Reporter Irks Pres. Aquino Asking About Bagyong Lando Relief Operations

Before the onslaught of this year’s most devastating typhoon, Bagyong Lando, the president of the Republic of the Philippines, Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III assured the Filipino people and the media that the relief goods and all preparations of the national government were put in place even before the landfall in Casiguran, Aurora.

Pres. Aquino boasted during the press conference that relief goods were already pre-positioned, and the heavy equipment have been readied by the DPWH for a possible clearing operations in case the roads become impassable to give way to the speedy distribution of relief goods.

The statement of President Aquino before the landfall of Bagyong Lando was the reason why, a reporter from international news agency Al Jazeera asks the president about the progress about the relief operations and the reasons why it took so much time to reach the affected areas.

The question of the reporter slightly irks the President who answered the questions with the help of the DPWH head. The video during the reporter’s questions and the President’s response is currently making the rounds online as the President received some negative comments from netizens.

Here’s the Question and the Answer of the President During the Interview:

Al Jazeera Reporter: You spoke to the public last week about the preparation. However, it’s been over 24 hours already and there are still so many areas that are hard to reach at the moment given the magnitude of the areas… Are your resources stretched at the moment? These questions of those areas that have not been reached ummm… The Armed Forces of the Philippines in Casiguran have just managed to start communications as well… Can you tell us exactly at this point… what can you assure to the public given at this point, it seems a bit slow with how things have been moving?

Pres. Aquino: Cabanatuan in particular was reported to be isolated from all directions, north and south… indistict. we have already delivered the same… Aurora? There is already a convoy coming from both Manila and San Fernando and there are, they are slightly behind us.. but they already on the way to Baler and Casiguran. Now we are an archipelago, all these challenges before us.. umm electricity for one has to be above ground for various reasons, it get knocked out by the strong wind, then you shold also ensure that you don’t have to re-energize without making sure that nobody would be susceptible to electrocution. Now, as far as response time, I think we have pre-positioned not just the relief supplies, but also the equipment from the DPWH in so many different places as much as possible. I am hearing in this province, there are very large boulders that are blocking the road. But if the equipment are present, we will move all these debris. It will just take some time.

Here’s the Video of the President During the Interview: