Disaster victims claim the President gave them tattered clothes

The Associated Press has released a photograph showing two disaster victims displaying tattered used clothing allegedly found in plastic bags of relief goods distributed Tuesday morning by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Barangay Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet, where a massive landslide on October 8 killed over 50 residents and buried nearly an entire community. The couple in the picture, whose names were not furnished by Associated Press (AP), were holding pink and white plastic relief bags with stickers that said "Handog ni Pangulong Gloria." The man was holding a polo shirt with a large hole, while the woman had a pair of stained, pockmarked jeans.

The president reportedly gave out hundreds of similar bags at Puguis Elementary School in Benguet, but it's not clear if other victims were also given clothes in similar condition. AP photographer Aaron Favila took the picture, but was not available for an interview; AP policy prohibits its staff from granting interviews. According to a source, Favila was called by the people in the picture to show him the clothing. "We are not aware of this," said Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, when called for comment. "We sincerely apologize to these people. To make up for it, we will send new clothes to the community." He acknowledged that the relief goods distributed in Puguis were packed by the Malacanang Relief Operations Center. - HGS, GMANews.TV