Men and women, young and old alike joined the barrage of people through the gates of the DSWD to scoop sacks of relief goods out to the streets. But even before they were done taking all the goods, the police came to stop them with their truncheons and clubs hurting at least eight of the protesters, including an 11-year-old girl.
BY KENETTE JEAN MILLONDAGA
Davao Today
Davao City, Philippines – Hungry and angry, survivors of typhoon Pablo stormed the Department of Social Welfare and Development regional office Tuesday morning and seized relief goods that were promised to them by the department last January.
Men and women, young and old alike joined the barrage of people through the gates of the DSWD to scoop sacks of relief goods out to the streets. But even before they were done taking all the goods, the police came to stop them with their truncheons and clubs hurting at least eight of the protesters, including an 11-year-old girl.
They took with them 593 boxes of noodles, 13 boxes of soap, 34 boxes of canned sardines, 10 boxes of envelope, 1 box of biscuits, 78 boxes of coffee, 52 sacks of rice and 820 sacks of assorted goods.
“Dili namo ni iuli sa DSWD kay amoa man ni. (We will not return these goods to the DSWD because these are supposed to be ours),” Karlos Trangia, spokesperson of Barug Katawhan organization of Pablo survivors said in an interview with the media.
Members of militant groups, particularly from the youth, tried to shield the survivors from the attacks of the police, but ended up being dragged and clubbed. Some were stripped and fondled by the police.
The eight protesters who were hurt by police attacks were identified as Jessaly Nakila, 11 years old from Barangay Kabuyna, Mabini in Compostela Valley; Iwan Solin-ay, 30, Ronilo Bagsi, 27, all lumads from Side 4, Barangay Mangayon, in Compostela town, Compostela Valley; Jason Ello from Purok 17, Barangay Ngan, also in Compostela town; Mariel May Morale, 18, a student of the University of the Philippines Mindanao who was there in support of the Pablo survivors; Rene Antonio, 28, and Manuel Tanaid, both from Barangay Ngan and Jorem Masareng, 38, from Barangay Pasian, Monkayo town in Compostela Valley.
The Pablo survivors under Barug Katawhan (People Rise Up), around 5,000 of them, massed up in front of the DSWD office at the corner of Magsaysay Avenue and Suazo streets since Monday evening, hoping that DSWD regional officials would face them in negotiations over their demands.
One of the demands are the 10,000 sacks of rice which DSWD secretary Dinky Soliman promised to the survivors in an earlier barricade they mounted in the highway of Montevista, Compostela Valley on January 15.
Conditional release
The DSWD set as a condition to Barug Katawhan the submission of a list of the names of those they intend to provide with rations. However, the group submitted only a distribution plan indicating that the distribution of relief goods would be done in the presence of local government officials and DSWD personnel to ensure that the DSWD can validate the recipients.
“Dili namo basta-basta mahatag ang mga ngalan nga niapil sa barikada, tungod sa rason sa seguridad pero uyon mi nga hatagan ang DSWD og tanang kahigayonan nga ma-verify nila ang mga hataganan ana nga relief goods, kung kana lay nagpugong sa ila nga irilis na sa amoa, (We could not easily give the names of those who joined the barricade for the sake of security, but we are willing to provide the DSWD everything they need to be able to verify the recipients, if that is what’s keeping them from releasing the goods to us),” Trangia pointed out.
Trangia said at least eight of their colleagues, including him, in the January 15 barricade are now facing criminal charges over the incident filed by the police. Those who joined the barricade, he said, are also already being searched by soldiers in their communities.
The spokesperson of the 10th Civic Military Operations Major Jake Obligado has also earlier issued statements to the media citing that the barricaders were being backed by the underground National Democratic Front.
“Unsay garantiya namo nga kanang listahan nga among ihatag, dili na gamiton batok sa amoa? (What guarantee can we get that these will not be used against us?)” Trangia said.
But DSWD-XI acting director Priscilla Razon still refused to compromise her position, even saying that Barug Katawhan could be faking it. “Kung tinuod gyud na sila nga biktima dili na sila maglisud og hatag sa listahan (If they are truly the victims, why then is it hard for them to give the names?” Razon told the media.
Such pronouncements made by Razon, however, only made the protesters outside the DSWD office angrier. “Among gihagit ni si Razon, nga istoryahon niya ang mga nagbarikada para siya gyud mismo makasuta, (We challenge Razon to come talk to the people barricading outside her office, so she herself could tell),” Trangia said in reaction.
“Maayo lang man na sila magrequire sa amoa og transparency pero sila mismo, wala man gani nila gitug-an pila na ang nadawat nila nga hinabang para sa Pablo (They ask us to be transparent, but they themselves have not account how much have they spent to help Pablo victims),” Trangia said, adding that, the victims have received relief goods only thrice since the tragedy struck in December, in spite of the billions in aid received by the said agency for the Pablo victims.
“Kung buot hunahunaon, kanang 10,000 sacks, tunga sa bulan ra nang konsumo sa 50,000 ka tawo. Unya, ang kinahanglan, pangkonsumo para sa sunod nga bulan. Kay wa pa man kay maani intawon sulod aning mga bulana, (To think of it, 10,000 sacks will be consumed for half-a month for 50,000 victims. And what they need is food relief for the next six months because that’s the time when harvest will come),” Trangia said.
Trangia also expressed his concern over DSWD’s announcement that the aid will only last until March 9. “Hangtod March 9 na lang ang gisulti sa DSWD nga hinabang. Human ana pilian na lang daw kung kinsa ang hatagan. (They are saying that the distribution of relief goods will stopp on March 9. After that, they will just choose from among the list those they intend to provide with rations),” Trangia said.
This, Trangia said prompted them to go right straight to DSWD to secure the relief goods that are supposedly intended for Pablo survivors like them.
Aside from the 10,000 sacks of rice, they are also asking transparency of the aid from national and international groups given to the survivors of Pablo.
“Hantud wala ni, padayon namong tawagon ang DSWD nga ahensya sa korapsyon, kay sa among nahibaw-an daghan kaayong ayuda gikan sa gawas, pero ang mga biktima sa Pablo, sukad-sukad, ikatulo ra nahatagan, (Until they can furnish a clear declaration of how much funding they have received, we shall continue to call the DSWD an agency of corruption, because as far as we know, the victims of Pablo received relief goods only thrice since the tragedy struck),” Trangia said.
DSWD officials are currently facing complaints at the Mindanao Office of the Ombudsman arising from alleged overpricing of bunkhouses by more than 50 percent.
The Pablo survivors are not planning to leave their position outside the DSWD office until they get the 10,000 sacks of rice.
“Kaning mga tawo, nagkabangga-bangga nag pangita asay isumpay para makasurvive lang. Naay uban butong na lay ginakaon. Tungod anang ilang mga rekisitos, kanus-a pa kaha na makaon sa mga tawo (These people are at a loss on how to find means to survive. They are some who subsist in coconut. Because of their requisite, when can food reach the people?)” Trangia said.
Despite repeated attempts by the police to disperse the protesting Pablo survivors, still, they remained, refusing to leave their position outside the DSWD office until they get the 10,000 sacks of rice.
The goods which they thought they could finally take home to their families were however taken back by the police later in the afternoon. (With a report from Irene V. Dagudog, davaotoday.com)
Poverty
