PALACE: NO EPALS ALLOWED IN YOLANDA RELIEF By Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News Posted at 11/12/2013 5:39 PM | Updated as of 11/12/2013 5:39 PM MANILA - Malacañang warned that individuals or groups who would repack relief goods to falsely claim their origin could be held liable. Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said misrepresenting the source of relief goods is punishable under Republic Act 101211 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. Section 19 (i) of the law states that misrepresentation means: (1) Either covering, replacing or defacing the labels of the containers to make it appear that the goods, equipment or other aid commodities came from another agency or persons; (2) Repacking the goods, equipment or other aid commodities into containers with different markings to make it appear that the goods came from another agency or persons or was released upon the instance of a particular agency or persons; (3) Making false verbal claim that the goods, equipment or other aid commodity in its untampered original containers actually came from another agency or persons or was released upon the instance of a particular agency or persons. Violators, upon conviction, may be fined P50,000 to P500,000 and/or imprisoned from 6 years to 12 years. The Palace urges the public to report the so-called epals. Kung meron kayong makita ilabas ninyo, kunan nyo ng picture… Ginagawa nyo na yan, thats public censure. I think thats a great admonition and punishment for those who seek to take advantage of a situation as tragic as this one, Lacierda said.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 20:50:46 +0000