Disgruntled DSWD Volunteer Speaks Out

This was sent to me via email. I heard this was already responded to in the newspapers by the local DSWD officials. To be honest, I do not agree that this was the best way to go about relaying her dissatisfaction with how the donations were handled but I guess sometimes people just have to speak out.

I doubt a strong reaction would have come out if she hadn't posted it this way and it hadn't spread like wild fire online.

REPOSTING FROM: http://jenniepperson.com

According to Blog Ni Ella, these goods have not been distributed to the
typhoon survivors. WHY?
Ella wrote on her (now blocked) blog: (her blog was ellaganda.com and it
is now blocked)
Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo? (A special report from a
volunteer)
Oct 21st, 2009 by ella
Dear friends,
I?m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat
ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you
can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can
link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email
the photos.



Philippine News ( US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front
page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons
of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mga
nag-donate. Kung sa ganitong paraan, matutulungan natin ang mga nasalanta,
then by all means, let?s do it.
For those who have the time, please try to volunteer sa DSWD warehouses.
Getting in was not easy. A friend had to put in a word for us. Let?s see
kung madali nang makapasok sa DSWD warehouse ang mga volunteers.
Please read on and good luck to us.
Ella
(This post was last edited Oct 22, 12:30 pm )
Kahapon, tinanong ng Philippine News si DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral:
Editor of Philippine News: Why are the relief goods in DSWD warehouses not
moving?
DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral: Wala kasing volunteers.
This short interview was done over the phone. Philippine News wanted to
hear her side pero ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa press. After four tries,
pinasabi na lang niya ang maikling sagot na ito sa secretary niya -
?Walang volunteers?.
I don?t want to accuse her of corruption but at the very least she is
showing signs of being totally incompetent. We are in a state of calamity
where every second counts. May namamatay araw-araw dahil sa sakit.
In my opinion, these deaths could have been prevented if Secretary Cabral
had tried a little harder to do her job.



Deaths from Philippine storms nears 1,000
?Tropical Storm Ketsana left 420 dead and 37 missing when it flooded 80
percent of Manila on September 26, a disaster the government said affected
4.35 million people.
Some areas are still flooded three weeks later and 189,000 people remain
in evacuation centres,
Typhoon Parma hit the northern Philippines on October 3 and lingered as a
tropical storm for a week, triggering landslides that killed 438 people
and leaving 51 missing mostly in mountain communities.
The government agency said Parma affected 4.16 million people, including
more than 32,000 who remain at evacuation centres.?
During the first week after the storm, lumabas ang ?bayanihan spirit? ng
mga Pinoy. ?Makatulong lang kahi?t konti,? katwiran nila.
kung walang volunteers, ano ?to, komiks?
From Stella Arnaldo?s blog:
?At the offices of many civic groups and private organizations, hundreds
of people showed up to volunteer in packing relief goods.
At the Tulong Bayan center at the Expo Centro in Cubao, Most of the
volunteers were adolescents as young as 10 years old, along with their
kuya or ate in high school and college.
They came in huge numbers, many of them barkadas, classmates or siblings,
dressed just in their tees and shorts, wearing their Havaianas. All were
just enthusiastic to do their share!
Photos by Leah Navarro




GMA asked world for donations
Our government begged the world for more donations. Sumagot ang buong
mundo sa ating panawagan. In less than three weeks, dumaong ang mga barko,
ibinaba mula sa mga cargo planes, i-diniliver ng mga trak at container
vans ang sandamakmak na relief goods. Cash donations were in the millions
of dollars.
But these donations must be coursed through DSWD
Nagpalabas ng directive ang pangulo. Individuals, private companies and
other nations were ENCOURAGED to send their donations to DSWD. I blogged
about it here and the video of her announcement here.
This PGMA directive sounded suspicious to me then. Now I know why. Here?s
the story.
A group of eight people, your ate Ella included, went to one of DSWD
warehouses to help in repacking relief goods. We know they need volunteers
pero hindi namin akalaing WALANG TAO TALAGA SA LOOB NG WAREHOUSE!
As in sa isang humongous warehouse (1000++ sq.m) NA PUNONG-PUNO NG RELIEF
GOODS HANGGANG BUBONG, ISANG DSWD employee lang at ISANG SECURITY GUARD
ang tao!!
Kailangang magpa-register at i-schedule ang volunteering

1) UNICEF Registration (as a volunteer)
The warehouse can only take as much as 50 volunteers at a time or per
shift. Here you will find that there is a 4-hour shift, and an option for
a 6-hour shift for the volunteers to indicate their availability.
What ?volunteers?? Nasaan?
Aside from the 8 of us? Nope, there was nobody there. Bakit kailangan ang
scheduling? Feeling hindi ba magkamayaw at nagu-unahan ang mga volunteers?

I know somebody who wanted to volunteer many times. She was always bumped
off, laging nirere-schedule kasi ?there were too many volunteers? daw. At
tuwing Sunday lang daw puwede. What the hell is going on here?
Nakatambak ang donations ng UNICEF sa warehouse, local and international
Mga banig na dapat ay nahihigaan ng mga nasalanta. Mga imported camp beds
na hindi na yata masisilayan ng mga biktima. Mga kumot na hindi naman
nakabalot sa katawan nila. At mga pagkaing hindi sumasayad sa sikmura
nila.
The relief goods are not going anywhere
We arrived at about 8 am and left by midafternoon and yes, you guessed it
right. Kami pa rin ang tao bukod sa isang DSWD employee sa loob ng
warehouse maghapon. Walang ibang dumating.
The relief goods are not moving. By the way things look, they are not
going anywhere. Hindi maglalakad mag-isa ang mga donations na ito papunta
sa mga evacuation centers.
LET THE PICTURES DO THE TALKING
Note: Pinagbawalan kaming kumuha ng pictures sa loob ng warehouse. I
wonder why.

