THE City Government of Naga, Cebu is verifying reports that some individuals are posing as victims of the Naga landslide, asking for donations and receiving relief goods falsely.
City of Naga media coordinator Garry Cabotaje said the city is already looking into this and is coordinating with the City Social Welfare and Development and barangay officials to “double check” the report.
Several netizens raised a howl on social media that some “fake evacuees” surfaced in evacuation centers, lining up as victims and claiming relief goods.
One netizen, who requested anonymity, claimed that some barangay officials are involved in the “modus operandi.”
“Ay di siguro mahitabo na kay nagtinabangay intawon ang mga barangays aron makatabang sa tanan nga apektado ani nga panghitabo (I don’t think that is possible because all barangay captains are helping in assisting all those affected).,” Cabotaje said.
Cabotaje added that the situation may have been caused by the amount of relief assistance that the city has received since the landslide that claimed 49 lives as of Monday afternoon, Sept. 24.
Some donors may have gone directly to evacuation centers or in affected areas where the landslide occurred.
But Cabotaje assured the city is looking into this.
“There is already someone assigned to double check this and we have coordinated with the city social welfare and barangay officials,” he said.
Cabotaje, instead, urged the public not to take advantage of the situation and encouraged netizens to check the City Government’s social media posts on updates of its relief and assistance efforts.
As of Monday, Cabotaje said volunteers from schools and non-government organizations are helping them sort and segregate the relief goods that the city has received.
The assistance coming in are “overwhelmingly huge” as this has already occupied the lobby and ground floor of the City Hall building, he said. The second floor, he added, is also starting to fill up.
“Once we are done with the sorting and segregation, we will then place these in container vans before we will distribute,” Cabotaje said.
He also said data profiling of evacuees started on Day 1 when the evacuees registered at the assistance desk in evacuation centers that were set up.
If there have been so-called “fake evacuees” then they will double check with barangay captains and the social welfare for the discrepancy.
As of 12 noon Monday, a total of 1,253 families or 5,526 individuals have been accounted for by the Naga Operations Center.
They are housed in various evacuation centers in the city and neighboring San Fernando town. These are the Enan Chiong Activity Center, Naalad Elementary school, Naga Central Elementary School, Apo Cement Gym, Naga National High School, Colon Elementary School, Mormon Church, Cepoc Central School and the San Fernando Sports Complex, Cabotaje said.
Cash donations already reached P659,237.50 as of 11 a.m. Monday, the “Naga Atong Garbo” official Facebook account reported.
Cabotaje urged cash or check donors to deposit thru the Landbank account name City of Naga-Trust Fund with account number 0735-021566-030 or approach the City Treasurer’s Office to donate personally.
Meanwhile, the Cebu City’s Department of Social Welfare Services (DSWS) has announced that those who want to donate for the landslide survivors in the City of Naga can drop their donations at the Cebu City Hall or to the City Public Library.
DSWS Chief Lea Japson encouraged the public to donate either food items, water or cash for the survivors.
“We are accepting donations. We will repack them before we will deliver them to Naga within the week,” she said.
Japson said that, aside from donations, social workers from the city and a volunteer psychologist will go to Naga to give psycho-social intervention for the survivors. (VLA, RVC)