Set aside politics in post-Nina relief efforts, Robredo says

Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday said she hoped politics would take a backseat to better coordinate relief and rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath calamities like Typhoon Nina.

Robredo, who returned from a family trip in the United States a few days ago, is in Bicol for a series of visits after the typhoon. She received criticisms after she found herself on vacation at the height of the storm that hit her home region Bicol.

She first went on Tuesday to the towns of Ocampo and Pili in Camarines Sur, where she noted the sentiment of barangay officials that relief assistance seemed to be taking long to reach them.

"Iyong sa akin kasi, mas maganda kung i-coordinate sana lahat ng efforts, itabi na muna iyong mga pulitika. Iyong lahat na tumutulong na pribado, iyong nais tumulong makipag-coordinate sa gobyerno, ganoon naman ginagawa natin," Robredo said in an interview in Tiwi, Albay.

Robredo apparently made the remarks before presidential spokesman Secretary Ernesto Abella said Robredo may have been playing politics when she said the government's relief efforts in the typhoon-stricken areas were slow.

"Kino-coordinate natin na isahan lang, isa lang kausap natin. Hindi tayo namimigay diretso sa tao, iyong relief na pinapamigay binibigay sa LGU para mas maayos iyong pamimigay, kasi kung magsasarili na nauulit iyong iba, na iyong iba hindi makakatanggap nandiyan," Robredo said.

"Sa akin lang, sa panahon ng sakuna, sana isantabi muna natin iyong hindi natin pinagkakaintindihan sa pulitika. Magkaisa para iyon iyong pinakamadaling tulong sa mga nasakuna," she added.

Asked if she had an appeal to President Rodrigo Duterte on the matter, Robredo said that he already visited Bicol after "Nina" hit the region.

She acknowledged that Duterte had directed national government agencies to work on the responding to typhoon-stricken areas. She again expressed her willingness to help in the efforts.

"Actually galing na siya dito. Mayroon na din directive sa mga national government offices pero iyong sa akin lang sana magtulung-tulungan kami," Robredo said.

For her part, she said she asked local officials in areas she has visited so far to provide her with copies of their requests, so she can help bring them before government agencies in Manila.

Robredo earlier said her visit was meant to assess how to give "sustainable" assistance to the areas, notably on shelter and agriculture needs.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Wednesday said local government units are responsible for the distribution of relief good to affected residents, noting that it has distributed food packs before and after the typhoon. —NB, GMA News