MANILA, Philippines – Justice Sec. Raul Gonzalez on Monday said flooding brought by typhoon "Frank" was the worst experienced in Iloilo province in recent years.
In an interview on dzBB radio, Gonzalez said he was among Iloilo residents who were "trapped" in their houses during flash floods brought by the typhoon.
Gonzalez said last weekend’s flooding was the worst that ever occurred in the province, adding the destruction was comparable to that caused in Pinatubo in Central Luzon in 1991.
"I was stranded in my house for 48 hours… It was the worst flooding that ever occurred. Ito maka-compare ito sa Pinatubo … insofar as devastation is concerned (This can compare to the Pinatubo incident insofar as devastation is concerned)," Gonzalez said.
The DOPJ chief said he was surprised that the water rose so quickly, adding the flooding could have been a combination of the monsoon, high tide and heavy rains.
Gonzalez said that 100 meters away, the floods destroyed some 180,000 bags of rice at the nearby National Food Authority (NFA) facility.
"Giniba ng tubig ang pader, murky water yan (The floodwaters broke through the walls. The rice was destroyed because of the murky water)," Gonzalez said.
He said the most important thing Iloilo residents need now is water, since the local water district had cut off their supply.
"Pinapa-service sa fire department pero ang worry ng fire department sa potability. Nag-iwan ako sa evacuation center ng kaunting pera (The fire department is trying to fill the need for water but the problem is that the water is not potable. I left some money to the evacuation centers to see to the needs of the evacuees)," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez also said Iloilo remains without electricity and said bakeries could not produce bread for residents due to the power outage. He said that in one evacuation center, workers could only give out biscuits.
Worse, Gonzalez said many children had to sleep on cement floors and were looking for cartons as beddings.
Gonzalez said he has left instructions to local authorities to set up soup kitchens in the city plaza and give arrozcaldo to residents.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez said he rice hoarding was prevalent in Iloilo City over the weekend, and said he has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to crack down on hoarders in the area.
Gonzalez said he learned of the hoarding from families in evacuation centers, who told him that bags of rice worth P1,800 were being sold for as much as P2,200.
"Nagrereklamo ang tao ng bigas kung may available na bigas P2,200 per bag, which is already profiteering. So I ordered the NBI, arestuhin ang mga ganyan (Residents were complaining that bags of rice were sold at P2,200 per bag. That is already profiteering. So I ordered the
NBI to arrest the hoarders)," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez, however, admitted these are just "small fry," and that there may be bigger hoarders taking advantage of the situation. He said he ordered the NBI to also snoop around and check on the extent of hoarding and profiteering in the province.
"Worried ako these are the small ones. Survey ko muna ang extent ng hoarding and profiteering (I am worried that these are just the small ones. I ordered the NBI to conduct a survey the extent of hoarding and profiteering)," Gonzalez said.
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