BY MATÉ ESPINA
NEGROS Island was not in the path of Typhoon Quinta, nor was it listed in the critical areas of the weather bureau, but massive rains and wind over the weekend warranted hundreds to evacuate their homes and led to the death of a 1-year old child.
Early Sunday, pictures flooded social media of stranded individuals who cannot cross rivers and roads in southern Negros. As the day progressed, rescue teams of towns and cities all the way to Negros Oriental were busy evacuating people, especially those who are residing near river banks.
In the town of Moises Padilla in central Negros, the lifeless body of Princess Joy Eustañio, just one-year and three months old, was fished out of a creek just several meters from their home, hours after she went missing.
It was a tragic story as the baby was left in the care of her 8-year old sibling who left her to get something. When the older sibling came back, Princess Joy was gone and the sibling thought their aunts took her. Much later, when they found out no one took the baby, they started searching the creek and found the body. Local authorities think the baby accidentally fell in the water as their house tilts towards the creek.
Rescue workers were also busy evacuating hundreds of people in the towns of Hinoba-an and Isabela while in Negros Oriental, the rescue team’s effort was captured by netizens after waters there reached waist-high in Basay, Bayawan and other low areas where streets turned to rivers.
The morning after, dead livestock were seen floating in southern Negros and several landslides made roads impassable. A bridge in Hinoba-an was damaged, and disaster personnel have been manning it to ensure that vehicles traverse it only one at a time.
Damage to infrastructure and agriculture have yet to be reported and considering that we are in the midst of sugar milling season, farms in the southern part of the island may incur some losses.
Speaking of sugar, the chair of the Sugar Regulatory Administration, Hermenegildo Serafica, may be in hot waters after he was grilled during the budget hearing at the Senate of the questionable process in appointing three SRA deputy administrators.
The Civil Service Commission disapproved the appointments of Deputy Administrators Ignacio Santillana, Guillerma Tejida III and Brando Noroña who were installed last April as part of the rationalization program of the sugar body.
CSC-National Capital Region Director 4 Judith Dongallo-Chicano said the appointment was not in accordance with the rules and two of the sugar board members, Dino Yulo and Roland Beltran, believed the process could have violated Civil Service Law.
Yulo clarified that while he has nothing against the personalities involved, “we are questioning the process as this may become a precedent in further appointments of personnel.”
He also said that the manner by which the appointment was endorsed to Agriculture Sec. William Dar for his signature, could also make the cabinet secretary liable. Yulo of course said that perhaps Dar had no knowledge about how this was manoeuvred and just signed the document.
The allegations were denied by Serafica in reports here saying the “appointment of the deputies was regular and the board members, as members of the Human Resource Merit Promotion and Selection Board (HRMPSB), had participated in the deliberations.”
The deliberations were the contentious issue because according to Yulo, on the said dates that those said deliberations and approval happened, “none of it occurred” and the documents stating so could fall under “falsification of documents.”
The said deliberations were on January 21 which Yulo said was “impossible” because Serafica, Beltran and he were all in Congress attending a hearing on the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA). Yulo added that apart from the fact that there was no said screening and approval of applicants that day, they had a schedule interview for other applicants scheduled February 19.
On that February date as well, Yulo said the chairperson certified that there was a deliberation, but minutes of the board meeting showed such did not happen.
“The chairperson was not even present on February 19. How can he then certify as to his own personal knowledge when he was not present at the said interview,” Yulo added.
It is no secret in the sugar world that Yulo and Beltran have been at odds with Serafica on many issues and this is just the recent one. However, it seems the paper trail may cause a lot of problems with the administrator who was grilled extensively at the Senate hearing by Senator Migz Zubiri and other senators who further sought for the investigation of the matter.
In Bacolod City meanwhile, business leaders called on the local government to “put more effort” into its recovery action plan and stimulate economic activities.
Instead of the city presenting its economic recovery plan, it was the business community who ended up presenting their plans. Clearly frustrated, they called on government to come up with stimulus packages to fire up the local economy. Oh well, that says it all as to how the local economy is being managed./PN
