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:
@ JOBY- Fan ka siguro ni Secretary Cabral. Sinundan mo talaga career nya ha…kaya lang kahit fan hindi ka kapanipaniwala. Mali mali ang pinagsasasabi mo. Buti na lang may nagcorrect sa yo dito. Pati si Dir. Cabilao at asawa nya dinamay mo pa sa napaka inaccurate mong comment. hindi halata na magpinsan kayo ni Dir. Cabilao. He’s far more intelligent than you are. Saka wag kang magpapaniwala sa mga taga SWEAP. ilang beses nang naipaliwanag sa kanila ang GA issue and they chose not to listen. Ginagamit pa nila ang mga Senior Citizens na nasa GA para lang pangalagaan ang “welfare” ng mga empleyadong ayaw lumipat sa Tanay kasi lalayo ang byahe at mas mahihirapan sa trabaho (may isang Social Worker na taga GA na nagtatanong kung malalayo ang mga cottages sa Tanay kasi daw kung malalayo, hindi na sila makakapagbilin sa mga kapwa nila social worker na bantayan ang cottage nila pag tatakas este pag may kailangan silang gawin pansumandali sa labas).
At isa pa, para lang din alam mo, si Secretary Cabral ay pinilit lamang na maupo bilang Kalihim ng Kagawaran. Ang tagal nyang nakumbinsi na tanggapin ang alok ng Malakanyang na posisyon dahil nagkaroon ng Wowowee Tragedy. Oh, para lang dagdag sa alam mo bilang fan ni Secretary.
@ arnel – bakit may nakita ka na bang binentang donations sa duty free?
@mytcz
-BERNARD SINGCUENCO BALATBAT, MD wasnt expecting payment when he volunteered. It was just unfortunate for DSWD when he learned that he was supposed to receive an allowance that he did not receive. Kung hindi nya nalaman yun sana hindi sha na turn-off sa DSWD.
– Ano ba naman yan. Wag ka na sumali diyan. Kanila nang away yan. Mali din naman ang papanigan mo. Hindi na dapat volunteer ang tawag sa kanya kung may bayad pa. Totoo kaya ang nasagap nitong si Bernard na may bayad? Hindi na nga niya nasagot kung san niya nakuha ang info. Malamang kasi hindi totoo. Kung nagbibigay talaga ang dswd para sa volunteers, eh di mag professional volunteers nalang tayo! Nananawagan kami sa nawawalang Dr. Bernard!!
– people in government agencies like DSWD or whatever agency arent there because they want to.. but because they can. Karamihan sa mga govt employees nasa govt kasi may mga kamaganak cla na nag t trabaho doon. Kung wala kang backer… mahirap pumasok sa gobyerno.
– sori dear, I will have to disagree again. Magkano ba sa tingin mo ang sinesweldo ng taga gobyerno na magpipilit silang makapasok doon? Kinaiingitan mo ba talaga ang mga empleyado ng gobyerno? Ganun ba talada kababa ang sweldo mo? Kawawa ka naman ano? Sori at wala kang naging backer nung nag apply ka. Pero malamang hindi ka lang talaga karapatdapat. Siguro basang basa ka ng naginterview sa ‘yo. Mukhang pera. Itong mga ‘to sa gobyerno, nandoon para mag silbi. Magpasalamat ka nalang at sige parin ang kanilang pag trabaho kahit sinisiraan mo na sila ng husto.
– Wala akong tiwala sa government employees kasi maraming beses ko ng napatunayan na halos lahat sila corrupt and greedy. Marami na akong first hand experience on dealing with them.
– Wow kwento mo naman, at magbigay ka ng names ha. Ang hirap kasi maniwala pag walang proof. Kita mo naman ang gulo na ginawa ni Ella.. First hand experience naman ang sabi mo di ba? Bigay mo rin pangalan mo ha, para magawan ng paraan ang reklamo mo at ma-expose na ang mga sinasabi mong corrupt and greedy na naka-deal mo.
-My friends and I went to a relief center with food and clothes. There were so many people there and less than 10 of us. So we considered going to DSWD sa munisipyo para sila nalang mag bigay.. thinking theyd be more organized. Pero nakausap nung friend ko yung mga evacuess doon and they said it would be better if we just give it straight to the people kasi daw yung mga donations na nasa DSWD hindi naman daw nakakadating sa kanila. May mga nareceive pa cla na expired delata. WTF diba?
– Is pang wow! tsk tsk. Ingat lang po sa pagbibintang. Ikaw ba maniniwala na kaagad sa kanila? Di mo ba nadinig yung mga balita na mayroon nang mga evacuees na ayaw nang umuwi sa kanila? Kasi, kung nung bago dumating ang mga bagyo ay isang beses lang sila kumakain sa isang araw, eh ngayon tatlo o apat na? May banyo at libreng paligo pa? C’mon, tao lang din sila. Siyempre sasabihin nila yun. Eh hawak mo na ang donations! Baka mapunta pa sa iba! Hindi ko naman sinasabi na lahat sila ganun ang gawain. Pero just like there are good and bad rich people, may good and bad din na poor. BTW, sino kaya nag bigay ng expired na delata? Alangan naman DSWD pa yun? Eh inabot lang ng kung sino yun sa DSWD. Chinek mo ba donations mo? Dapat ba chinek nalang ng DSWD yung expiry date ng sangkatutak na canned goods na binitbit ng mga tao doon? Pati narin yung dinala mo? Naman, baka next year pa nila makuha yun kung kailan expired na talaga. Eh nag volunteer nga ako sa whitespace, yung isang supot na nakuha namin for repacking, laman puro butas na panty. Itatapon ba namin iyon? Siyempre hindi! Diretso sa plastic bag na may canned goods, bigas and water na hindi din namin chinek kung expired. Magagamit pa yun ano!
-That evacuation center was living off from donations and cooked food served by volunteers and not by government people. So anong ginagawa nila sa mga donations na natatanggap nila if hindi natatanggap ng mga evacuees?
– Arruy! Kaw talaga, parang di mo parin nakuha yung impotansya ng stockpiling. Kung ikaw ay isang matalinong nasalanta, itatago mo lahat ng binigay sa iyo at magrarasyon ka. Kung may cooked food na binibigay sa yo, yun muna ang kakainin mo diba? At kung nauna man ang private group sa evacuation center na iyon, did you stay long enough to check kung hindi nga ba dumating ang DSWD? Di mo naman siguro ginawa yun, hirap makatulog doon. At nga pala, isa lang naman yung evacuation center na pinaguusapan mo. Ang damidami kayang evacuation centers pa! I’m sure hindi sila lahat inabot ng private groups at DSWD lang ang nakarating.
-Bago kayo kumampi sa gobyerno, umalis muna kayo sa harap ng mga computers nyo and magpunta talaga kayo sa relief centers pra malaman nyo ang real score. Halos lahat ng relief efforts are done by private groups & individuals halos non-existent ang govt.
– Alam mo, I am singing a different tune now than two days ago, at nagpapasalamat nga ako na may computer ako at nababasa ko lahat ng mga pinagsasabi dito. Siyempre nagulat ako sa sinabi ni Ella. Sino bang hindi? Pero habang tumatagal, lumalabas na walang basis ang mga pinagsasabi niya. Nakakahiya. Di muna nag isip. Nanira lang ng nanira. Parang ikaw. Anyway, dito na muna ako sa harap ng computer ko, thank you. Baka sa weekend I will do as Gio Bacarreza suggested kasi tapos na ako maki join sa private group. At kahit alam kong mas kailangan nila ako sa northern luzon, gobyerno nalang yata ang nakaka abot doon at nag tiyatiyaga. Di na kaya yun ng powers ko. Buti nalang may DSWD.
– So hindi nyo masisi ang mga tao when they get furious by news/blogs like this.
– I know, kaya nga dapat, nag check muna si Ella bago namintang. Sino bang hindi maiinis. Okay lang sana kung totoo.
-Ako din, I wanna know what will happen to those imported items. BS yung excuse nila na inventory and giving monetary values.. plain BS… if thats the protocol dapat mabilis nilang nagagawa yun… private people were able to organize relief ops in a day or 2 tapos government cant do it in 1 month? BS BS BS! I hope someone can cover this to make sure these items all go to the victims. Nakakahiya.
– Naku, magbasa ka naman ng diyaryo at ibang blogs. Punta ka din sa DSWD website like they said. Para malinawan ka na rin.
– Anyway highway, time to sleep. Smile ka na lang, mytcz. Peace!
The truth hurts. It seems that all you lamebrains at the DSWD are in the crisis management mode but instead of rational employments all of you are over reacting to the comments against both your institution and leader and that’s not how to deal with the situation. The first lesson is “thou shalt not panic”.
Better if you should admit your lapses. The fact is that you have just proven to the world that you are totally ill-equipped and unready to address this type of calamity in the realm of media and public opinion. Imagine your secretary saying that the reason for the slow distribution of relief despite the huge quantity of resources is because of “lack of volunteers” or manpower. What? Who advised her on that? Fools!
Just read the comment of the highly respected columnist and editor Beting Dolor and he explained the incompetence, arrogance and inefficiency of your beloved secretary in one entry. That is the main commentary that you should address instead of resorting to the emotional hysterics of bloggers. The statement of the secretary although well-written is not comprehensive enough.
The more you talk wildly and resort to squid tactics the more you sink in the quagmire of your own making. This quicksand you all are in will soon swallow the stupid batallion trying to defend your intitution and its head. You better get a specialist or an expert to do the defense. Maybe you should seek advice from a Reli German or a Lito Banayo to escape this trap you set yourselves in. If the late Bubby Dacer were alive he would be one of the best to consult with. Or maybe you should hire the services of the Ang family. Or maybe the secretary could phone Ronnie Puno for his 2 cents worth.
If it was true that thousands of people (victims) benefited from the distribution that you said were undertaken then why was it not covered by the media and why was it only the NGOs and other religious, media, academic and civic groups getting airtime and print exposure. Why? It was because you did not do enough. In short, you were all sleeping on the job. There was no coherence in your reply – no one was conducting or orchestrating the public relations effort.
True, the comments were harsh and personal, even brutal. This is expected because a lot of people really suffered from this calamity and they were only airing their grievances in an emotional manner. People behave this way when they are suffering. They are your constituents. Doesn’t the DSWD have a PR team to shield the secretary during times like this?
But this will soon pass away like every issue that gets this administration in deep shit – it has weathered greater scandals and policy transgressions in the past. This DSWD incident only mirrors the state of governance of our nation today. Not even clowns like Remonde, Fajardo or Golez can counter the retrogression of this Administration exemplified today by the DSWD. Maybe tomorrow it could be the DA, DFA or the DOF? Who knows?
to those who so easily responded to ella’s cry of wolf, why don’t you read this first: http://catwizkers.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-review-be-real-blogger-not-troll.html?spref=fb
make your own analysis guys. ella has made three posts on this issue already and the last two blogs (for now perhaps) contradict the first one! and i thought humans had the most advanced brain!
