What should the Philippine government and all Filipinos learn from
typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)?
A LOT!
After super typhoon Yolanda ravaged Leyte
and other provinces in Central Visayas, everyone was struck with unbelievable
images of destruction, famine, death and chaos. I was speechless at the
first sight of people begging for food, cadavers on the roadside and on top of
trees, mountains of debris, wrecked homes and buildings, impassable roads, and
desperate people looting for survival. I could only pray for a speedy
restoration of services, provision of relief goods and support for the victims.
A week has passed and the Philippine
government is under fire for the very slow, retarded pace it is taking to scoop
the victims out from their sorry and destitute state. The swift move of other
countries to fly in numerous boxes/crates of food, clothing, medicines and
other basic necessities including cash has rendered the President, his
officials, and the military almost inutile in the eyes of the world. This is
another blow to the government after the recent hearings and revelations
regarding the scam purportedly manipulated by some government officials in
cahoots with that blood-curdling heap of a fat swine, Napoles.
Yolanda's message is clear.
Always be ready. Don't underestimate
what a seemingly simple typhoon can bring to your place. It can rip you
off and flatten your domain.
Stop taking people's money! Government
agencies and officials should render services to the people because they are the masters, they are the boss! After all, it is the people (taxpayers, most
especially) who chip in their labor's fruits in the national coffers.
Don't be divisive. Unite! Drop any
political affiliations in times like this. Moreover, do not blame especially
those who are helpless.
Don't take advantage of other people's
possessions and weaknesses. Idiots have been reported raping and looting,
running away with appliances and cannibalizing vehicles.
Save lives, yes! But give the dead a
decent burial even en masse. The week-long stench of death inhabiting the
afflicted places speaks of callousness on the part of authorities.
Have faith in God! Don't relax.
People tend to leave him in one corner while they enthrone materialism, greed,
lust for power, and immorality at the center of their lives.
Knock all these in your heads, our heads
lest another typhoon by another name visits us ( God forbid)
copyright © Ritchelle Blanco Dejolde 2013
copyright © Ritchelle Blanco Dejolde 2013
