Haiyan Relief: Philippine President Aquino Is 'Selfish, Insenstive, Uncaring, Insincere' - Filipino Journalist
A Filipino journalist criticises Philippine President Aquino on his administration's relief response to typhoon Haiyan victims in an article in The Daily Tribune.
Ninez Cacho-Olivares wrote that Aquino has "unveiled" his true self and added that the Philippine President is "Selfish, insensitive, uncaring, insincere, petty, divisive, and vindictive. Cacho-Olivares also said the Philippines's Commander-in-Chief "uses his power to bring down his political foes".
The journalist also wrote that if Haiyan had not made landfall in the Southeast Asian nation and the country not watched by the international media, there is "no doubt" that Aquino "would have gotten away with it again".
Cacho-Olivares added that the Philippine President's "yellow media would continue to protect" Aquino "as they protected him during the Bohol earthquake" referring to the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit the southern Philippines.
Angry Filipinos: Government Faces More Criticism
Philippine film director Peque Gallaga's statement about the relief efforts made the rounds online saying, "The U.S. landing 5 planes full of goods and not allowing any politicians to touch any of it. How much more do we need for us to realize that the enemy was not Yolanda?" adding "The enemy is our leaders. And the leader of our leaders is the President."
In the statement later on published by Philippine Web sites Scoopboy and Rappler, the film director said to Aquino loyalists, "I want you to know that I'm done with your line of thinking. Either you defend this man or you defend the people that this man is ignoring". He added that the Philippine President's claim that his "boss" are the Filipino people "was a piece of advertising sound byte" that was created by experts in Philippine show business. Gallaga also said in the statement that the "sound byte" was directed to "the unthinking masses".
Philippine Government Defensive
The Philippine Government is reportedly defensive after Filipinos and international media echo Anderson Cooper's observations of the Haiyan relief.
The Telegraph reports that the government led by Mr Aquino is doing well the relief effort for towns and cities ravaged by super typhoon Haiyan.
On the ground however, various aid workers claim otherwise. Primo Morillo, a relief worker from the Philippine-Misereor Partnership said that "no government presence can be felt" in Samar's capital Cabatlogan. Mr Morillo together with other aid workers were on their way to provide relief goods Wednesday, November 13.