Sunday,25 Oct 2009, 9:59 a.m., Since it is very obvious that Filipinos can not handle to swiftly get the Foreign aid to the hands of the VICTIMS, MAYBE it is about time to let the World to send in more man power to assists, supervise, manage and observe the smooth flow of distribution of much needed help to the people. UNICEF, USA, Japan, France, The Kingdom of Jordan, Spain, and other world donors could send in contingents of people to ensure that further delays are eradicated and to clear those warehouses of goods that should have been handed out in the first place. I would suggest leaders like former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter head the mission. Observation and investigation of allegations could be documented and handled after all the aid was handed out. There will be time to bring those incompetents to face justice in a World Court. What happened is tragic but for Filipinos to just bicker and blame every Juan’s and Maria’s will not solve any iota of undue delays.
A nation is judge on how they treat the poor and disenfranchised, especially the many hungry children caught in the middle of this unwarranted delay. I just pray to God that your country does not suffer another unimaginable tragedy like an 8.0 magnitude earthquake which almost wiped out Samoa of its precious, good people. If this catastrophe happens to the Philippines, during that time all your warehouses will be buried in ruins and those goods won’t be available for meaningless inventory, fighting and endless discourse. And above all, you won’t have people to worry to give help to. The massive earthquake will take care of that.
yung mga pro dswd, dami nyong satsat. ang point lang naman nung blog eh mabagal. ang sagot ng dswd, walang volunteers. may kasalanan pa rin sila, bakit hindi man lang nagannounce na kailangan ng volunteers? mahirap bang isipin yung solusyon na yon sa problema? lumaki lang itong isyu dahil instead of acknowledging na may pagkakamali ang dswd which is not asking for volunteers to help, nagmamalinis at nagbintang na ng nagbintang ng kung ano ano. hindi nya siguro idol ni cabral si gloria kaya ayaw nyang gayahin yung “I AM SORRY” ni gloria. tao naman nag speculate dahil WALANG MATINONG SAGOT and dswd. tama sabi nung iba, dapat tigilan ang satsat at umaksyon. pero still, nakita na natin kung gaano ka inefficient proseso ng dswd. pati inventory at deployment me problema kaya kailangan ayusin. kailangan itrain mga staff at mga boss ng dswd para HINDI SILA NAPAGBIBINTANGAN. PARA MAS MAGING EFFICIENT SILA AT NG PAG MAY NAGTANONG EH MAKASAGOT SILA NG MATINO.
If there’s any pilfering and stealing, I think that’s to be expected, but I don’t think it’s organized. I think what you are seeing here is typical Pinoy – on both the DSWD side, and the side of those critical of the DSWD.
More focus on how it looks, rather than what gets done. Too much process, not enough action. Everyone trying to look good, rather than trying to BE good.
For the DSWD – GET OFF YOUR ASSES, MAKE IT EASY TO VOLUNTEER AND EASY TO DO THE WORK. FORGET THE “PROCESS”, THE “REQUIREMENTS”, THE “MANAGEMENT” AND JUST GET TEH JOB DONE.
For the critics – GET OFF YOUR ASSES, SHOW UP, VOLUNTEER, PACK THOSE GOODS, GET THEM IN YOUR OWN CARS/VEHICLES AND BRING THEM TO WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED.
Enough fighting, finger pointing, making “pogi points”. Enough process and rules and regulations. People need your help – are you going to fight among yourselves to see who is more pure and blameless? Or are you going to go out and help?
To Donna: On you link – my analysis is you have the same brain level as the DSWD Secretary of the way you interpert this statement “relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses.†All pictures show relief goods in perfect condition.
The link actually doesn’t explain much as what people wants to hear. It’s just one sided statement concentrate over the blog who expose the stagnant plan of relief goods distribution.
Try harder and think further more strategy. Perhaps you need to attend a seminar of Product and Process Design for supply chain management together with the DSWD officials.
Blah, blah, blah, blah! Wala na ba kayong magawa kundi magsatsat din!
@James Quasha: For all your big words, metaphors and name dropping, hindi ako impressed. Repressed journalist ka ba? As for your statement about media coverage, the media has their own agenda. Cover their own relief ops and the politcos and movie stars who sell more airtime than humble social workers. You seem to think that money that would be spent elsewhere in actually helping a human being should be spent on making the DSWD look good to the public? Di mo ba naisip na nagbayad ang mga NGO na yan para ma-cover? Go get yourself your own blog. Or better yet, offer to be the PR for the DSWD since you think they sorely need help in that department.
@LovelySoul: And indeed, what a “lovely” soul you have, praying for our country.
“I just pray to God that your country does not suffer another unimaginable tragedy like an 8.0 magnitude earthquake which almost wiped out Samoa of its precious, good people. If this catastrophe happens to the Philippines, during that time all your warehouses will be buried in ruins and those goods won’t be available for meaningless inventory, fighting and endless discourse. And above all, you won’t have people to worry to give help to. The massive earthquake will take care of that.”
– Your sarcasm leaves a bad taste in my mouth. By making this statement it’s almost as if you want this catastrophe to hit our country to justify these allegations against the DSWD! My goodness! What about the precious, good people of the Philippines? Kawawa naman kami! Ay, kasama ka ba dun with your “lovely” soul?
@Elena: Nag-volunteer ka na ba? O puro satsat ka lang din?
