MANILA, (PNA) — Malacanang has appealed to the town mayor of Maribojoc, Bohol and an official of the Red Cross to set aside their differences and focus on relief efforts in the area.
At a media briefing, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Sonny Coloma said the two camps should settle their disagreement in the distribution of relief goods in Maribojoc, one of the isolated areas in Bohol after a 7.2 magnitude quake last week.
“Ang sa amin lang po, nais sana natin magkaroon ng mas masinsing pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga pagtulong sa ating mga kababayan. ‘Di dapat manaig ang iba pang mga agenda,” Coloma said.
“Ang dapat makita natin ay yung kagyat na pagtugon lalo na pagdating sa pagkain at shelter… should not be jeopardized by any disagreements,” he added.
In a radio interview, PNRC secretary general Gwendolyn Pang has accused Maribojoc Mayor Leoncio Evasco Jr. of stopping one of the volunteers from distributing relief goods to affected residents.
Evasco, however, was quick to deny this, saying he just wanted to ensure an efficient and coordinated distribution of relief.
Evasco said relief given to some families were doubled, while others get nothing. He said the local government wanted to prevent a similar situation from happening and so they are trying to coordinate all relief efforts in the area.
“Sana po magkaroon sila ng pakikipag-unawaaan para mas makinabang ang ating mga kababayan,” Coloma appealed to both camps.