TACLOBAN CITY - Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman defended Thursday the slow arrival of relief goods to typhoon-ravaged areas in the Visayas.
Speaking to ABS-CBN News, Soliman said the first three days after the onslaught of "Yolanda" were the most difficult because the roads were still blocked and the transport of goods was difficult.
She said more trucks have been provided to bring relief goods to typhoon-hit areas and remove dead bodies from areas such as Tacloban City.
The social welfare chief said that as of Wednesday, the government has distributed 66,541 food packs in Tacloban which is more than the 45,000 families in the city.
"Palagay ko yung mga nakakausap ko yung mga interviewers lalo na dito sa Tacloban yung kanila pong pakiramdam na walapang natanggap, maaaring nakatanggap at hindi sapat kasi ang nangyari sa kanila ay matinding trauma at hindi po sapat hanggat hindi magkaroon ng kaunting normalcy ang buhay nila. Ito ang sinisikap naming magawa sa paglilinis at pagsasaayos ng lugar," she told ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda.
Soliman said that during the first three days, distribution of relief goods in Tacloban was done at the plaza and at the airport.
She said they shifted operations to bring the goods by barangay so that people will not have walk to the distribution centers. She said the government has been able to cover 60 out of 138 barangays affected by the typhoon.
"Yung palagay ko na hindi namin napuntahan na barangay ay yung maliliit," she said.
She said the government has put up distribution hubs in Guiuan, Eastern Samar and Ormoc.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