A reply for of all you from the anonymous Employee of DSWD Central Office:
Comments: 415 makabayan on 26 Oct 2009 at 2:45 am (http://www.ellaganda.com/?p=1759)
I am an employee of the DSWD Central Office. I know that the warehouses are always full. The warehouse is stocked with goods and other important foods and utensils mostly from Japan, Spain and Canada as well as food items from the World food Program of the United Nations.
The problem is inefficiency and also the attitude of Secretary Cabral. She is an elitist who thinks that the goods from abroad or stateside are only for display. para siyang nanghihinayang mamigay ng imported goods. I have not seen it but sabi ng iba inuuwi ni secretary cabral ang ibang goods sa kanyang bahay sa Ayala Alabang pati nga mga vans and suvs na binibigay ng mga donor countries ay ginagamit niya.
sa paranaque po nakatago ang mga goods na napakarami sa enroc po. enroc building sa may airport po. alam na alam ko po na napakarami pong relief na hindi pinamimigay eh bakit po kaya?
i am a graduate po of a decent school. that’s why i have rose from the ranks since i started and i love the job.
In many years that i have worked as an officer at dswd she is the secretary without a heart that’s why we call her the heartless heart doctor because she is also a heart physician.
People should now know who she really is. She is a bad person who does not care for the people but on tv and radio she smiles and talks like a motherly person but deep inside she hates the poor and many of the officers and employees do not like her but they are afraid of her because when she gets mad she will try to find a way to fire workers and we do not want to lose our livelihoods.
But going back sa problem hindi po ako magtataka na hindi na niya ipamimigay ang magagandang gamit sa warehouse dahil nanghihinayang siya dahil wala po siyang pagtingin sa aming mga low middle class at poor. Nagtataka nga kami kung bakit siya ay parang ginagalang ng mga tao. Para din hu siyang si Gloria dahil siya ay biyahe ng biyahe.
Kelan lang po nasa Switzerland siya at ang kasama niya ang kanyang pamangking mayabang at mapang api si Erdie Casas. 3 linggo po siyang nagliwaliw sa Switzerland at kailan lang nasa Brazil naman po siya at nagpapasasa at gumagasta ng milyon para sa pamasahe lang. 2 beses sa isang taon nag vacation siya sa America para makasama ang mga anak niya doon at kasama rin niya ang kanyang asawa at mga staff sa mga biyahe niya. she does not love the poor pakitang tao lang po ang kanyang ginagawa.
dapat po ay tanggalin na siya ni Gloria at ipalit na lamang ay si Usec Yangco ang tunay na mahal ng mahihirap ngunit ang alam ng lahat ay galit siya kay Yangco at ang gusto niya si Usec Pablo dahil magkapitbahay po sila sa Ayala Alabang at pareho po silang maka elitista.
Dalawang beses na hong na extend si Pablo dahil siya po ang may hawak ng pera ng Dswd at ang chismis po ay nangungupit po silang dalawa ng pera ng dswd. dapat pong imbistagahan si secretary cabral dahil ang budget ng dswd ngayon daw po ay mahigit 15 billion pesos. gusto raw ni cabral na si pablo ang maretain kasi mahahalata ang pagnanakaw niya pag palitan ng ibang usec. ang mga directors at iba pang officials ng dswd ay takot na takot sa kanya dahil palamura siya sa mga ito at talagang duwag ang mga director.
marami po sa amin ay moa workers taunan po ang renewal at pag hindi mo sundin si cabral ay hindi ka makakasweldo at hindi ka rin bibigyan ng bonus di katulad noong panahon ni mam dinky, mam lina, mam dulce at lalo na po ni sec tavera ang pinakamabait na secretaring inabot ko na po.
gagantihan po ako ni secretary cabral. baka rin niya akong ipatransfer sa ibang office ng dswd dahil may office po kami sa lahat ng region. ako po ay civil service professional kaya hindi niya ako pwedeng tanggalin pero kung nais ho niyhang gumanti ay lalagay o tatransfer po ako kahit saan niya gusto.
takot po ako sa kanya at kay erdie ang kanyang pamankin na bodyguard na mangaalipusta ng mga maliliit sa dswd. awang awa lang po ako talaga sa mga hindi nakatanggap ng relief dahil ang mga kapatid ko po ay nasalanta at ang mga pinsan ko rin. alam ko po ang hirap na pinagdaanan nila.
secretary cabral only start working in dswd after 2005 and she thinks that she own dswd like it is her own company. but she is bad even to the asecs and usecs and directors down to the janitors and clerks because she has an evil mind and no heart inside her.
I’ve been reading comments for the past hour or so. I’ve skipped the latter part because there are so many personal comments.
Kanya kanyang issue, offensive slander and defensive banter.
Free speech is a right to everyone, yes, but let me say something about this. YOU ARE NOT THE PEOPLE CONCERNED. Hindi kayo ang mga nasalanta ng bagyo para magkalat dito. Get the hell out.
Halatang halata kasi na yung iba dyan, alipores lang ng kung sino sinong tao na involved sa issue. Wag na kayo maghanap ng proof, alam na alam nyo na kung sino-sino kayo.
As for the people getting hammered and harassed by the commentary here, leave them alone. Don’t fan the flames. Let them say all they want. ‘Di naman sila ang kailangang pansinin, yung mga nangangailangan dapat ang pinapansin.
For the spectators, for the vigilant, etc…stay vigilant na lang.
Kasi habang nagpopost kayo ng kanya kanya ninyong issue dito at nag babatuhan ng comment sa isa’t isa, sa tingin nyo ba nakakatulong kayo? Tama na yan. Wala naman kayong tinutulong eh.
Kahit na may itinulong NA kayo. ‘Di na kailangang malaman pa.
