‘Buying, selling of relief goods punishable by imprisonment’

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has reiterated that selling and buying for consumption or resale of the department’s family food packs and other relief supplies that are intended for distribution to disaster victims is prohibited under Republic Act No. 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.

“The DSWD does not tolerate and strongly condemns the selling and buying of the Department’s relief goods. We would like to inform the public that those who commit such acts will be held liable and will be penalized under the law,” DSWD Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel A. Leyco said as he responded to reports that the Department’s relief goods were seen being delivered and sold in a sari-sari store in Iligan City.

Section 19 of RA10121 prohibits the selling of relief goods, equipment, or other aid commodities intended for distribution to disaster victims. It also prohibits buying, either for consumption or resale, of relief supplies both from disaster relief agencies and from the recipient disaster-affected persons.

Other prohibited acts include preventing the entry and distribution of relief goods in disaster-stricken areas; diverting or misdelivery of relief goods; forcibly seizing of the goods intended for a specific group of victims or relief agency; and,  accepting, possessing, using or disposing of relief supplies not intended for nor consigned to a person.

The prohibited acts further include misrepresenting the source of relief goods either by covering or replacing the labels, repacking the goods into containers with different markings, or by making a false verbal claim that the goods came from another agency or persons; and, substituting or replacing relief goods, equipment or other aid commodities with the same items of inferior or cheaper quality. (dswd x)