140 trucks with relief goods head for storm-prone areas in Luzon

Some 140 trucks left for several storm-prone areas in Northern, Central and Southern Luzon, and the Bicol Region Thursday to pre-position relief goods in areas that Typhoon "Santi" (Mirinea) may affect. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Esperanza Cabral said the trucks are loaded with relief items from various government agencies. “Mga 140 trucks ng relief goods ang pinalabas natin at ng ibang ahensya ng gobyerno para sa mga nasalanta at para dun sa maaaring maapektuhan ng susunod na bagyo (We sent out 140 trucks of relief goods to areas hit by recent storms and those that may be hit by the coming storm)," Cabral said in an interview on dzXL radio. She referred to areas hit by tropical cyclones “Ondoy" (Ketsana) and “Pepeng" (Parma), as well as areas that may be affected by Typhoon Santi. Cabral said the trucks will head for Central and Southern Luzon, as well as the Bicol Region, to pre-position relief items in time for the coming of Santi, which entered Philippine territory Wednesday night. The other trucks will head for Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Cordillera for the ongoing relief work there. Earlier, a report by dzBB radio’s Manny Vargas said that at least 70 trucks left Pasay City for Southern Luzon and Bicol early Thursday to pre-position relief goods. The destinations included Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Catanduanes in Bicol; and Quezon, Batangas, Laguna and Cavite in Southern Luzon. No 'rotting' relief goods Relief items carried by the trucks included rice, canned goods, noodles, water, bedding, clothes, and shoes. On Tuesday, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the DSWD to pre-position relief goods to areas that may be hit by Santi. Mrs. Arroyo gave the order during a Cabinet and National Disaster Coordinating Council meeting in Pampanga. Cabral said the government has enough relief goods, including donations stemming from the United Nations World Food Programme’s flash appeal for help for victims of Ondoy and Pepeng. Meanwhile, Cabral laughed off a militant group’s claim that it found “rotting" relief goods at a DSWD warehouse in Quezon City. She said the DSWD has an office, but not a warehouse in the Batasan Complex in Quezon City. “Yan ang opisina namin... Walang katotohanan yan, panay kasinungalingan yan (The facility in Quezon City is our office, not a warehouse. So that claim is baseless)," she said. - GMANews.TV