?Not a creature was moving, not even a mouse..?

Parang haunted warehouse ang dating. May multo na yata.

Kahit na daig pa ang tindahan sa Divisoria sa dami ng naka-stack na
kaldero

At walang katapusang kaldero pa ulit

Kahit halos natakpan na ang mga bintana sa dami ng mga kahon

Kahit umabot na hanggang kisame ang stack ng mga kahon

(Close up ng Coleman camp beds sa previous photo) Hindi ito kasama sa
ni-repack naming goods. Para sa mga ?special victims? kaya ito? Ire-repack
kaya ang mga ?imported? camp pads na ito ever?

Sabagay, may BANIG naman para sa ?ordinary victims?. Ito ang kasama sa
inimpake namin. Sayang ?yung imported.
Ano kaya ang laman nito? Hindi rin pinabuksan. Pang-special victim din
kaya ito? (teka, dito nga pala galing ?yung mga kumot)

Mahiwagang mga kahon from Japan Aid.
(close up ng mahiwagang kahon) Hindi rin ito kasali, of course. Hindi
namin alam kung ano ang laman nito. ?Imported? are not included, we have
concluded.

Marami ito, mga laruang kasinlaki ng tao. Hindi nakunan ng pic kasi nasa
tabi ng sikyo.
PORK AND BEANS? Yup, you?d think kasama ito sa relief bag. Pork and beans
lang ?to, puwede na sigurong ipamigay,
Naaah! ?Imported? pork and beans from Spain po ito. Sorry, hindi pa rin
included
Now let?s take a look at what a victim will get from DSWD

Look Ma, sampung lata ng sardinas! How generous! Kaldero ang unang
ilalagay sa sako. Sabong panglaba (bar soap) at sampung sardinas sa
ilalim. Siyam na sabon sa gilid ng kaldero. Local goods lahat syempre.

Tapos papatungan ng isang tuwalya at isang pack ng sanitary napkin.

Sisiksikan ng tatlong rolyo ng kumot(?) ang blue water jug tapos ipapatong
sa kaldero sa loob ng sako.
Last but not the least, lalagyan ng dalawang banig.
Sabay tatahiin na ang sako. O di ba, parang asong tinapunan ng buto ang
mga nasalanta? Eniwey, busog naman sila sa SAMPUNG lata ng Mega sardinas
Do not delay

YOU THINK?? WTF is the matter with these people? Mag-iisang buwan na mula
nang masalanta ang mga kababayan natin. ISANG BUWAN!! Do you mean ?do not
delay ang dati nang delayed??? Shet.
Anong ginagawa ng mga donations na ito sa warehouse?? APAT na warehouse
ang nasa loob ng compound na ?yon! APAT na warehouse na punong-puno ng
inaalikabok na relief goods! Relief goods na ayaw yata ibigay sa mga
nasalanta. Halatang-halata.
Marami pang pabubulukin

Wow! May bagong shipment na naman! At the rate DSWD is moving, next year
na madi-discover kung ano ang laman ng mga kahong ito.

?The first of two of the largest high-energy food shipments from the
United Nations World Food Program (WFP) arrived in the country two days
ago for victims of storm ?Ondoy? and typhoon ?Pepeng.?
The biscuits were fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for
supplementary feeding to children, pregnant women and the elderly in
evacuation camps.. Another 100 tons of biscuits will arrive on Oct. 24, in
a continuing effort to provide food assistance to flood victims.
Sige, ideretso ?nyo ulit ?yan sa DSWD warehouse.. Para AMAG naman ang
abutin ng biskwit? at sapot ng gagamba.
Conclusion
Sa maghapon namin sa warehouse,nakagawa kami ng 150 sacks of relief goods.
150 bags of relief goods lang ang lumabas sa warehouse na ?yon that day.
At nandoon pa rin sa loob ang mga imported relief goods, safe, sound and
packed as the day they arrived.
Nakisakay kami palabas sa isang DSWD delivery van. Gusto sana kaming
ihatid ng driver hanggang Makati pero wala raw siyang sobrang gasolina.
Ibinaba na lang niya kami sa gitna ng EDSA. Millions of dollars in
donations, walang extrang pang-gasolina.
Susulpot din siguro ang laman ng mga mahiwagang kahon at mapapasakamay din
ng mga tao?sa ARAW NG ELEKSYON. O mabibili na nila ang mga imported goods
na ?yon sa mga puwesto sa Quiapo at Divisoria.
Suggestions lang po sa DSWD:
· Alam ?nyo palang walang mag-volunteer sa inyo, bakit hindi kayo
mag-hire ng mga tao? Bayaran ?nyo ng arawan para mag-repack. Ang daming
walang trabaho, makakatulong pa kayo. Hindi naman malaking kabawasan ?yon
sa bilyong pisong donasyon na natanggap ninyo.
· Isa pa, gaano ba karami ang mga sundalo natin? Hindi ba puwedeng
ipagawa sa kanila ?yan? Baka isang araw lang, tapos na ang problema ?nyo
· Bakit hindi ?nyo ibigay ang trabaho sa mga NGO, churches, private
charities, TV stations? I?m sure they are more than willing to help. Time
is of the essence. Huwag kayong suwapang. Obvious ba, hindi ?nyo naman
kaya.

Kung talagang gugustuhin ninyong makarating agad sa mga kawawang biktima
ang mga donasyong ?yon, nagawa ?nyo na ?yan. Maraming paraan?kung talagang
gusto ?nyo lang.You are the government. You have the power, the resources
and the money. You just have to really care.

You are the government. You have the power, the resources and the money.
You just have to really care.