The move comes in the heels of mounting public criticism over the governor’s alleged use of the calamity that struck many parts of northern Negros Oriental to advance his political stock by sticking labels with the words “MagDegamo” and “rescue” and the logos of the DSWD and the province of Negros Oriental.
Aileen Lariba, spokesperson and information officer of the DSWD Region 7 office, on Monday disclosed that Sec. Soliman had called Gov. Degamo to have the labels taken down “to avoid confusion”.
Sec. Soliman also twitted on her Twitter account in response to a query by a certain Jay Padriga who asked, “Hello Sec Dinky, can your office please confirm if the relief goods indicated in the photo/s came from DSWD?”
Soliman’s response via Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/dinkysunflower/statuses/168359258738528257) was “we checked Gov Degamo admitted he put those labels in provincial packs. we advised him to take it out thanks”.
Lariba said that an inquiry on the incident showed that the relief goods that bore the stickers were actually funded by the provincial government. DSWD relief aid from the agency’s national and regional headquarters, she said, was not coursed through the province but was being distributed directly to intended beneficiaries.
Public outrage was spreading in the social networking site, Facebook, after photos of the relief packages bearing the said stickers, were posted on various walls.
According to Lariba, the provincial government, through Gov. Degamo, can identify its funded relief goods for earthquake victims but without the logo and name of the DSWD.
She said it was too late to recall the plastic bags of relief goods labeled by the provincial government that had already been handed out to quake victims in Guihulngan City and other nearby affected towns.
Lariba also further disclosed that as of Monday, she has not seen these plastic bags with the stickers, although some relief goods were reportedly being distributed in some areas in plastic bags with the name Degamo written on them.
Meanwhile, Gov. Degamo, in a broadcast interview, accused his critics of making an issue out of the controversial labeling of relief goods.
He explained that the stickers were merely intended to show that his administration was not sitting on its job.
But Degamo’s explanation runs counter to a statement issued by his Provincial Administrator, Arnel Francisco, who said Capitol did not have any idea about this.
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