Philippines | November 23, 2013
There was this news at Asia News that mentioned about Casiple analyzing why there was a standstill in the distribution of relief goods in Leyte after the supertyphoon Yolanda. There was a comment by the anchor that the residents of Leyte suffered from two deadly attacks: that of the typhoon and politics. Political grandstanding, (rather than positive action) found its way into the aftermath of the disaster and we know the adverse results
Right after the typhoon the President visited Tacloban and met with the local officials. The mayor was surnamed Romualdez (Alfred), an enemy of the President's family. As a political rival, you know, there would be lack of support for relief, rescue. And Casiple remarked that the President should have acted as President of the PHL not as President of Liberal Party.
I hope it is not. Now there is Senator Poe proposing a new law strengthening disaster preparednesss.
I would like to say:
1. There are the NDRRMC and whose leadership and procedures may just need to be tweaked/improved:
2. There is the RA 7077 whose primary mission is disaster and relief operations; the officers who are heads of the companies can be mobilized to assist in the relief operations using the assets of their company; but that will smack of martial law (but we have such a law).
3. I just witnessed this morning the water rescue team of a nearby town and the members told me that they had a budget for training, drills, supplies, equipment
What else do we need?
