EDITORIAL - Rising from the ashes

With relief goods finally starting to reach people isolated in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda, the government can begin focusing on the next major challenge, which is to rebuild from the ashes. The task is daunting, considering the apocalyptic scale of the destruction. As President Aquino admitted, he is tempted to despair when he ponders the tragedy.

The President, however, also knows rising from the ashes is the only option for the people in the disaster zones. The sooner rebuilding gets underway, the better; this may be obvious, but it must be said over and over by government officials, considering the batting average of the administration in getting projects off the ground.

While any effort to prevent corruption and other anomalies is laudable, the promotion of transparency should also not unduly hold back the urgent task of rebuilding and restoring normalcy in the disaster areas. Rehabilitation also cannot suffer from the same slow and disorganized response that marred rescue and relief efforts in the crucial first few days after Yolanda struck.

This tragedy should impart precious lessons to both national and local officials on the importance of coordination in the face of an approaching natural calamity. Responding to a typhoon works best with a unified approach; it’s not impossible to set aside political differences to improve disaster preparedness.

Rebuilding of the typhoon-hit areas is complicated by the fact that the government has barely started rehabilitation work in the places struck by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in the Visayas, and in Zamboanga City following a three-week siege by the Moro National Liberation Front. State resources are stretched thin. Those problems, however, must not hinder the reconstruction work after Yolanda.