang mga relief goods. Hindi niya akalain na merong concerned citizens na magfa follow-up tungkol dito. Papano kung hindi ito nailabas sa internet o media. Hanggang kailan sana nila ito itatago? Papaano magkakaroon ng pagbabago sa Pilipinas kung ang presidente mismo ng ating bansa ay hindi pa rin nagbabago. Nakakawalang gana na talaga!
you’re all bloody right, mate! Sunugin ang mga kurakot sa gobyerno at please, please don’t vote those bloody kurakot politicians and don’t follow them….
kayo naman,,,,dati na naman gawain yan . nagtataka pa kayo. elections next year.so ano pa magandang pamigay…..saka ng nailabas na yung blog saka lang humingi ng tulong??????????hmmmmmang lansa ng amoy a.sana imbestigahan nyo rin yung pina pa rent na dumptrucks ng head ng agency na in charge sa disaster…magkano kaya nya pinapa rent yung mga trucks nya? 300%? 400? e tatakbo pa yata…..i think what this B**CH in malacanang does not realize is that the situation 10 years ago is way very different from now where almost all filipinos are internet savvy na….cellphones have lost or decreased their primacy in info dissemination. all the more reason why thir antiquated ways of fooling the public will not work any more. i just hope that the rest of the filipino people will be wiser now!!!!!!!!!!!
Galing nyo GangBadoy.. kahangahanga kayo! Yan ang tunay na pinoy, marunong mgmahal at may malasakit sa kanyang kapwa, lalo na sa mga kawawang kababayan natin.. If not for your vigilance & your civic-consciousness, this valuable expose’ would not have been out in the open.. No one would ever know what the hell is going on inside that well-guarded dswd compound.. Thanks for all these.. You took the risks, and it’s all worth it!!! Now they’re on their toes, hopefully that is!
At sa mga ‘tangnang gobyernong ito’, mga masasamang budhi at ‘halang ang kaluluwa’ nyo!!! How dare you keep and store the relief goods meant for our unfortunate kababayans/typhoon victims for your selfish ends and vested interests?!! Pihado gagamitin sa eleksyon, as in tatakan ng ‘tulong ni gma’, kapalit ng boto.. Ano ba yan, napakabano ba nating mga pinoy para di malaman ang motibo nyo?.. Kaya let’s all be smarter & be wiser this time.. mga kababayan, wag ibenta ang ‘boto’.. it’s not for sale!!!
i think you people need to get a life. i can’t believe how gullible and easily impressionable some of you guys are. its so obvious that you’re all so blinded by your own previous experiences and can’t even see past the fact that the DSWD is probably your last bastion in good government. if you feel you can do better, why don’t you just go down to the distribution center and work instead of wasting everyone’s time with your whining. you want your donations to go where you want them to go? go ahead and do it yourselves… you think ABS-CBN has no political gain in all this? all i hear is how ABS-CBN is so good and efficient. maybe we should just have ABS-CBN run our government so that when the shit hits the fan you can blame them instead. its easy to be a monday morning quarterback, sitting in your homes, all nice and comfy and just say whatever you want without regard for slander, blasphemy or even considering just plain old decency. these people at the DSWD work day and night, while you sit on your couch thinking of how else to insult these people and spread disparaging remarks, you think showing pictures of one warehouse is the entire story. these people serve the entire country! i dare any of you to work as hard as these people have worked that for < than 10 dollars a day, have to wade through flood waters just to give relief goods to those who need them. our good people in government deserve better than you, our country deserves better than the so called efforts you people have put into this situation, what with the time you have wasted writing on these blogs, time which may have been better used doing something productive.
