PNoy says govt response to disasters needs improvement

President Benigno Aquino III on Monday said government response on disasters needs to be improved even as he expressed satisfaction with the performance of concerned agencies in the wake of typhoons Pedring and Quiel. “Ang laki ng difference ng preparedness ng atin pong gobyerno. Pero like anything made by man ay pwede namang ma-improve so we are looking for ways and means to improve it," Aquino said at a press briefing. He said one of the improvements could be on the way the government entices residents to leave their homes and go to the evacuation center during typhoons. “Syempre may cooperation rin naman sana doon sa ating publikong pinaglilingkuran na, ‘di ba, ma-improve natin kailangan [ma-inform] sila, [mabantayan] ang kanilang mga tahanan," Aquino said. Disaster officials said most of the residents affected by floods or disasters refuse to leave their houses for fear of looting. “Hahanapan natin ng [paraan para] matugunan lahat ito, ‘yung pangangailangan ng mga lilikas, at siguro naman mabawasan naman ‘yung peligrong dinadaanan ng mga nagre-rescue is among the things that will be improved," the President said. Fifty-five people were killed while 65 were injured due to Typhoon Pedring, based on the latest report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council. Twenty-eight people were still missing as of Monday. The NDRRMC said Pedring, which hit Luzon last Tuesday, affected 569,304 families or 2,667,348 people in 3,161 villages in 294 towns and 41 cities in 34 provinces. Of these, 35,705 families or 164,656 people are being served in 492 evacuation centers. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News