EDITORIAL - Yolanda's poster face

Complaints have surfaced about Tacloban being given more attention than other areas similarly struck by supertyphoon Yolanda. How sad that there should even be such complaints. How tragic that natural calamity must give way to human tragedy.

First of all, it is incorrect to say Tacloban is getting more attention, if  by attention is meant the local and foreign response to the ravages of the typhoon. The response has been fairly even although admittedly the response does not get equal treatment in the news.

There is a limited window for all the news to filter out. There is only so much air time and printing space for all the news about such a wide swath of destruction to be given equal accommodation. But just because the news does not get out, or does not get out in time, does not mean there is no news.

As to Tacloban getting more attention, in whatever way such attention is appreciated and understood, there is a very peculiar and sad reason for that. And it is that, for all intents and purposes, Tacloban has become the tragic poster face of Yolanda.

It all began unintentionally. By some stroke of fate, Tacloban stood right smack in the path of Yolanda. It was in the general area where the supertyphoon with the unbelievable sustained wind strength of more than 300 kph was to make landfall.

Right from the start, therefore, Tacloban was already gaining significance not just to its people who stood in harm's way and to the government that must have to deal with the aftermath, but to other countries with specific economic, scientific, social, and other concerns related to the typhoon.

As a clear manifestation of this significance, top government officials positioned themselves in Tacloban before Yolanda hit. And perhaps to directly affect the "attention" issue in this discussion, most of the local and foreign media similarly posted themselves in Tacloban.

When Yolanda struck and wiped out Tacloban, it was of  Tacloban or what was left of it that comprised the first glimpses the world ever had of the face of total horror. Because of the early tv footages and photos of what happened to Tacloban, it became the poster image of destruction. Tacloban deserves total attention.