WILL SOMEBODY JUST GIVE ME OR LEND ME A Barrett M82A1 with AN/PVS-10 day/night optic. I PROMISE YOU I WILL PERSONALLY END THE PROBLEMS OF OUR COUNTRY( AND ACTUALLY , OUR PROBLEMS ARE THESE POLITICIANS)
BERNARD, GO FUCK YOURSELF. Take your Barrett M82A1 with AN/PVS-10 day/night optic, stick it your mouth. THEN PULL THE FUCKING TRIGGER. People like you are all talk. Lets see you put your money where your mouth is. Show up at Malacanang and as you said… end our country’s problems
di na ba marunong mahiya ang gobyerno natin?ultimo mga foreign donors at mga pinoys abroad nagbibigay na tapos ganun lang ginagawa ng mga departments na dapat mag-asikaso.MAAWA NAMAN KAYO SA MGA BIKTIMA!!!!MAHIYA KAYO SA MGA DONORS!!!!INUUNA PA NINYO ANG ELECTION NEXT YEAR!!!!NEXT YEAR PA IYON!!!! TAMAAN SANA KAYO NG KIDLAT AT MAHULOG KAYO SA BALON NA MAY KUMUKULONG ASUPRE!!!!
I DO NOT SEE DSWD EMPLOYEES WORKING HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I JUST SEE SOMEONE TRYING TO HOARD DONATION SO I THINK, YOU, TOM GRACE ARE THE ONE WHO IS GULLIBLE . AND YES THE TV CHANNELS BENEFITTED ON THE SLY HERE. BUT THEY ARE A BUSINESSS. THE GOVERNMENT ON THE OTHER HAND WHO IS SUPPOSED TO HELP US AND PROTECT US IS THE ONE WHO STABBED US IN THE BACK AND CONTINUES TO TWIST IT.. AND I AM A DOCTOR…LET ME TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT THE DSWD AND RELIEF WORK. IN ONE VOLUNTEER WORK I DID FOR THEM FOR FREE ONLY TO FIND OUT LATER ON THAT WE, THE FREE VOLUNTEER DOCTORS, WHERE SUPPOSED TO GET A MODERATE AMOUNT FOR OUR EFFORT. BUT OF COURSE WE DID NOT GET ANY… SINO KAYA NAKAKUHA NUNG PERA NA PARA SA AMIN?????HMMMM? AND WHAT ABOUT THE TRUCKS OF THIS CERTAIN PRESIDENTIABLE BEING RENTED OUT FOR AS MUCH AS 300% MORE THAN THE USUAL PRICE…… ALAM MO TOM GRACE IN THE MONTH AFTER THE STORM I HAVE BEEN IN 5 MED MISSIONS FOR FREE!!! ANO KAYA MARARAMDAMAN KO WHEN I READ THIS SHENANIGAN AND YOUR REPLY……..AND THE PEOPLE DOING THESE BLOGS ARE DOING MORE IMPORTANT WORK THAN YOU. THEY ARE ALERTING US TO SOMETHING THAT IS CONSUMING US….SO PLEASE STUDY FIRST THE SITUATION BEFORE YOU SHOOT YOUR MOUTH OFF!!!!!!!!!!
http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/PinoyBuzz/rotting-relief-goods-in-dswd-wareho.htm
Has this guy been following the issue, at all?!?!
If he does – he needs to do HIS OWN investigation! (journalist ka pa man din…)
Author quotes one of FB users: Carlos Celdran’s reply to the comments drove home a good point and I think it is the proper way of dealing with stories of a scandalous sort, “I want to know both sides before i judge. I have spread stuff before that was not confirmed and i lived to regret it. Dont want to repost until i see a clear picture.”
Kung masipag silang mag-post ng comment, feedback, etc – dapat sana masipag din nilang himayin yung binabasa nila.
