Government to respect Yolanda fatalities in burial sites, Palace assures

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. delivers the message of President Benigno S. Aquino III to the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas on the occasion of its 39th Annual Top Level Management Conference in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga on Thursday. (Photo by Louie Iglesia/NIB Photo)

Malacañang on Thursday assured the loved ones of those who died in the wake of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that the government will accord their remains due respect.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said the mass burials will take into account the sensibilities of the families of the deceased.

"Nananatili ang pagrespeto natin sa katauhan ng mga pumanaw (We will maintain our respect for those who died)," he said in a media briefing, adding there will be due respect for the deceased and the sensibility of their families.

But Coloma also said they need to bury the deceased, especially since decomposition would set in two days after death.

Coloma said the Departments of Health, Defense, and Interior and Local Government, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are working to prepare for the burial.

These agencies are coordinating to identify and prepare the "appropriate burial sites," he added.

Yolanda devastated parts of Visayas and Southern Luzon last week. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that as of Thursday morning, more than 2,000 had died in Yolanda's wake. PND

Palace says government fast-tracks relief efforts in Leyte after Yolanda-affected roads are cleared
 
With the roads affected by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) finally cleared, the government on Thursday fast-tracked its efforts to bring relief items to families in affected areas in the province.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said this is in line with President Benigno S. Aquino III's order to improve the delivery of assistance to those affected.

"Sa huling ulat ng NDRRMC, 100 porsyento ng lahat ng pambansang kalye sa Rehiyon VI, VII, at VIII ang maaari nang madaanan. Inaasahan po na bibilis ang paghahatid ng pagkain, tubig, at iba pang pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan (From the latest report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, 100 percent of roads in Western, Central and Eastern Visayas are passable. We now expect the faster delivery of food, water and other relief items needed by our people)," he said at a media briefing.

He said the fast-track distribution aims to reach all 40 towns of Leyte, most of which are coastal areas, as well as Tacloban City.

Coloma said an additional repacking center had been established in Cebu on President Aquino's orders.

He added the President also tasked Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority head Joel Villanueva to be logistics coordinators.

Purisima is to head the national relief operations center in Pasay City, while Villanueva will head the Cebu repacking center.

In Tacloban City, meanwhile, Coloma said the government will set up a one-kilowatt emergency broadcasting system that would facilitate information dissemination and help people find lost loved ones.

Coloma also said a media center has been set up in Tacloban to help as a clearinghouse, under the supervision of Philippine Broadcasting Service head Tito Cruz.

On the other hand, he said Manila Broadcasting Co. and Far East Broadcasting Co. had offered their facilities in Tacloban and neighboring areas for public service broadcasting.

"Ang focus ay public service broadcasting para makatulong sa ating mamamayan (The focus is public service broadcasting so we can help the people)," he said. PND

Palace says government learning from Yolanda experience

Malacañang on Thursday assured the public the government is learning its lessons from addressing the problems brought by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), so it can improve its disaster management in the future.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said the government is not engaging in buck-passing or finger-pointing in this situation.

"Walang kaisipan ang pamahalaan magpasa ng sisi o magturo ng responsibilidad. Dahil nakapulot tayo ng mahalagang aral… magiging mahusay para sa susunod na pagkakataoon (We never engage in buck-passing. And we intend to apply the lessons we learned to improve our disaster management and response mechanism)," Coloma said at a media briefing.

"Kung may pumupuna, tinatanggap natin ang pagpuna, hindi natin tinatanggi na maaring nagkaroon ng pagkukulang. Pero ito ay bunga ng severe constraints, hindi sinasadyang huwag tuunan ng pansin (If there are criticisms, we accept them. We never said we would not be prone to mistakes. But what I can say is that we never intentionally neglected our duties)," he added.

He maintained that while the government had taken steps to prepare for Yolanda, the typhoon was simply "unprecedented" in terms of severity and magnitude.

Coloma added even the first responders, including local government unit officials and their partners, were temporarily immobilized because they themselves were displaced.

"Extraordinary din ang demands ng situation compounded by the breakdown of power and communication facilities (The demands of the situation were also extraordinary, considering the breakdown of power and communication facilities)," he said.

Also, Coloma pointed out the government uses a highly complementary and interdependent structure for disaster management and risk reduction.

Still, he said the government is open to constructive criticism, so it can improve and be more prepared in the future. PND