Governor accuses Opol mayor of driving relief workers away

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

MISAMIS Oriental Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano ordered the capitol’s relief operations team to move out from Opol on Wednesday night, claiming that the town’s mayor stopped them from helping fire victims, and has allegedly driven them away. But Opol Mayor Maximino Seno said the capitol claims were distortion of facts because all he did was to remind Emano that the provincial government should not work on its own and would need to coordinate its relief work with the town government. He said this is provided for under Republic Act 10121, otherwise known as the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act. Emano yesterday said he decided to pull out the capitol team that was sent to provide relief aid to the victims of Tuesday night’s Luyong Bonbon fire to avoid a clash with Seno.

The fire destroyed over 80 residential structures and left over 150 families homeless. “Gipapahawa man kami ni Mayor Seno, so wala man kami mahimo kay dili man away ang atong toyo, ang pagtabang man lang unta ang atong tumong alang mga fire victims,” said Emano.

Fernando Dy Jr., chief of the capitol’s disaster reduction and management office, said he received a copy of Seno’s letter at around 6 pm Wednesday, and the capitol relief workers pulled out from Luyong Bonbon two hours later.

Dy said the capitol sent relief workers to the village  because Gov. Emano was asked by Luyong Bonbon barangay chairman Ronald Alfeche to provide relief aid. Emano accused Seno of allowing partisan politics to get in the way at the expense of the fire victims. He said Seno has allowed the group of his political enemy, Misamis Oriental 2nd district Rep. Juliette Uy, to erect a tent at the evacuation center in order to provide relief assistance.

But Seno said Uy’s group has been coordinating with him and is operating under the town government’s command center, and the relief goods were properly documented by his office as provided for by law. In contrast, he said, the capitol group has been doing its relief work outside Opol town’s command center.

Seno denied that he drove the capitol relief workers away. He said he merely asked the capitol to coordinate with him. The mayor said Emano and the capitol team can help if they really wanted to by carrying out their relief work in line with the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act.

Seno said the law clearly states that relief goods intended for disaster victims should be properly documented by the office of the local chief executive for purposes of accounting. He said the same law mandates the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, through the mayor, to be responsible for the overall supervision and integration of disaster management operations.

Seno said the same law also provides that all relief goods intended for disaster victims coming from public and private groups should be coursed through the town government for proper documentation.

He said he merely reminded the governor about the need to follow the law in a Sept. 2 letter sent through provincial welfare and development officer Emelia Andea.

Seno said there should only be one command center and all groups with relief goods should operate under it in order to ensure systematic operations.

“Is coordination such a difficult thing to do for any group that sincerely wishes to help?” asked Seno rhetorically. “They were not asked to leave, they were merely asked to coordinate.”