@MLQ3: Sir, kung wala nang issue pa dito na dapat i-address, please close the commentary. Otherwise, sana po may ibang lugar for open talk. Not here. Just my two cents. 🙂
@Awie: Bakit kailangan nanaman i-repost to na galing sa website ni Ella? Hindi ba ikaw ang sumagot sa kanya pagkatapos at sabi mo ay
“417 Awie: Hi Makabayan, do you like your comments or appeal to be spread out around the internet? If you really like to hear your voice about this matter over your Boss.” (on 26 Oct 2009 at 3:27). 416 na ang comment ni Makabayan para alam mo lang.
Anong point mo? Hindi ko maintindihan ang ibig mo sabihin sa reply mo sa kanya.
Grabe, personalan nanaman, mali-mali pa! Kilala ko and mga tao na pinaguusapan niyo dyan at mali ang sinulat nitong si Makabayan. O eto ha, alamin muna ang totoo bago mag-repost-repost dyan! Ay, hanggang ngayon di nyo pa rin ma-gets yun!!!!!
Mali-mali ang kwento tungkol sa mga biyahe, pangalan ng mga tao, ang pag-uwi ng mga relief daw sa bahay. Sabi pa nga niya hindi niya nakita mismo. Eh di paano niya alam na totoo! At wala talaga siyang makikita kasi hindi yan totoo. At mabuti sana kung may nagbibigay talaga mg kotse bilang donasyon. Para may magamit sana sa pag-deliver ng goods! Enroc? Tanga, NROC! Sa dami ng butas ng kwento niya ayoko nang pagaksayahan pang ipaliwanag ang bawat isa!
Palagay ko ikaw din si Makabayan eh. Walang kumagat sa post mo kaya ikaw na lang ang nag re-post. Sira ulo ka pala eh, KSP pa. Grabe talaga! Hindi nagiisip. Parang si Ella, hindi nagiisip!
O ikaw ba ay si Joby, yung pinsan daw ni Director Finard Cabilao? Oo, yan ang style mo eh, magbigay ng pangalan at detalye para kunwari may alam ka talaga sa pinagsasabi mo! Takot ka lang gamitin ulit ang pangalan ng Joby. Ay sus, tanga ka talaga! Dapat sabihan ka lang Awie, ilagay dyan sa tabi at hindi na bibigyan ng pansin.
Wala nang kwentang magbasa ng mga comment dito, tama si anonymous.
Hi Ella,
Oh my God, Holy Smokes! Where should I begin? What is really happening with the public officials of the Philippine government? Do they have a conscience? Are they humans? Do they have any common sense? Indeed, the disaster victims are suffering to death because of the sick mentality of our public officials. Their stupidity is deadly and contagious.
The condition of the disaster victims are the ugliest of beings– hungry and starving to death like dogs waiting to be feed with leftovers. On the other hand, in the warehouse of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), you can see mountain piles of varieties of different relief goods which have been withheld and not distributed but stocked for unknown purposes, if not, sheer stupidity.
If you want to see a “unique kind†of Cabinet members, Under Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries down to the Regional Directors who are irresponsible, lazy, skullduggeries, hollow men with headpieces stuffed with straw, tag as poster children of moral irresponsibility and social pariah, look no further! It’s right here only in the Philippines. Truthfully, it makes you wonder how the mechanism of their ideas was like at a time that calls for clear-eyed thinking. IT WOULD CHOKE YOU UP! Well, I don’t need to continue, do I?
realtruestories.blogspot.com
Hi Ella,
with your expose’ you now stood tall and could be seen by the whole world from miles away. Your courage and bravery is riveting and awesome. Thank you that we have you.
Every thief is a coward. Yes, anybody that oppresses has no head and he is a coward. So, we can fight and defeat him. If we Filipinos can just rise up for once against these robbers governing, we would soon discover that they are cowards. We are really sitting on top on a keg of gunpowder. May God help us as a nation? Remember only cowards pray and do nothing.
Hi Ella,
The Philippines is a nation with the wherewithal to be great. But I took sometime to ponder why it had become adrift and thrown into a perpetual third world country and one of the poorest. It has a population it cannot sustain when it would have been a land of milk and honey. Had our leaders not been greedy to enrich themselves in great measure, the image of the Philippines as one of the most corrupt on the face of the earth would not have been.
What the Filipinos need is good governance. We need a good leader whose concern and love is with humanity more than personal gain. It does not matter if it is somebody that falls from the sky and is able to give you light, good roads and unblemished background and reputation; and not a dictator, liar, and a skulduggery so that we don’t have to be weary of the unmitigated skulduggery of this regime again. Does it really matter who that would be? I don’t care. As a Christian, it’s better to have an infidel as a just ruler than to have an unjust Christian.
realtruestories.blogspot.com
What I commented last night is now a reality. If you recall I was suggesting that Cabral hire a consultant to manage her crisis that now has become a disaster. Read today’s headline on the Manila Bulletin that goes something like this: Disaster Czar Needed/ Crisis Management Team Should be Formed…Wow!
This Administration’s brain – what with Remonde, Fajardo and Golez tripping over each other plus the harebrained leftist has been Olivar – is so goddamn bankrupt that even a grade schooler could second guess what it will do next. It goes this way: 1. A department booboo escalates into a scandal 2. Crisis management fails 3. It proudly announces a draconian policy decision like the appointment of a czar to look good and in control but actually is just a sugar coating to hide the bitter truth of its incompetence. This tactic has been done for DA pork import corruption issues, for PDEA-Justice scandal, the Energy department in cahoots with the big 3 and another issue that escapes my mind at the DENR.
