The Philippine Online Chronicles

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has responded to the recent internet blog post regarding the department’s alleged hoarding of relief goods intended for typhoon victims.

Ella’s blog

A blog and photo post titled "Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo" by an alleged DSWD volunteer has circulated in the internet saying that relief goods coming from the United Nations and other countries are not moving in the DSWD warehouse .

The website, www.ellaganda.com was reportedly removed Friday, October 23, 2009, but has returned online as of posting time.

Ella, the owner of the blog, said that she came to the DSWD warehouse to volunteer. She said that the warehouse was almost empty, with relief goods reaching the roof guarded by only one DSWD employee and a security guard. She also stressed that that the relief goods "were not moving," and they were not allowed to pack some imported items. She said that a total of 150 relief goods were packed that day.

The post read:

Dear friends,

I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos.

Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mga nag-donate. Kung sa ganitong paraan, matutulungan natin ang mga nasalanta, then by all means, let’s do it.

For those who have the time, please try to volunteer sa DSWD warehouses. Getting in was not easy. A friend had to put in a word for us. Let’s see kung madali nang makapasok sa DSWD warehouse ang mga volunteers.

Cabral denies allegations

DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral denied the allegations, saying that she has no idea where the rumor is coming from.

"There are no rotting relief goods in our warehouses as we do not keep perishables there and the relief goods that are there, save for the donated old clothes are quite new since they have been either recently purchased by us or have been just donated," her official statement said.

Cabral explained that required inventory of the piles of boxes “takes two to three hours to do.” She added that the stocks would be donated to the typhoon Ramil victims in case it triggers another disaster in the country.

"Over the past 24 days, we have already given out 500,000 family food packs, 300,000 clothing packs and several non-food items like mosquito nets, blankets and water containers. We are now distributing 10,000 packs a day," Cabral told GMANews.TV.

She said that the department requires a calibrated release of goods, and they make sure they first distribute the relief goods to the areas that need it most. Before the goods are released, officials reportedly assess how much goods are needed per affected area. “Just because the warehouse is full does not mean there is hoarding,” she told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

GMANews.TV reported that Cabral invites the media to visit the DSWD warehouse in Pasay City if needed.

Cabral’s complete statement could be found on the DSWD website.

Ellas blog post after Cabral’s statement

Ella stated in her recent blog entry dated October 24, 2009 that she does not appreciate the sensationalism of her use of the term “rotting.” She stressed that her use of the term means “stationary, not showing any progress” instead of its literal translation.

She also addressed the people doubting her allegations by saying, “I was there in the warehouse. I presented the pictures. I think I’ve done my part as a concerned citizen.”

She ends her entry by giving a message to the DSWD and Cabral:

“The burden of proof is on you. The donors expect that everything they sent be distributed immediately to the intended recipients and not be stored in some warehouse. As government officials, it is your social responsibility to the people.”

Cabral calls Rocked

Meanwhile, Gang Badoy of RockEd Philippines said that she has talked with Cabral regarding ways on how people could help with the DSWD relief operations.

"Sec. Cabral and I talked and she mentioned that the DSWD is open 24 hours for workshifts so she agreed for us (private citizens via our NGO: Rock Ed Philippines) to try to come up with a shift-coordination-list of, at least, 50 volunteers per day - for Monday to Friday - 3pm-11pm," wrote Badoy.

Badoy said that she will report the responses to Cabral on Monday, October 26.

Instructions on how to participate could be found in gangbadoy.multiply.com. A map to the DSWD warehouse in Pasay City has also been provided.

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