Aquino celebrates mother's birthday by visiting Sendong victims

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III commemorated the 79th birthday of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, by visiting the victims of Tropical Storm Sendong in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities on Wednesday.

The President flew to Mindanao to ensure that the rehabilitation process runs smoothly to help victims "get back on their feet at the soonest possible time," presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.

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"Today, on the birth anniversary of the late President Corazon C. Aquino, the President paid tribute to the values espoused by his mother by traveling to Iligan and Cagayan de Oro to join shelter builds and conduct inspections in areas that were devastated by Typhoon Sendong,” Lacierda said in a statement.

The Palace official said through the joint initiatives of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the local government units, the National Housing Authority, and volunteers from Habitat for Humanity and Gawad Kalinga, the Aquino administration is showing its commitment to restoring communities stricken by disaster.

Mrs. Aquino, who was born on January 25, 1933 in Tarlac, served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 and has the distinction of being the first female president of the Philippines. She succumbed to cancer on August 1, 2009.

President Aquino likened the rebuilding of Iligan City to the period where the country rose in the aftermath of the Marcos dictatorship.

“Napapanahon din po siguro ang pagdiriwang natin ngayon sa paggunita sa kaarawan ng aking yumaong ina. Maaari po nating maihambing ang ginawang pagbangon ng mga Pilipino noong matapos ang diktadurya sa pagbangon natin ngayon pagkatapos ng trahedya,” he said in his speech in Sta. Elena, Iligan City, where houses are being built for flood survivors.

“Bilang paggunita po sa iniwang biyaya sa atin ng aking yumaong ina, patuloy nawa nating ipamalas ang diwa ng People Power upang harapin ang iba’t ibang suliranin ng ating bansa at mapaunlad ang kabuhayan ng ating kapwa,” he added.

The President also said that he is proud of his Cabinet members who immediately acted to respond to the disaster particularly by assisting people in need during the December 16 flashfloods in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro City.

He vowed to provide the additional money needed to complete the housing project in Sta. Elena in Iligan City, in addition to the fund already donated by private corporations.

The local government of Iligan City partnered with Gawad Kalinga to build the new community for the survivors of the flashfloods. About 300 new homes are intended to be built in the 16-hectare area until February.

According to local officials, the location can accommodate up to 1,900 new homes for the survivors. They are also eyeing for another 15-hectare land in another site in the city to relocate other survivors.

Each house costs around P110,000, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

On the fight against illegal logging, Aquino said Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) Governor Mujiv Hataman could effectively respond to this problem once a regional assembly is organized.

The region has blamed illegal logging activities for the deadly flashfloods that killed thousands of people in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro.

Aquino said he is awaiting the complete report on the disaster and expects an initial briefing from Governor Hataman this week.

He reiterated that one of his instructions to Hataman is to stop illegal logging activities in Armm to avoid similar disasters in the future.

The government will make sure that illegal loggers do not get a market for their illegally produced products to completely halt logging activities in the Armm, the President added.

He also noted that he has not lifted the state of national calamity he declared after the flashfloods enabling the government to respond more effectively to the disaster. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)