The spin almost always follow this pattern and the palace spinners wants us to think and absorb this line: The problem of the government with regards the calamity and relief operations is gargantuan and cannot be done by a single department alone (in this case, the nunnery called the DSWD that is always besieged by gargantuan work from the cradle to the grave) so it now needs a strong expert super someone to be the disaster czar because the poor super busy Cabral cannot do it alone. The people will now be bedazzled to think of wow the government really means business and smokescreened by the excitement and guessing game of who’s gonna be in charge and, in the process, they forget about the issue and blunder of Cabral. Sometimes the story just dies down that there won’t even be anyone appointed as disaster czar.
In short, the brazen incompetence and inefficiency of the DSWD and its leader will now be overshadowed by a feeling of excitement and hope with the radical move of the Palace to appoint a czar that will ostensibly orchestrate the disaster policies to cover up the great bureaucratic and policy transgression of Cabral.
Maybe Cabral was just following orders from the Palace to take it easy in distributing the imported goodies because it could be used by Teodoro in his campaign stories. We heard that Cabral is dying to stay at DSWD if Teodoro would get elected because she never had it so good at that department.
Dapat i-course na lang yung mga donations through NGOs or even sa media. Wag nang idaan sa mga kamay ng mga incompetent (at the least) and/or corrupt (at worst).
I think, before you bash Sec. Cabral and the DSWD, tumulong muna kayo. Ibibigay sa ABS at GMA? I know people from those media outfits, and even they are having a hard time distributing the goods they receive. Isa sa mga problema nating mga Pilipino ay masyado tayong judgmental; we open our mouths first before we investigate and do our research. We should also do our share in helping out and not simply talk and talk. Read MLQ’s blog carefully before you all react violently (and needlessly).
Ano ba naman kayo? Marami sa ating kababayan na nangagailangan ng tulong. Para bang pinanghihinayangan ibigay ang mga imported na gamit at dilata sa mahihirap. Gumising naman kayo. Sinagot ang mga panalangin ng taong bayan na bigyan sila ng tulong, subalit dumating ang tulong, hindi naman makarating sa mga naiingailangan. For every minute you delay help to the needy, maybe one child or one person dies of the after effects of the calamity that struck our nation. Remember that the hottest place in hell is reserved for those who did not do enough effort to help the poorest of the poor when they needed help.
saw saw suka mahuli taya!!!!!!!!
cge lahat na nakisawsaw sa issue na ito.
makiki sali na rin ako.
MAHULI TAYA!!!!!
//www.jbeudela.com
Hala magsasampa ng libel case ang DSWD versus kay ELLA. Ayan face off na tignan natin sino talaga ang nagsisinungaling.
this has been happening,kahit noon pa, kahit sino nasa gobyerno. pag kakaiba nga lang ngayon meron tayo mga cell phones, with cameras, and the cyberspace, kaya mas mabilis makarating ang information.
As far as 70s til now, you can see powdered milk, corn flours, wheat flours, being sold in quiapo sidewalks. They don’t even made the effort to hide the cartons marked with “USAID” with the logo of 2 hands shaking showing Philippines and Americans flags….When tidal wave hit sorsogon in 80’s,canned goods meant for the victims were found on NPA’s camp when raided…these goods were supposed to be at hand of our goverment……………. Same dogs just different collars
so far, this blog of mlq3 is the sanest i’ve read. it just presented facts as they happened and were presented by different sides. that this resulted to a call for more volunteers made it worth forgoing my beauty rest. lol.
Marami po akong kaibigan working at dswd. meron sa central at sa regional offices, di po matatawaran ang dedikasyon ng mga manggagawang ito. they work beyond and above the call of duty. para sa bayan ika nga. sa lahat po ng blogs at sa mga sagot ng mga officials ng dswd makikita na maraming pagkukulang ang lahat ng panig. sa dswd, dahil ni napaghandaan ang pangangailangan sa maraming volunteers. at sa mga taong me spare time dahil di naisip mag volunteer sa dswd. mas masaya po talaga sa kapuso at abs-cbn kasi dami artista nasa tv ka pa. sa dswd sa channel 4 ka lang pwedeng makita kung makikita ka nga.
anyways much have been said at tama po sina gang badoy. action po ang kelangan sa panahong ito. tama na po ang dada although guaranteed po sa consitution ang freedom na magsalita. sana po tigilan na po natin ang mga batuhan ng paratang at insultuhan na wala naman patutunguhan.
kung gusto nating matiyak na di iuuwi ng mga taga dswd ang mga relief goods, sama mo tayo sa pag rerepack hanggang pagdadala nito sa mga nasalanta at pagpapamigay. sundan po natin hanggang makauwi ang mga evacuees kung me tulong pa ba mula sa dswd at kung talagang tutulungan ng dswd na makabangon ang mga nasalanta. kung may makita mo tayong naagrabyado sa pagsubaybay natin sa dswd. mag ingay po tayo uli. kasama na po nyo ko dun.
DSWD has been here for a long time now at sabi nga po ng frend ko dun inugatan na karamihan ng officials nila. di naman na po siguro matatawaran ang dami ng napagsilbihan ng dswd. wala nga lang silang sariling dyaryo tv o radio station para palaging ipagsabi ang nagagawa nila. sabi ko nga po kung gumagawa ng tama ang dswd natural lang yung trabaho nila yun eh. pero di naman po siguro fair na murahin sila bilang dswd.
sana po matapos na itong batuhan ng alegasyon at tarayan at sana po di naman matakot mag padala ng relief goods ang ibang gustong tumulong sa atin. pag nagkataon po tayo rin ang humukay sa paglilibingan sa atin. sabi nga po ng nabasa ko, we should expect more disasters, (manmade and natural) na mas mapamuksa pa dahil nga sa global warming. prayer has been and will always be effective. pero dapat po handa rin tayo.