Question is: What was CLEAR about Cabral’s reply to Ella’s blog”
Eto kasi un eh… Ella’s Blog was only a catalyst to this surge of reactions to the government’s @4#@&*^$ bureaucracy. Madami ng press release si Cabral about the skepticism thrown at them about the relief goods and cash donations received for the Ondoy and Pepeng victims, even BEFORE the Ella blog –
BACKTRACK LANG HA.. Sensya na… I searched in Google using these keywords: “cabral dswd relief goods”. Here are just a few of relevant news I found – madami kasi eh. Basta search lang kayo when you have the time…
>> Cabral clarifies DSWD ‘repacking’ (Oct 6)
(http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20091006-228589/Cabral-clarifies-DSWD-repacking)
I quote: “We are pleased to invite the Inquirer to visit the NROC where volunteers from different sectors assist in the repacking of relief goods”
Comment ko lang: Cguro the first couple of weeks after the Ondoy/Pepeng onslaught, pwede pa investigate laman ng warehouse.. kasi nga naman, may mga volunteers (see the DSWD Volunteers’ list)
>> Donations at DSWD relief goods storage facility all accounted for — NROC – Thursday, 15 October 2009
(http://www.filipinoexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=113:donations-at-dswd-relief-goods-storage-facility-all-accounted-for-nroc&catid=15:latest-news&Itemid=153)
I quote: “Cabral earlier assured that all donors and all relief goods and cash donations earmarked for the victims of typhoon “Ondoy†and “Pepeng†are going to their intended beneficiaries.”
>> DSWD pre-positions relief goods for typhoon Ramil – Sunday, 18 October 2009
(http://www.asianjournal.com/dateline-philippines/headlines/3262-dswd-pre-positions-relief-goods-for-typhoon-ramil-.html)
I quote: “The caravan would have included a hundred truckloads of relief goods to be distributed to some 500,000 families in 19 provinces in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)”
Comment: According to this article, “in anticipation of typhoon “Ramil” and has put on hold the government’s relief caravan for the victims of typhoon “Pepeng” in northern and Central Luzon.”
I’ve read somewhere that they already brought the relief goods to Regions I & 2 (today or yesterday?). YUNG MGA GOODS NA YUN, na-pack na, BEFORE the Ella blog incident. Read again – it’s for 500K families in 19 provinces. Hindi lang 8 volunteers nag-pack nun. Madami. Noon. And for some reason, yung relief goods intended for 500K recipients eh ni-pack ng volunteers. Hmmm… let’s check the LIST OF VOLUNTEERS, again.
>> DSWD vows ‘politico-proof’ distribution of relief goods – 10/19/2009
(http://www.gmanews.tv/story/175003/dswd-vows-politico-proof-distribution-of-relief-goods)
I quote: “May bigas na binigay ang UN sa atin at ito [ay] isasama sa food pack na iba. Nakalagay ang kanilang tatak sa rice pack (The UN gave some rice and we will include it in our food packs. The packs with UN donations will have the UN logos),” she said.
Comment ko lang: Ba’t dun sa pictures na sack of packed relief goods, walang RICE? Puro delata at sabon? Asan na yung rice?
And wow – guess what?! MADAMI PA DIN STOCK SA WAREHOUSE, diba? Imported pa!
Although, THIS is not the point. The point is – WHAT NOW? SHOW US THE WAREHOUSE AND TELL US WHAT YOU PLAN TO DO WITH THOSE IMPORTED DONATIONS – NOW THAT “TY RAMIL” IS OUT OF THE PICTURE! Ngayon pang wala na si Ramil – and YET, madami pa din namang Ondoy and Pepeng victims na puro sardinas lang kinakain ah! Next time, yung pork and beans naman isama sa pack ha?
Sana malaman ko sagot nila noh… baka manganak na ko, wala pa din silang matinong response. TSK TSK…
B ERNARD BASHER I HAVE DONE MY SHARE OF RELEIF WORK AS A VOLUNTEER RELIEF REPACKER AND AS A MEDICAL DOCTOR FOR 5 MEDICAL MISSIONS DONE FOR FREE. IKAW ANO NA GINAWA MO?
by the way bernard, nutrtion support fellow ka panaman sa st. lukes pero ang baboy baboy mo. february ka pa nag boards, kasama ng ibang mga tangang di kaya pumasa sa regular philippine boards. mahiya ka nga.
