EDITORIAL - Pam on the ground

Just a day into her five-day official visit to China, Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro decided to go home after learning that Typhoon Basyang was going to affect parts of Cebu Province.

“Cebu, I’m coming home,” the governor said, adding that she cannot continue diplomatic engagements while Cebu braces for the impact of a typhoon.

Her presence on the ground is highly appreciated and very much commendable. While it is true she has in place capable men and women who are more than qualified to handle the situation in her stead, her presence serves more than just one purpose.

For one, it can boost morale. It doesn’t really look good for a local chief executive to hie off somewhere abroad --whether for official business or otherwise-- or to be hunkering somewhere safe and nowhere to be seen while his or her constituents suffer the brunt of a natural disaster.

Their presence assures their constituents that someone is looking out for them, that someone can be quickly approached for aid. People don’t exactly want their leaders suffering alongside them or experiencing the same hardships they are, but on hand to see with their own eyes who needs help and what needs to be done.

For another, the presence of the top chief executive on the ground during a disaster can also assure other local chief executives that there is someone they can turn to for help. It also compels them to stand their ground in the face of adversity; if their leader is here then they shouldn’t run away.

Her being here can also cut through any red tape when needed. There’s never any telling if one town or component city needs help from another. It may even be that the entire province may need help from other nearby provinces or even the national government itself.

It’s during times like these when the highest official of the land can step in.

In the past, the absence of local chief executives from their constituencies during times of disaster or hardship became a raging issue and a point of criticism. People won’t forget when someone wasn’t there at a time when they were needed most. And people will remember behavior like this come election time.