@whitenight: lol sorry i dont have to work for anyone. im not as unfortunate and bitter as you. you dont know me so shut the f*#@ up. im not the topic of this blog. and i dont need to tell you about anything lalo na hindi naman tayo close diba? f*#@ off.
@anna: alam ko na maliit ang sweldo ng govt employees but it doesnt mean na they deserve to be treated as heroes. my point is, most government employees work for the government not because they want to serve the public.
@sweet: we’re not stupid. at hindi ako “nagfee feeling” I dont even owe you an explanation… pero nakakahiya naman sa mga kaibigan ko na nag”fee feeling” pag di kita sagutin.
Pumunta kami doon asking a tanod there on how can we help… ang sabi niya kahit anong donation daw needed especially food and clothes. hindi pa kami dumirecho sa evac. center noon. so bumalik kami with food and clothes pero mashado kaming konti para ma organize yng ganung kalaking crowd. akala kasi namin may group ng mga tanod doon or iba pang volunteers na pwede namin mapuntahan para mas maayos yung distribution. pero wala kaya naisip namin sa munisipyo kasi sabi nung isang traffic enforcer pwede daw kami pumunta sa DSWD sa munisipyo. So nadiscuss namin ng friends ko yun pero sabi nga ng mga tao sa nearby church doon na ang tagal daw or hindi dumadating ng mabilis yung mga relief goods sa kanila… and usually daw gabi lang dumadating ang mga volunteers na nagpapakain… minsan daw walang makain yung mga tao pag umaga and tanghali…kaya mas maganda daw direcho nalang doon. So we decided against going to the munisipyo. Our group went back the next morning with food ready to be served. At hindi lang namin isang beses ginawa yun kaya wag kang mag “feeling” jan. Hindi kami nagmamalaki sa ginawa namin. Pero we dont deserve people like you na maliitin yung konting naitulong namin.
Alam ko na yung “DSWD” na sa munisipyo ay hindi yung DSWD na na mention sa blog. I just dont trust government people as a whole. Im a taxpayer at madaming ibat ibang taxes akong binabayadan na im sure hindi mo alam … so I believe I deserve to have my own opinion sa gobyerno. I made a post here to air my disgust to the govt not to flame on other people who post here. So f%#@ off.
Read this –> http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=150926093457
So again I’m correct. Now the issue has died down. Cabral again is basking in glory and all’s right with the world. Ella is now the culprit as DSWD prepares a case against her that we all know will not prosper but such is the power of a cabinet secretary. This is classic living in the temporal world. Amen.
the imported goods will be distributed as christmas gifts to the DSWD employeess…..
I’ll be back in the Philippines next week, I’d like to know if DSWD will be needing volunteers still to pack?
changewithinus on Tue, 27th Oct 2009 9:51 am
Sharing this post from ellaganda – I understand that the case of Lito Manresa is being checked for verification as he did not state his complete address, and if the username he used is actually his real name.
Addendum: In retrospect
I will not deny that some commenters were also harsh in lambasting DSWD in sweeping generalizations in reaction to the photos but their comments were nothing compared to the viciousness of pro-Cabral lobbyists.
Some of my cool-headed supporters were pushed to the limit by the obscene attacks on my person resulting in low blows. The thread turned into insults, cursing and name calling. A civilized exchange of opinions became an impossibility. Like commenter Jessica kept on saying, focus on the issue at hand.
Nakikiramay po ako, Mr. Lito Manresa. I can’t begin to imagine the pain and frustration you and your family felt in those days that you were trapped by floodwaters. Alam ko pong mahirap tanggapin na ang kamatayang ng bawat isa sa atin ay kagustuhan ng Diyos.
Everything happens for a reason. But I truly believe this time, God’s reason is NOT for you to blame and hate Secretary Cabral. Kahit po magalit din kayo sa akin sasabin ko pa rin sa inyo, Mr. Manresa, hindi po niya ito kasalanan. Wala po siyang kinalaman.
Kung ‘yung mga letrato po ang naging dahilan ng galit ninyo sa kanya, dahil po doon, sasabihin kong I’m very sorry. I’m pulling them out.
@mytcz – again, it’s generalizing the government. i am only saying the dswd part. maybe you have not asked the dswd workers yet.
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.
@atty. abeto a. salcedo, jr. – LAWYER KA BA TALAGA? BA’T WALA KANG ALAM? HOY, KAYA BULOK ANG BANSA NATIN DAHIL SA MGA TULAD MO NA ABOGAGO! ALAMIN MO MUNA ANG SISTEMA NG RELIEF OPERATIONS. DI YAN MALL NA KAILANGAN MAUBOS PAG SALE!
@Atty.abeto a. salcedo, jr. WELL SAID SIR! Bravo, you are very right. Poor Philippines, it is governed by incompetent,dishonest, braindead leaders (to say the least).
@ellagandahan? & or ella panget: are you one of Cabral’s relatives or bone fetchers? (just asking). you are so irratated Darling, relax! don’t get stressed out.
@psychogoddess & mlq3- good job you two.!
Typhoons:
ONDOY
PEPENG
RAMIL
CABRAL (SIGNAL # 3) ENTIRE PHILIPPINES!
