A Capitol executive has expressed his doubts on the explanation of the spokesman of the local government unit (LGU) of Ubay regarding allegations that the relief goods from the Provincial Government of Bohol were not properly distributed and were just stored at the local bus station.
Kevin Damalerio, Executive Assistant to Gov. Arthur Yap expressed doubts on the veracity of the explanation of Larry Evangelista, the municipal public information officer of LGU-Ubay, as reported in a local radio station.
Damalerio gave his reaction following the release of reports claiming that the LGU did not throw to the garbage bin any rice supply coming from the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh).
The issue stems from the exposè of Damalerio alleging that the rice supplies coming from the PGBh were just stored in the bus station and were not distributed to the typhoon victims.
It was further alleged that a certain “congressman” allegedly hindered the distribution of the relief goods.
Evangelista, in a report, denied the allegations that the LGU threw away or left the rice stocks from the PGBh to rot in a bus station.
Evangelista said there were some rice stocks that were, indeed, thrown to the trash. The disposed rice stocks were owned by a businessman who has a stall in the local public market, the spokesperson said.
The report also said that the businessman asked the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) to use the town government’s dump truck to dispose of the damaged rice stocks which got wet and which were no longer fit for consumption.
Evangelista also admitted that there are sacks of rice that got wet and these are stored at the town’s bus station.
These damaged rice stocks are from the town of Quezon in the province of Bukidnon and not from the PGBh, Evangelista explained.
Reports say the sacks of rice from Bukidnon were already wet when the LGU Ubay fetched the donated rice stocks upon the stocks’ arrival in Loay town.
As this developed, Damalerio said that with the claims of Evangelista, he sees a lot of inconsistency regarding the LGU official’s story and these inconsistencies make Damalerio wonder.
FLASHBACK
On Jan. 12, 2022, Damalerio alleged in his post that he found out the why some Ubay residents may have not received any food pack from the PGBh.
Damalerio posted photos and videos purportedly of relief goods coming from the PGBh which were just stored at the Ubay bus station.
“Natural nga mangita ang katawhan sa hinabang kay wala man diay
gidistribute sa LGU ang hinabang nga ilang nadawat gikan sa Kagamahanang Probinsyal.”
Damalerio’s Facebook post showed videos and pictures of relief food packs allegedly coming from the PGBh stored at the new bus terminal, which is owned by LGU-Ubay.
“Gitambak lang ang tanang hinabang didto sa usa ka pasilidad nga gipanag-iya sa LGU. Nabasa na sa ulan ang mga bugas ug ubang mga pagkaon kay ang ilang gibutangan, guba ang atop, ug mabasa sa ambi sa uwan. Walay rason nga dili madaut ang mga pagkaon nga unta kung gipanghatag pa sa katawhan, napuslan pa unta ug nakabusog
sa gakutoy nga tiyan”, Damalerio said.
Furthermore, Damalerio expounded the details of his findings. He quipped, “Nangutana ko sa palibot; diha koy gibisita nga kapitan ug personal nakong gipangutana kung unsa gyud ang nahitabo. Matud niya, gisultihan kuno sila ni Congressman nga dili ipadawat ug ipanghatag ang hinabang gikan sa administrasyon ni Art Yap ug Rene Relampagos aron masuko ang tawo sa duha ka opisyal ug aron makapalakaw sila ug storya nga walay gitabang ang Kagamhanan Probinsyal ngadto sa taga Ubay. Si Congressman pud kuno ang nagpakatap ug storya sa Ubay nga si Gov. Art Yap kuno ang nagbabag aron dili maka-adto si Pres. Duterte sa Ubay. Dugang pa ni Congressman, mao daw walay tabang gikan sa national government tungod kay si Gov. Art Yap kuno ang nagsulti ngadto kang Presidente nga ‘Okay ra’ ang Bohol. Pagkatoytoy ani ni
Congressman!”
Damalerio also revealed his conversation with a barangay chairperson whom he did not name in his post. Damalerio wrote, “Nidugang pa si Kapitan sa pag-ingon, “Pagkakita niya nako sir, kay kahibaw man siya nga wala pako mocommit sa pagsuporta niya, gi-insulto ko sa atubangan sa akong mga kauban. Gi-ingnan ko ni Congressman nga,
‘Nganong naa man dinhi? Bawal ang traydor diri.’…. sa tanang nitambong sir, ako ray wala hatagi ni Congressman ug tabang pinansyal.”
Damalerio did not mention the name of the “congressman” but Cong. Erico Aristotle Aumentado reacted to the accusations. Aumentado even threatened Damalerio that the former will bring the latter to court.
Damalerio remained unfazed despite the threat of legal action to be filed by Aumentado against him.
Aumentado went on air to deny Damalerio’s accusation saying he did not prevent anyone from distributing relief goods from the PGBh.
He said that the rice stocks that were wet were from the province of Bukidnon and arrived here around Dec. 18 or 19, 2021, and already wet and damaged.
Aumentado said, “Una sa tanan ako lang klaruhon ang isturya ni Kevin Damalerio; kanang iyang gi post nga video nga naay daghang stock nga mga relief goods, iyaha ng gikuha, ilaha ng gi videohan niadto pang Dec. 18 or 19 [2021] kon wa ko masayop. Ngano pod nga moingon man kuno pod ko kunohay ug dili ipadawat, nga kitang tanan nanginahanglan
ug tabang. Kitang tanan nanginahanglan ug suporta unya ato pa jud binuangan? Magbinuang pa ta anang dapita? Ang tinuod mga kaigsuonan, kanang ilang gipalakaw nga naay bugas nga gipanglabog kuno, matud sa taga LGU Ubay, hinatag kana sa Province of Bukidnon, pag-abot didto sa lungsod sa Ubay, basa na na. So laktud nga
pagka-estorya, ti-aw bay ihatag ug tiwas sa mga katawhan nga nadaut naman. So mao na nga gihiklin didto sa kilid”.
The second district solon further said, “Kanang bugas nga gikan sa Bukidnon nahatod ni siya ug kadtong mga in-charge sa Ubay terminal nga mao gyu’y nagpahiluna sa mga repacks niingon, pag-abot ana dinhi sa Bohol basa na na. Unya gihatud sa lungsod sa Ubay basa na gyud kaayo ang 18 ka sako. Unsaon kuno nila nga basa naman? So nadaut ang maong bugas gikan sa Province of Bukidnon.”
However, Aumentado recanted his statement when he was asked about the veracity of the information as to the exact date of arrival of the bags of rice from the Province of Bukidnon.
At the onset of his interview, he claimed that the bags of rice were already there on Dec. 18, 2021, when Damalerio’s team allegedly visited the bus terminal owned by LGU Ubay.
Typhoon Odette battered Bohol on Dec. 16, 2021 and Aumentado claimed that the Province of Bukidnon had already sent relief food packs and bags of rice to Ubay on Dec. 18, 2021.
The arrival of the rice stocks at a short span of time from the day the typhoon wreaked havoc in Bohol was questioned by Damalerio.
A week after the post appeared, Damalerio confided to The Bohol Tribune that there was no denial coming from the LGU-Ubay or even Aumentado, on the fact that there was negligence for storing the relief goods at the bus terminal, a place which is not suited for storage of the rice stocks as shown in the Capitol executive’s video.
Moreover, there was no denial, either, coming from the LGU or from Aumentado regarding the contents of the video, uploaded by Danalerio, which were clearly taken in Ubay town, the Executive Assistant
added.
The Capitol official also asserted that Aumentado himself revealed in an interview that there were rice stocks thrown away because they got wet upon arrival in Bohol and these were no longer fit for human consumption.
In this regard, Damalerio presented several questions regarding the alleged undistributed rice packs in Ubay from the PGBh.
He asked why the LGU-Ubay cannot pinpoint which barangays in the town have received the relief goods from the PGBh.
The Capitol executive also asked why it took LGU-Ubay three (3) weeks before it could distribute the relief goods coming from the PGBh.
“Why were the relief goods given to beneficiaries only after the video was posted online?” Damalerio asked.
Damalerio also asked: “When did the relief goods reach the barangays? The foodpacks [when these reached the barangays], contained only 4 pieces of canned good instead of eight pieces,” Damalerio bared.
He also asked why the rice from the PGBh allegedly got wet and were no longer fit to be consumed.
As for the incident involving the businessman who disposed of his rice stocks that got wet, Damalerio is asking: “Nabasa daw pud kuno [ang bugas] sa bagyo. If that’s true nganong dili man sinako ang bugas nga gilabay. Nganong gisulod man sa cellophane nga murag ni-repack sama
sa gihatag sa PGBh?”
He added: “In short, katuohan ba ang ilang explanation? Para nako, dili. Lahi lahi man ilang version. So unsa man jud ang tinuod? Nganong dili man nila ipagawas ang listahan sa beneficiaries aron ato na lang ipaverify?”
Damalario “Dawata ang akong hagit nga ipagawas ang listahan aron maklaro,” Damalerio said.
PROBE CONTINUES
Yap revealed during the regular virtual press conference on Jan 21, 2022 that the probe continues on the allegations that the relief goods coming from the PGBh were stored at the bus station and were not distributed to the intended beneficiaries, who are the typhoon victims of the town.
Yap said that he has tasked Provincial Administrator Kathyrin Pioquinto and Provincial Legal Officer Julius Delgado to coordinate with the Commission on Audit for an accounting of the relief goods
provided by the PGBh to Ubay.
