The United Opposition (UNO) has urged executives of local government units to “come to each other’s aid” after successive weather disturbances brought by typhoon “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” wreaked havoc in Metro Manila and other provinces in Luzon.

UNO president and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay said local governments should help each other because calamity-stricken localities are finding it hard to depend on national government assistance, especially after Malacañang said that the national calamity fund of P2 billion has long been depleted.

The mayor lauded the legislative bodies of Davao and Iloilo province for approving a resolution allotting a portion of their calamity funds for relief assistance.  Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duerte and Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas also sent financial and material aid to calamity victims in Metro Manila and are also mobilizing doctors and medical teams to fly to Metro Manila.

Earlier, the Makati City Council has passed a resolution allotting P15 million to aid localities placed under a state of calamity. The resolution was passed even before the Palace appealed to LGUs to use their own funds to handle calamities in their areas.

“Even before Malacañang made the appeal, the Makati City Council has passed a resolution in a special session last Monday allotting P15 million to aid localities placed under a state of calamity. [Apparently], there is a perceived breakdown in national government response. What you are seeing are private and local government initiatives to assist the victims. This is the time for local governments to come to each other’s aid,” he said.

“The administration appears to be portraying itself as a victim of unforeseen events. But it cannot escape accountability for the breakdown in national government response. It is incumbent on government to always be in a state of preparedness,” Binay said.

To compensate for the depletion of national calamity fund, the mayor urged the Palace to use the President’s discretionary funds to augment the national government’s relief operations.