CLARK FREEPORT – Amid accidents and even deaths in bids for survival in typhoon devastated parts of Visayas, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) urged yesterday the National Food Authority (NFA) to distribute free all its rice stocks to the victims.
This amid reports received by KMP that local government units in the typhoon-hit areas are being told to sign promissory notes for later payments for rice to be released to them. Another group also urged the government to “return coco levy funds to Eastern, Western Visayas coco farmers.”
“The NFA should distribute all the rice in its warehouses to victims of super Typhoon Yolanda to prevent accidents and even deaths,” the KMP said.
The KMP noted recent reports said that eight survivors died when a wall collapsed as “hundreds” of people stormed the NFA Tacloban warehouse for rice stocks there. The KMP also noted Agriculture Sec. Proceso Alcala as having disclosed recently that some three million sacks of rice had been prepositioned in areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda.
The KMP said that “the survivors’ desperation was worsened by the Aquino government’s bureaucratic, sluggish, unorganized, and inept response to the calamity.”
“Instead of distributing the NFA rice for free to the victims, Alcala’s ‘promissory note signing’ with local government units not only slows down the process of distribution but shows the Aquino government’s insensitivity ,” said KMP Chairperson Rafael Mariano.
“What’s happening in Leyte is not looting. It’s a clear demonstration of the peoples struggle for survival in the face of the Aquino government’s incompetence and failure to provide immediate relief to the victims and survivors,” Mariano said.
Mariano noted: “It’s been a week since the super Typhoon Yolanda and the victims continue to suffer from hunger. Tagabilang na lang ng patay at survivors ang gobyernong Aquino.” For his part, Willy Marbella, national coordinator of the claimants’ movement Coco Levy Funds Ibalik sa Amin (Claim), called on the Aquino government to immediately return the coco levy funds to small coconut farmers in Eastern and Western Visayas.
“In the face of super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’s’ devastation, it has become more urgent for Aquino to immediately return the small coconut farmers’ money especially to small coconut farmers in the typhoon-hit provinces of Leyte, Samar, Aklan and Capiz provinces,” Marbella said.
He said small coconut farmers in these provinces are among the biggest contributors of the coco levy funds.
Claim also said that last October 30, the Bureau of Treasury said the P56.5 billion coco levy funds remitted by the Presidential Commission on Good Government in October last year earned P 59.9 million in interests from July to September 2013.
“We demand the Aquino government to explain where are the coco funds’ interests from October 2012 to June 2013,” Marbella said.
The KMP is also spearheading Oplan Sagip Kanayunan, a relief and rehabilitation campaign for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda.
Oplan Sagip Kanayunan also includes the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, Sining na Naglilingkod sa Bayan, Sentro para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo, National Network for Agrarian Reform Advocates-Youth, Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas, AMIHAN (National Federation of Peasant Women), Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura,Tinig ng Silangan Party Alliance Alumni Association and Anakpawis Partylist.
