The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) bared Monday the designation of its new spokesperson, Director Peter Galvez of the defense department.
Galvez' appointment was confirmed by Mark Timbal, spokesman for the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). Timbal served as the NDRRMC spokesman in an acting capacity.
Timbal said DND Secretary and NDRRMC chairperson Delfin Lorenzana picked Galvez to serve as the mouthpiece of the Council. Galvez currently serves as a Director IV of the DND's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Plans and Programs (OASPP).
"The position of the NDRRMC spokesperson is a concurrent designation for the OCD spokesperson unless the SND (Secretary of National Defense) designates one of his staff or any member of the Council," Timbal said.
Controversy?
Incidentally, the change in the leadership happened after Timbal posted on his personal Facebook account a series of posts which many netizens believed were tirades against Vice President Leni Robredo.
In his account, Timbal posted a photo of a rice porridge (lugaw) with a caption: "Mabagal daw kami. Immediate action daw siya. E wala pa ang bagyo, nandoon na ang mga kasamahan natin e. Nung andun na ang delubyo, nakalusong na mga kasama natin e. Nung lumipas ang sigwa, babad na ang mga tao natin, pagod, puyat, dun ka lang naman nakita a. Kami pa ang mabagal?"
(They say we were slow. Some other people was fast. But before the storm, our men were already there. When the storm hit, our men were wading into the flood. After the storm, our men were already exhausted and sleep deprived, then you suddenly came. But we're still the ones slow?)
Another post read: "Ok kaya 'to: Sa darating na ika-_____ Nobyembre 2020, sa ganap na alas-_____ ng umaga, sabay-sabay tayo sa ating NSLED! Nationwide Simultaneous Lugaw Eating Day! Dahil dito sa NDRRMC, Pabida ang Handa (daw)!"
(Is this okay: On this date in November 2020, at exactly this time in the morning, let us all join the NSLED! Nationwide Simultaneous Lugaw Eating Day! Because here in NDRRMC, Suckers are Prepared !)
It was seen as a sarcasm to the NDRRMC's National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED).
Timbal's posts have since been deleted or made private.
Robredo had led the coordination for the conduct of immediate search and rescue operations when Cagayan was hit by massive flooding due to typhoon Ulysses over the weekend.
In a series of social media posts, Robredo gave updates of her coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to rescue those who are in distress when typhoon "Ulysses" inundated Region 2.
Robredo then hit the supposed lack of urgency by the national government in responding to the needs of the Filipinos affected by typhoon.
NDRRMC executive director Ricardo Jalad has denied that they were remiss in their duties, even as he wrongly claimed that their typhoon warnings were adequate but only the state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) carried them.
In a press briefing in Cagayan on Sunday, Jalad was asked if there were adequate warning signals that were issued by the NDRRMC which could have prevented the widespread inundation in the province.
"Meron kaming press release tungkol diyan. Kung i-Google niyo 'yan, I think it is only PNA nagkarga niyan (We have a press release about that. If you Google it, (it will appear) and I think it only the PNA which released them)," Jalad said.
He then added as if sarcastically: "Siguro ang learning ko ho is tatawagan ko si Chiara, 'Pakikarga mo nga ito. Tatawagan ko 'yung iba't ibang media personalities, 'Pakikarga niyo nga ito, not relying on sending them to our Viber group, not relying on sending them through 'yung network natin sa Defense Press Corp."
(What I learned from this is that I should call Chiara (Zambrano of ABS-CBN). I'd tell her 'You should report this.' I'd call different media personalities, 'You should report this,' and not rely on sending them to our Viber group, not rely on sending them through our network with the Defense Press .)
Timbal assured that the NDRRMC has been enhancing its reporting mechanism to release relevant and critical data on disasters and calamities, which are of public interest.
"The enhancement of reporting mechanisms is in progress naman po," he noted.