HOY GAGO, HINDI KAMI BINGI! BAKIT GOBYERNO KA BA? DOCTOR KA PANAMAN TAPOS GANITO KA UMARTE? TAPOS UMAASA KA NA MAY BAYAD ANG VOLUNTEER WORK MO KUNWARI? ABAY TANGA’T KALAHATI KA PALA EH. WOW, 5 MED MISSIONS? YUN LANG BA ANG PINAGMAMALAKI MO? ANO GUSTO MO? MEDAL? KUNG SA DSWD NGA WALANG NAGPAPASALAMAT, SA ISA PANG TATANGATANGANG DOCTOR NA KATULAD MO NA SA FEB NAG BOARDS. SO, SIGE, MAG DADADALDAL KA PA. BASA KO NA YANG MGA KATULAD MO. LUMANG TUGTUGIN NA YAN.
AND YOU CANNOT SEE PEOPLE WORKING BECAUSE YOU’RE SITTING AT HOME YOU STUPID!
@Tom Grace on Sat, 24th Oct 2009 5:58 pm
I quote: “these people at the DSWD work day and night,”
WHAT’S YOUR PROOF!??!
why, when have people so been so concerned about proof? what with how easily you’ve all believed the people who started these blogs in the first place?
@Bernard: you think abs-cbn is only “on the sly” benefitting? you obviously know nothing of politics boy… you think media is unbiased… then you’re even dumber than bernard basher said.
I don’t understand why DSWD need to monetize the imported relief goods. Relief goods are meant to be distributed and accounted for in quantity not in value. And what’s so great about the corned beef why the need to hoard it and distribute only the good ole’ sardines, DSWD’s mentality is just beyond belief. Lack of volunteers? Were there any calls made by DSWD to schools, churches and other NGOs to help them out? 200 volunters in one day and 50 on other days and yet Metro Manila have a population of over 11.5m as per the 2007 census. Are they kidding or DSWD must be thinking that Filipinos are dumb enough to add one and one together. The international community is laughing at us if not disgusted!
I PASSED BERNARD BASHER, I ONLY TOOK IT ONCE AND I WAS IN THE TOP 40% WHO PASSED.THE REASON I TOOK IT FEBRUARY WAS BECAUSE THAT WAS THE TIME I WAS ABLE TO TKE IT…. AND GET THIS IN YOUR HEAD…I TOOK IT ONCE ONLY. ANO ANG KABABUYAN NA GINAWA KO????HMMMM? ALIN ANG MASAKTAN DUN SA NAGPABALEWALA SA MGA EFFORTS KONG TUMULONG? SIGURO IKAW ANG BABOY BECAUSE YOU ARE TAKING THE SIDES OF PIGS. I DO NOT SEE ANYTHING NA BABOY SA MGA GINAWA KO.
ano ba kayo, eh tong si ellaganda isang imposter na masahistang nagtratrabaho sa call center tapos nagpapaniwala kayo dito? ang tatanga nyo naman. sama sama na kayo ng masahista. kiliting kiliti siya na bilib na bilib kayo sa journalism niya no? ang bababaw nyo. tama na to. can’t we all just agree to disagree? we should just work on doing what’s right diba? everybody chillax.
On Mr. Dolor’s article:
The article is a work of an irresponsible writer who chose to believe the first unvalidated information that he happens to get hold of no matter what kind of person is giving that info. He chose to believe that “volunteer†who at this point can be judged as someone who is not willing to help but to maliciously spread rumors not thinking of the effect her actions would cause not only to the DSWD, but most importantly to our unfortunate countrymen being served by the Agency. He also chose to believe that “assistant†whom he even doesn’t know if credible enough to give information. As gathered, that assistant he had referred to is not an assistant at all, she is just an appointments secretary who handles the Secretary’s schedule and nothing else. She had been with the Office of the Secretary for barely three months and knows very little about the DSWD aside maybe from the invitations for the Secretary that she is receiving. In fairness to her, she said that she informed Mr. Dolor to get in touch with the head of the NROC as she cannot give the answer to his query. She also gave the no. of one of the DSWD’s Undersecretaries so he can get more accurate information. Evidently, he didn’t do that…maybe he has no time to do that as he need to finish the article asap (but this article only came out yesterday?) or maybe because he was too lazy to go an extra mile to come up with a truthful and an unbiased report? His motive…only he can tell.
