Palace to critics: Stop politicking in times of calamity

Malacañang on Wednesday urged its critics to set politics aside as the nation struggles to recover from the havoc caused in succession by tropical storm “Ondoy" and typhoon “Pepeng." Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita made the statement in answer to fears aired by some senators that the decision to place the entire country under a state of calamity could be exploited by unscrupulous local officials to siphon funds into their campaign kitty for the 2010 elections. "We have to give assumption of regularity in the handling of this one and we could only suggest we should not inject politics here. It should not be done that way," Ermita said in a press briefing. Critics said the inclusion of provinces and cities in the presidential declaration even though they were not affected by storms was suspicious. [See: Lawmakers question P10-B calamity fund] Ermita explained that unaffected areas were included because the government did not want a repeat of tropical storm “Ondoy," where most local government officials were unprepared in responding to the disaster. He added that through the state of national calamity, the government safeguarded the public from problems such as hoarding. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo placed the country under the state of national calamity last week to allow the LGUs to easily tap their five percent emergency funds and the Trade Department to enforce price ceilings while addressing the effects of “Ondoy" and as part of preparation against “Pepeng." [See: State of calamity declared nationwide due to 'Pepeng'] Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo earlier told GMANews.TV that unaffected areas were included as they were encouraged to assist poor affected cities by means of donation. Ermita assured that the money is "properly handled" by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and the LGUs. He also said that the Commission on Audit (COA) "is very much on the ground to make sure (the) expenses are proper." Ermita likewise allayed fears that the declaration would be prolonged even in areas that were not hit by storms. He said the government is already mulling on lifting the declaration particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao. He said they are just waiting for NDCC chair and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. to submit his recommendation to the President. - GMANews.TV