THE BEGINNING OF THE END Written by Larry Faraon Sunday, 17 November 2013 00:00 Of the Aquino administration. This is in the offing. It is the international community and worse the global media that have put their foot and mouth forward in criticizing the blatant inefficiency of the Aquino government in responding to an emergency crisis in this historically record breaking hurricane “Yolanda.” Former Sen. Joker Arroyo’s initial comment three years ago that the Aquino administration’s Cabinet composition that is some sort of a “student council” is becoming fast veritable with the display of the amateurish handling of the crisis situation in the eastern Visayas region by his Cabinet members who would rather mind the red tape of “processing” the relief distribution rather than pouring them there right into the hands of the starving victims of the typhoon. This overly bureaucratic cautiousness of this government in releasing funds and spending them, including the cancellation of previous contracts, recasting them and delaying necessary infrastructure projects all in the name of the “tuwid na daan” have become a bad habit. It has even seeped into the mainstream of the mandatory and relevant spending and with its concomitant bureaucracy has become too obvious in the dismal response to the real needs of a devastated people. Not much creativity or originality was even necessary. All that was needed was to duplicate some established and tried emergency strategies. In the “tsunami” that hit the Pacific coast of Japan in 2011, zero communication and physical access due to isolation were the first hurdle as in Tacloban city and surrounding areas. Food supplies were also running out. The Japanese government immediately printed over a million leaflets with basic information assuring the victims of help and dropped them through choppers and twin engine planes. The leaflets also enumerated a list of schedules of timings and localities where food stuff would be aerially dropped. The regular food package that descended from the skies in little parachutes was something similar to our Nutri-buns which were complete with all the nutrients for emergency survival. Included in the soft pack were purifying tablets to make sure the victims would drink potable water and strands of survival biscuits to along with it. At least the tsunami victims’ apprehensions, fears and trauma were assuaged by a government that assured them that they were not being neglected. Back here, the excuses and blame game didn’t work this time as Aquino’s mouthpieces took turns in exculpating their boss clamping on the local government. The Arroyo administration was farfetched in its an excuse this time. Not even the presidential sleepovers in the tents to sort of enmesh oneself into the situation can help since the former’s vindictiveness and lack of compassion have been byword to his constituents. The rush of outpouring of sympathies from the international communities in terms of million of dollars, equipment and personnel may after all be an indication that even the leaders of other countries have seemingly lost their faith in this government’s capability to secure the needs of its people. As a result, the deplorable situation of the hapless victims comes as a convenient excuse for these foreigners to “intervene” right into the shores of our beleaguered nation evidenced by the manner by which they shoved their C1 planes and aircraft carriers, stuff and staff right under the noses of our government officials. Actions say more and deeply. If surveys would be conducted today the ratings of this government’s performance would plummet way below what the allied survey firms could cure or manipulate. There is unmistakably an uprooting in the moral grounds where this administration was planted. The country and the world will not forget this pathetic episode. However, still it is almost unbearable for an ordinary citizen like myself to witness on global TV how the international press chided to near insult the inefficiency of our government in dealing with the situation and even throwing at P-Noy’s face his fading if not lost presidential legacy. It hurts. But what can we do....we always reap what we sow.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 05:11:10 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015