@ella panget. Naku itong si ella panget. ANG PANGIT MAG-SALITA. I do not know kung naintindihan nya ang mga salitang nyang FFFF WORDS. Hindi maganda yan, kapatid. Salitang kalye yan. Everytime na bina-banggit mo yan parang mo na ring sinabing IKAW AY LOWly. Basura nag ibig sabihin yan, meaning yung bunganga mo ay full of garbage (yun bang parang mga debris na nakakalat ngayun dyan sa Pateros at Tundo, ganun yun day or maybe Doy. MABUHAY TO ELLAGANDA. Ikaw ang nag-simula na mamulat ang mga mata ng Pinoy! More power to you. You GO GIRL!
HOY! mga-pro corrupt government officials lobbyist and supporters! bakit mas magaling pa kayo sa mga tao at foreign institutions na nag-donate? malinaw nman kung para saan ang ibinigay and it was not intended for stock-piling. and these entities are willing to donate again when the need arise. for any public officials, there is no excuse for inefficiency.
tama! hindi lang gobyerno ang dapat sisihin kundi mga tulad nyo na corrupt din ang pag-iisip. wag na kayong umasa pa na magkaroon ng pagbabago kung ayaw nyo ng may pumupuna sa mga irregularidad ng gobyerno. no wonder na maunahan pa ng vietnam ang pilipinas at maging ka-level ang bangladesh sa pag-asenso dahil sa mga tulad nyong corrupt.
@Point & Shoot – oh, i am just so passionate to state the facts….and point and shoot your pea-sized brain. please read more on topics you do not know about before you make any comments.
Nasaan na yung mga ang gagaling manggatong, at kung mag comment sa dswd kala mo ay tau tauhan nila. Halika kayo dito, puro kayo dakdak, yung DSWD warehouse ang daming volunteer sa UNicef konti lang, ha nasaan na yung 200 na na ang dumi ng bibig mag comment. Mag pakita kayo dito.
@pinoyexpat–such a loser. i bet you feel proud from being such a kiss-ass to foreigners. people like you are the reason why this country has not improved. when uncle sam says sit, you do it shoulders straight with tongue lolling out. good boy. LOL.
The bigger problem here is DSWD relying on volunteers. Considering there are a number of unemployed who are happy to work for minimum wage, DSWD should have no problem hiring workers. There were cash donations that should cover the payroll.
@bangungot ni ella(tuta ng corrupt), sad to say, i am not with uncle sam (do not speculate haha!)
well yes, we are law abiding global citizen. not like you assholes who litter the streets, pissed, spit and shit anywhere, who destrys the environment, bribed law enforcers and public officials, etc. only “dogs” do that. BAD DOG! LMAO!
and we filipinos outside the country are contributing a lot for the country’s economy. and what about you bangungot who just sit there? waiting for dole outs? you should die scumbags of the motherland! ng mabawasan naman mga pabigat sa pinas at umusad ang ekonomiya. haha!
@bangungot ni ella aka tuta ng corrupt at recipient ng foreign aid
and who are kissing foreigners’ asses anyway? hindi ba kayo na laging umaasa at nagkukumahog na humingi at tumanggap ng foreign aid? reality bites!
kung ako sayo, kesa maging pabigat ka sa bansang pilipinas eh tularan mo si EFREN PENAFLORIDA ng magkaroon ka naman ng silbi! at wag mong swapangin ang aid na para sa mga biktima ng kalamidad!
hindi po kawalan ng volunteers ang problema kundi ang hindi pagkilos ng DSWD para magkaroon ng volunteers ang ugat ng lahat.
at mukhang hindi talaga sila kikilos para hindi nga naman maubos ang mga libreng goods na yan (esp mga imported ones)..
may nagsabi nga sa blog ni ella, what we (to be specific, DSWD) need is to be PROACTIVE and not REACTIVE. puro sila palusot, hindi sila kumilos.
sandali lang magpa-advertise sa TV para magrequest ng volunteers. kahit magbigay na sila ng schedule para makasabay-sabay.. ewan ko lang kung hindi magmukhang may rally sa warehouses nila..
May schedule naman talaga ang mga volunteers para hindi nagkakagulo sa warehouse. Tingnan niyo ang website ng DSWD kaya para masagot ang mga tanong ninyo at hindi kayo nagsasabi kung ano-ano. Maraming impormasyon doon kung magbabasa lang kayo. Para naman kapag may sinasabi kayo, mukha naman kayong nagiisip at hindi lang nagaaksaya ng panahon ng mga nagbabasa ng comment dito.
Mayroong volunteers registration din doon at sana kayong lahat ay makisama at makitulong na lang imbes na salita lang ng salita. Nag-volunteer na ba kayo?
Ang kulit din ninyo sa imported goods na yan. Ang pinakita ni Ella sa kanyang mga kinuha na litrato na donasyong galing Spain ay RAM pork and beans na gawa dito sa Pilipinas. Pati UNICEF bumibili ng local para sa kanilang mga donasyon para makatulong sila sa ekonomiya natin.
hay naku… isipin nyo na lang eto … ang daming warehouses ng DSWD… kelan ginawa ‘to? kung noon p ibig sabihin ginawa nila ang mga ito para mag kasya ang foreign aids… t*ngna … since when pa foreign aids dumarating? bakit hindi ata ntutulungan ang mga nanganga-ilangan …
bago nyo ibuka bibig nyo, anong masama n i broadcast ang pagiging mabagal ng DSWD? kung ayus ang sistema nyo wala kayo (mga defensive) dapat ikatakot….
kung bakit ngaun.. ang may pakialam sa pilipinas sya ang kinakatay …