Independent congressional bet defends Roxas on post-Yolanda response

TACLOBAN CITY, April 6 (PNA) -– A lawyer who is running independently for the congressional seat in Leyte’s first district says it is inappropriate to criticize Liberal Party presidential bet Mar Roxas on the super typhoon Yolanda issue.

Lawyer Fiel Clemencio, who is gunning for the second time for Leyte’s congressional post against Yedda Romualdez, wife of senatorial bet Martin Romualdez, said that with Yolanda’s strength and magnitude of devastation, even "superheroes" may have backed out from the challenge it presented.

Roxas, who was the face of the government for the rehabilitation and recovery from the typhoon more than two years ago, has been regularly and overly criticized for being slow in responding following the devastation.

Roxas was the Interior and Local Government secretary and vice chair of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council when Yolanda’s powerful winds whipped up tsunami-like storm surges on Nov. 8, 2013.

Clemencio said nobody can ever respond quickly after the onslaught of the typhoon considering that communications were down, destruction was all over and the people themselves were like walking "zombies".

“Never mind the fact that the tragedy was of such magnitude it was impossible to bring relief to everyone all at once, even with the help of the international community,” he said.

“Close to a million families with 4.5 million members were affected. That’s why a lot of people had to endure days, even weeks of waiting before help could reach them. Some 6,300 died and an undetermined number were injured,” Clemencio said.

In earlier interviews, Roxas maintained there was no ounce of regret in his actions in the aftermath of the strongest typhoon to ever hit land.

Clemencio added that he may not be endorsing Roxas, but the latter’s critics have just conveniently found a way to blame him for everything that went wrong.

Meanwhile, he revealed that among his priority agenda if elected congressional representative is to demand for an immediate accounting of all donations received by the Philippine government for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda.

“It is just but proper to let the people, much more the victims of the typhoon, know where all the help have gone to, particularly those that came from outside the country,” Clemencio said.

He also vowed to secure legislation providing emergency educational assistance fund for victims of super typhoon Yolanda. (PNA)
LAP/SQM/AHLETTE C. REYES/EGR