oooooo, top 40%! wow, galing! only took it in february kasi you were too stupid to take it with the others? takot ka baka di ka umabot sa passing? umamin ka na. proud ka you only took it once? lagay natin yan sa diyaryo ha? Dr. Balatbat is only better than 60% of the people who took it in feb and was too dumb to take it with the other people. by the way, yung pagkababoy… yung size mo, hindi yung sinabi mo. bobo.
Replies to issues raised by Mr. Dolor and Ella:
1. No volunteers – volunteers go to the DSWD at their own convenience. We cannot force them to help us, should that be the case, that will not be volunteering anymore;
2. Only 8 volunteers on a Saturday when the “blogger†went to the warehouse- Upon checking the Oct. 17 log sheet of volunteers in the warehouse, there were 63 volunteers on that day. This alone can prove that everything in the blogger’s blog are not true.
3. Treatment of volunteers (no food and they were not taken in a safe place after they were done) – Volunteers are supposed to expect nothing in return. This should have not been questioned at all. However, even if this should be the norm, the Secretary gave an instruction to provide food and water to the volunteers. In addition, she even instructed the Administrative Director of the DSWD to provide portalets that can be used by the volunteers. Also just for additional information, volunteers who go to the DSWD main office in Batasan are being shuttled to the warehouse for their convenience. You may ask Ella to validate this information. But then again, we cannot expect her to tell the truth.
4. DSWD has No sense of urgency – The word “Urgent†has been the blood and life of the DSWD especially during disasters. Did you know that the DSWD employees, even those who are not under the Operations Cluster of the Department, had been working 24 hours since September 24 when Typhoon Ondoy devastated the country as we need and want to serve our countrymen who had been affected by the calamity. It is still the case up to now. Thus, this is really UNFAIR to them. Mr. Dolor, we invite you to visit the DSWD Offices to see for yourself if there is anybody there sleeping on their job.
5. Only local goods are being given – Not true again. There are goods such as those from UNICEF and WFP that were already packed and distributed, but of course Ella was not there when those were packed (She just stayed in the warehouse for what…less than 6 hours and she already made a conclusion that this issue is the case).
6. Goods are ROTTING in the warehouse – Again, there’s no truth in here. Literally, there are no perishable goods in the warehouse because once we receive such, they are being distributed immediately (contrary to the claim that the goods in the warehouse are not moving). The non-perishable goods, in their volume, cannot be repacked in a single day. Should Ella and her companions continued volunteering for at least a week, we are sure that she will be able to repack the imported goods that they are referring to. Unfortunately, she only came once and stayed for only a no. of hours.
7. “driverless truck;â€no money for gasoline for the truck.†Remark of the guard†– In fairness to Ella, she didn’t say these in her blog. She even claimed that her group rode in the truck after they were done and that the driver would have wanted to bring them to their places but said that he has no money for extra gasoline, thus they were bumped off in EDSA. Mr. Dolor, better read the blog again.
ibalik mo lahat ng pagkain na ninakaw mo sa pasyente ng st. lukes!!!
o, kita mo na bernard? “volunteers should expect nothing in return” nag volunteer ka tapos umaasa ka na may bayad ka? a true national hero you are… ipagpapatayo kita ng monumento. tumakbo ka kasama ni erap. sigurado panalo kayo. puro kayo bola at daldal.
