So much more to do

This piece is being written on the Feast of our dear Mama Mary of Guadalupe! May our Lady continue to comfort the needy, especially those among our people affected by the recent typhoon.

Photo-journalist Froilan Gallardo posted at his FB wall pictures of an inundated Veruela town in Agusan del Norte. His photo highlights the urgency for authorities to check on our people in other communities, aside from the widely reported Compostela Valley, who are also desperately needing urgent attention and assistance during these difficult times.

The photos of children in Compostela begging for any type of assistance are the most honest picture of ineffective governance and disaster management systems. While relief assistance flows from various sources, locally and globally, government is unable to reach the typhoon victims due to impassable roads and damaged bridges which are the stark reminders of greedy and hastily spent pork barrel of irresponsible politicians and collaborators in various agencies of government. Looting of victims and chaos during relief operations also speak of the lack of proper disaster management and collaboration of various agencies of governments at all levels.

Food, water, warm clothes and medicines are the immediate urgent needs of the victims. Shelter, a safe roof over their heads and warm walls to keep them safe from further rain or cold are also priorities. When their sustainable daily survival needs are met, then sustainable livelihood and community reconstruction come next in the agenda of rebuilding people’s lives. Then, government again goes through the cycle of infrastructure building which, hopefully, will no longer be placed in the hands of local governments but centralized so that public funds can never ever be again used for private and political interests, but only for genuine public service and welfare.

Government also needs to closely and seriously re-examine policies for logging and mining or for other extractive industries that may reap immediate huge profits for a few but will destabilize and weaken foundations of mountains and cause landslides, floods,  death and damages, immeasurable in terms of lives and dreams lost and shattered.

Disaster management systems should include not only pre-disaster alert and preparation measures. How to actually get rescue and relief operations to the victims at the soonest time possible needs to be simulated and implemented more effectively from now on. Post-disaster measures require short, immediate as well as long-term programs that have to involve multi-level, multi-sectoral collaboration that have to be in place as soon as possible to mitigate further huge disaster loss and damages.

The death toll continues to rise, the damages surging to billions lost for a struggling economy. While many are counting the days to Christmas and to the celebration of love and the birth of Jesus Christ, those affected by disasters are desperately looking forward to the day they will find their lost loved ones, when they will be able to have food and water, when they will be able to put back their lives together, as a family, as a community.

Once again, this will not be an easy Christmas and New Year season for all. Disaster resiliency preparedness and effective management as well as better sustainable care of our earth, our country, our people, can be our meaningful gifts to share this time around. Still so much to do for so many countless needy.

As their offering for building a sustainable Cebu City, the Movement for a Livable Cebu is offering a series of workshops and seminars (for free) called “The ABCs of Urban Planning,” with the first series scheduled Saturday, December 15, 2012, from 2:00-5:00pm at St. Catherine’s Hall, Asilo de la Milagrosa. All who are interested in sharing their part in creating the most livable Cebu are warmly invited and requested to do their reservation for this workshop through Ms.Teresa D. Ruelas at Cell: 0915.647.4666.

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Email: [email protected]