Aquino visits typhoon-hit areas

Manila: President Benigno Aquino finally made a trip to the submerged areas of Bulacan, Tarlac and Pampanga provinces in northern Luzon yesterday, after coming under criticism for not visiting areas devastated by typhoons Naset and Nalgae last week.

"We want to thank him for his visit and his efforts. We want to tell him many things, but he has no time for us," Marian Aguilar, an evacuee at the United Pulp and Paper Corporation in flooded Calumpit, Bulacan, told GMA TV.

Aquino left after shaking hands with some of the 170 evacuees for two to three minutes, the TV report said.

The president surveyed the flooded Calumpit town (in Bulacan) where residents have to pay 20 pesos (Dh1.66) for a 100-metre distance boat ride. He also met regional disaster officials in Malolos, Bulacan.

Earlier in the morning, Aquino visited Taralc, his hometown, which has been devastated by the typhoons.

He held a brief meeting with La Paz mayor Michael Manuel and Tarlac governor Victor Yap, who reported that 31,000 families were affected in Tarlac's two villages alone and that the damage to agriculture and infrastructure has reached 300 million pesos (Dh25 million).

Inspection

Aquino also inspected the damaged Rio Chico bridge which connects La Paz, Tarlac and Zaragoza, Pampanga. He also visited Pampanga, the hometown of his arch-rival, former president Gloria Arroyo.

Highlighting his administration's response to disaster and responding to critics who have been whip-lashing him for being absent from hard-hit areas after the storms, Aquino said, "There has been a drop in the number of deaths [from the two typhoons last week] — more than 50 compared to 500 people who died when typhoon Ketsana hit the country in September 2009, when Arroyo was in power. "So [based on that data], which administration was late [in responding to the disaster]?" he said, adding,

"My only hope was that no one died from typhoons Naset and Nalgae, but we are now working with cooperation of people [to avoid deaths and injuries during disasters]."

Defending the president, spokesman Edwin Lacierda said: "The president went to the devastated places to find out about the price for the rehabilitation of the hard-hit areas, to find out if the proposed budget [for 2012] has to be re-programmed and to know the amount required for loans to rehabilitate damaged areas."

"Right now, the government has enough calamity funds," said Lacierda, but did not give details.