UNA BATS FOR TOP-LEVEL CRISIS GROUP TO HANDLE LOOMING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN AREAS HIT BY ‘PABLO’

PRESS The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) today proposed a top-level crisis management team made up of Cabinet Secretaries to address what it described as a “looming humanitarian crisis” in areas badly hit by typhoon Pablo. Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, UNA Secretary General, said the administration’s response should at least be on the same level as when it conducted a full search for the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo. “Given the rising death toll, the extent of damages, and the looming humanitarian crisis, we see no reason why the administration cannot designate a Cabinet Secretary or a team of Cabinet Secretaries to be on the ground to direct government efforts,” Tiangco said. “The administration did this during search for the late Secretary Robredo and there is all the more reason to do it now,” he added. Tiangco noted that during the search for Robredo, Cabinet secretaries were on top of the situation, and government agencies and resources were tapped to the fullest. “The administration has shown what it can do when it musters its resources, personnel and attention as was the case during the search for the late Secretary. We hope the administration will do this again, since the situation in Mindanao involves thousands of Filipinos,” he said. Tiangco said the survivors have been complaining about the lack of food and other basic needs, a week after the typhoon. There is also the need to clear the areas of debris and restore basic utilities like power and water. “There is a perception that government response has not been very effective. This needs to be addressed immediately,” he said