ALLIANCE NEWS

October 3, 2011

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Deal with disasters, not blame the masses

October 4, 2011

Dear Editor,

The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) based in the United States wrote to your newspaper to vehemently condemn the criminal neglect and the breast thumping of the Aquino III’s NDRRMC , the agency and its head, Benito Ramos.

The NDRRMC is the agency who is task to mitigate disasters and warn the people of the impending disasters and conduct relief work such as the fury of the Thypoon Pedring and Quiel that hit the Philippines and devastated most of Northern and Central Luzon.

Very poor Response

And yet with no less than President Benigno C. Aquino in attendance during their televised briefing, there was nothing new on the typhoons and floodings that hit the country recently. Pedring has passed and another storm came in and had passed but still the waters released by the dams still has flooded the whole Metro Manila and Central Luzon.

The circumstances and issues that should be routine disaster events, and the proposed solutions should have been in place from day one of NDRRMC operations. The cabinet-level briefing sounded more like a Disaster Management 101 class for freshmen !

For the Alliance and the Filipino American community in the United States, this is so tragic but comical at the same stale and stereo-typed. The disaster response is still sloppy and snail-paced. Much is still to be desired and improved."

The latest Senate hearings about the dam administration proved the lack of accountability warning and protocols on dam administration. They just release the dam waters according to their whims and caprices and never cared for the consequences. What is revolting is no one is responsible for the catastrophe they wrought of the people and the nation.

Deal with disasters, not blame the masses

We lament the blatant fact that more than two million people lost their homes, properties and lives in the two successive storms in Luzon. And to top it all they blame the people for not evacuating and “climate change.” And all they can say is that “preparedness prevented Ondoy –scale catastrophe.”

Even Bulacan Governor Willy Alvarado laments the fact the NAPOCOR always sacrifice the province of Bulacan to the needs of Metro Manila and always victimize his province at the expense of the people.

The Alliance is appalled that they ( NDRRMC) and some psychopaths in the Philippine media are even threatening the people for the next storms to be arrested and forcibly evacuated. Even during the 14 years of martial law, Marcos did not even do that.

In 1975, when Angat Dam was flooded, the dictator Marcos ordered the relief of responsible people who opened the dam without warning. Now, instead of laying the blame to the corrupt and inefficient Dam administrators who flooded the areas, the Aquino administration like the Arroyo regime during Ondoy, blame the people for their own miseries they did not inflict on themselves.

Until now coastal towns of Isabela, Cagayan and Aurora are isolated. Cagayan Valley, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Pampanga and the whole of Central Luzon and Metro Manila is under water after the dams released their overflow waters. Even if the high tide has receded, there is flood everywhere. The US-Aquino III regime must do better and not blame the Filipinos for the miseries it caused.

We do not need President Aquino to visit the flooded areas for photo-ops or "papogi points ." Let change for the better be implemented. Not the change for the worst.

For the people,

Arturo P. Garcia

Coordinator, Alliance Philippines

Los Angeles