@Tom Grace on Sat, 24th Oct 2009 6:23 pm
“why, when have people so been so concerned about proof? what with how easily you’ve all believed the people who started these blogs in the first place?”
Thing is, UNLESS you’re a full-blooded Pinoy, who have seen and STILL seeing the worse in our government, by which – believe it or not – still NEVER fails to shock us day in and day out, who after each time we watch news about some government official and his/her fiasco we say, “What else is new”, who are turning into skeptics, mistrusting, and so on – UNLESS you’re one of us who cannot stand the insanity of our government officials, our president and her cohorts – ONLY THEN, you would understand, Tom Grace – that WE-NEED-PROOF. We’re not just “concerned” about it (petty way of putting it), but we’re ADAMANT to GET PROOF that SOMETHING is BEING DONE. And we’re in the thick of it now. AND we’re WAITING. STILL WAITING for PROOF.
Peace
its good to see some sensible input and even some comedic input coming into this blog. although i still consider this a serious matter. the truth will come out eventually. every accuser should be ready to face his accused. i have a feeling this ella person will be sued for libel and slander. if she speaks the truth, then the truth should set her free. however i have a feeling she isn’t. and her misguided actions may lead to an even more entertaining court hearing. good luck to these honest workers in DSWD. i will continue to keep you and your country in my prayers.
THis whole thing is unfair to the dedicated officials and employees of the DSWD. Kayo ba, what have you done for our country and now for the victims of the calamities that devastated us? Baka wala pa coz busy kayo sa pagbloblog para manira ng Ahensya na totoong tumutulong sa mga nasalanta. Anong gusto nyong mangyari, lahat ng donations mailabas sa araw na dumating sila? That is not the case here. Assessment is needed prior to releasing and distributing goods. If you just know how good and strict our Secretary is when it comes to ensuring that goods will be given to appropriate beneficiaries. Even her colleagues in the government who are asking for relief goods are being required to submit their distribution lists for documentation and monitoring purposes. If wala nun, they cannot ask for more and they will not be accommodated the next time they ask. Aside from that, the Regional Offices are required to send their staff to accompany the orgs/personalities/LGUs who asked for relief goods from us. Of course, hindi ninyo alam ang mga behind the scenes sa buong disaster operations na ito. You also dont know how we worked hard since the day Ondoy came until now just to ensure that the requests for assistance will be assessed and met based on the assessed needs. These are all being implemented to ensure that appropriate goods will be given to appropriate beneficiaries.
kung di nila kayang balutin lahat ng releif goods na yan ipasa nila sa NGO or private organizations,,pag hait hatiin nila..syempre sa DSWD yung mga imported goods..bullshit…
@ peaches: i think DSWD employee just showed you proof. i know governments can be corrupt. foreign governments are just as bad. look at africa. eastern europe. even the USA is not immune from corruption. but for justice to prevail proof is what’s necessary. i merely mimicked the sentiments of your fellow men who have unjustly crucified THIS CURRENT DSWD without proof, without evidence, and without proper investigation. Again, i understand your sentiment. GO GET YOUR PROOF. GO TO THE DSWD. GO GET YOUR OWN INFORMATION. AND MAKE YOUR OWN INFORMED OPINION ON THE SITUATION. AND SPEAK NO FURTHER OF THIS CURRENT DSWD UNLESS YOU HAVE IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE THAT YOU CAN CLAIM AS THE TRUTH.
And it doesn’t mean that just because I’m a foreigner I don’t understand corruption and deception. I may not be Filipino but I have a lot of Filipino friends whom I care about. I just wish you’re people would be a little more judicious and careful with how you react. Try to think before you act. It may save you from some humiliation in the end. Unless of course you’re like this ella person who seems to think that whatever you say on this blog comes without consequence.
yes, give it to the NGO’s who are above reproach… how simple minded of you warren… you obviously have never worked for an NGO, neither have you ever worked for government. and ‘bullshit’? how childish.
@janice: more power to you my dear! i hope this all ends well for you and yours. may you never tire of helping your country as it seems majority of your countrymen have already given up. continue on with the fight! more power!
@dswd employee on Sat, 24th Oct 2009 6:31 pm
Ma’m/Sir – while you’re at it (re logistics), can you enlighten us – How many volunteers have worked on packing for 500K families of Regions 1& 2 (see below) supposedly for Ramil victims? On what dates?
>> DSWD pre-positions relief goods for typhoon Ramil – Sunday, 18 October 2009
(http://www.asianjournal.com/dateline-philippines/headlines/3262-dswd-pre-positions-relief-goods-for-typhoon-ramil-.html)
I quote: “The caravan would have included a hundred truckloads of relief goods to be distributed to some 500,000 families in 19 provinces in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)â€
Follow up question: Where the goods at the warehouse received by DSWD intended for Ondoy and Pepeng victims, all distributed to the intended recipients?
>> Donations at DSWD relief goods storage facility all accounted for — NROC – Thursday, 15 October 2009
(http://www.filipinoexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=113:donations-at-dswd-relief-goods-storage-facility-all-accounted-for-nroc&catid=15:latest-news&Itemid=153)
I quote: “Cabral earlier assured that all donors and all relief goods and cash donations earmarked for the victims of typhoon “Ondoy†and “Pepeng†are going to their intended beneficiaries.â€
asan na si bernard? miss ko na siya…
@Tom Grace on Sat, 24th Oct 2009 6:50 pm
The sentiments of the people here and in other blogs, vary. The author of this blog himself (MLQ) and the people in his group have gone out of their way to follow up with the issue (latter part of the blog). There is proof (if pictures can speak, if the “fluffy dog” can talk, if the four corners of the warehouse can wail at the boxes tall and leaning against them, and if the guard on duty can speak in English – just so that the transcript of the conversation can be understood by you and other readers)…
I quote: i think DSWD employee just showed you proof.
I replied and directed it to her/him (platterofpeaches on Your comment is awaiting moderation. Sat, 24th Oct 2009 7:00 pm) asking about logistics…
THIS, I cannot wait to hear about.
Thanks for keeping an eye on the issue.
bernard basher ang sabi ko we volunteered and we did not expect anything then… what is galling is someone made money on something that was supposed to be free service from us…kaya nga volunteer sabi ko. when that money should have been given to someone who should have been payed….. not us and especially to that someone who should not have benefitted. i do not say waht i did to say that i am a hero..i say it as a proof of whazt i have done to give mw the right to say my comment with my conviction…as to my size..well that is what i am. i may be a “pig ” in girth…but it is ok as long as i am not a pig in attitude. para kang physical supremist like nazis and their arian race mentality… mataba man ako but at least i do my share…and for your information may sarili po akong pera na pang kain ko…and my parents got their money to send me to my studies sa hirap at tyaga nila hindi sa pangungurakot sa gobyerno…o baka naman tinamaan ka dahil baka isa sa mga nagsupport sa yo e from the corrupt part of the government. so ibig mo ring sabihin na lahat kaming kumuha ng feb boards e bobo? ang taas mo naman masyado kid…di ka ma reach. lakas mo manglait… ang galing galing mo siguro…. tignan mo kung sino ang baboy sa atin.
to tom grace …try to live in the philippines for a month and you will be singing a different tune
“donors at mga pinoys abroad nagbibigay na tapos ganun lang ginagawa ng mga departments na dapat mag-asikaso.MAAWA NAMAN KAYO SA MGA BIKTIMA!!!!MAHIYA KAYO SA MGA DONORS!!!!INUUNA PA NINYO ANG ELECTION NEXT YEAR!!!!NEXT YEAR PA IYON!!!! TAMAAN SANA KAYO NG KIDLAT AT MAHULOG KAYO SA BALON NA MAY KUMUKULONG ASUPRE!!!!”
—-
hmmm, tekatekateka. nasa abroad ka na nga pepe, humhirit ka pa? sobrang mahal mo yung bansa natin at kaya nag-abroad ka nalang para manirahan? eh kung pagpalitin nalang natin kayo ni Tom Grace, na at least eh may kaunting malasakit sa mga mahuhusay na Pilipino. Ikaw sana ang tamaan ng kidlat. Para naman ma shake ang kokote mo at matandaan na sinabi ni Dra. Cabral a long time ago, at paulit ulit nang sinabi na di naman siya tatakbo sa eleksyon. puro ka hirit. syet.
galing talaga ako kid… pero di ko na kailangan magyabang katulad mo… at hindi ko pinagmamalaki ang mediocrity tulad ng top 40% gaya ng sabi mo. paano na kung sumabay ka sa mga august boards, eh di sabit ka sana. at sino naman nagsabi na dapat binayaran ka? kung tunay pala yun eh di dapat inaway mo na sila. kung wala kang sinabi nung araw na nalaman mo dapat binigyan ka ng pera eh di dapat nagreklamo ka. bakit nagintay ka pa ng ngayon lang? kasi di mo kaya umangal? obvious naman kaya mo, eh puro ka nga angal ngayon eh. baka naman kasi chismis lang ang nasagap mo, at ngayon kinakalat mo. pumunta ka ngayon sa DSWD, singilin mo sila ng bayad mo. magaling ka pa naman mamaril diba? o di pagbabarilin mo sila dun, nasa bagumbayan sila. o, ano pa inaantay mo?
oo, tingin ko mas mahina ang mga feb boards takers. bakit guilty ka? fatima ka ba? nandaya ka no? kasama ka sa mga nahuling bumibili ng leakage? kaya ko binanggit ang size mo ay para tandaan mo practice what you preach. nutrion ka diba? eh over nourished ka na kid kaya magdyeta ka na. doctors such as yourself should lead by example. kaya di umasenso, as usual puro daldal ka lang.
some people don’t need proof, just money…may mga bayaran na naman ng gobyerno dito.
what has happened to balanced journalism? obviously, the motive of ella was not to volunteer, but to find ways to downplay the credibility of an agency which has been working tirelessely despite of any disaster. how much are you worth, ella?
@ peaches: good luck on your quest on finding the truth, but answer me this… if the truth is on the side of the DSWD, will the public apologize? will you? will people be as interested? will they follow with bated breath person after person after person, that has castigated the DSWD, and watch as they apologize to these people? will they repay these people for the time that they have had to spend away from work that is truly meaningful, time which was taken away in order for them to answer to these infinite allegations? i hope they do. its so much more fun posting derogatory remarks under the guise of the web rather than actually having to go out there and find the truth. the complete, and irrefutable truth. i will continue to follow this issue with much anticipation. i feel your DSWD may be the rock from which your country might start is rebuilding. I pray that for your sake, I am right.
@bernard: why dont you go and live in africa for a month. i’ve served with the UN for 17 years, age is the only thing that has kept me from extending my service to the world. i think i know a difficult situation when i see it. and i know a decent organization when i see it. i’ve visited the Philippines before, seen your beaches, mingled with your people. you have been dealt an unfortunate hand in the past. but blind anger will prevent all of you from moving forward, especially if you do not know how to trust the few remaining people in your government who might actually be good.
@tom grace, sad to say there is no such thing as internet libel, since Art. 355 of the Revised Penal Code strictly provides that libel can only be committed by means set forth therein (writing, printing, radio etc.) and does not include the Internet. Furthermore, criminal statutes are construed strictly in favor of the accused.
Example of which is the analogous libel case of Alfonso/Yuchengco/Pacific Plans vs. Philip Piccio, arising from a blog written by Mr. Piccio against Pacific Plans, was ordered dismissed by the Department of Justice.
therefore, you cannot prosecute ella.