Haiyan or Yolanda as an “act of God” actually brought
out some virtuous traits of mankind.
Charity was and continues to
be the most dominant trait that was demonstrated towards the typhoon victims
not just by Filipino countrymen but also by people and governments from other
countries. The amount of donations -
financial and in-kind as well as services benefiting the victims proves to be
invaluable even to this day.
Social Responsibility was also on display as citizens
from all walks of life felt a sense of responsibility in helping the less
fortunate in a given society devastated by calamity. World organizations like the United Nations
and the Red Cross, governments, non-governmental organizations, charitable and
volunteer organizations, hometown associations, and individuals got involved in
the relief and rescue operations.
As we saw the good and the
beautiful side of people, we actually witnessed the ugly side as well. Perhaps by necessity and self-preservation,
theft and looting were committed amidst the devastation with all the
aggravations. This was the case in
Tacloban City. In fact, the Mayor, by
his own admission, was a beneficiary of the loot because he was left with
nothing.
It showed the helplessness of even the so-called
first responders led by Mayor Alfred Romualdez whose primary responsibility was
to prevent such things from happening.
It was understandable as I
came to their defense in a previous article.
It was an inevitable, unavoidable, and unexpected event that no group of
human beings could have countered it.
But to my disappointment, the ugly part was displayed
for all to see. Instead of showing some
humility to obtain needed support for his people from the National Government,
the Mayor started whining, complaining and even crying publicly before a
Congressional hearing and the press. He
alleged that he was not getting the needed support from the Aquino
administration being a Romualdez and for his refusal to sign a document. He supported his allegation with a video of
DILG Secretary Roxas making these comments.
It turned out that the 18
second-video which was uploaded by his father-in-law Jose Mari Gonzales, was
spliced and doctored to suit Romualdez’ accusation. The complete 43-minute video uploaded later
on disputes it.
Romualdez never accounted for the alteration. He never acknowledged that the alteration was
made by someone without his consent, or was otherwise properly or innocently
made. The alteration was meant to change
the meaning of the entire conversation.
It was obviously done in bad faith. In the parliamentary words of Winston
Churchill, Romualdez was “guilty of a deliberate attempt to commit a
terminological inexactitude.”
Romualdez refused Roxas’
challenge that they both take the lie-detector test.
Sadly, even more ugly is that some Aquino critics –
naysaying columnists who used to be the propagandists of Marcos and Arroyo
wrote their articles referring to the doctored video as gospel truth.
Under the NDRRMC law
(Section 15), the Tacloban City Government led by Mayor Alfred Romualdez has
the primary responsibility as first responders.
The responsibility includes the “provision of emergency services and public
assistance during or immediately after a disaster in order to save lives,
reduce health impact, ensure public safety, and meet the basic subsistence
needs of the people affected.”
The same law likewise states that the NDRRMC and
LDRRMC shall ALWAYS act as support to LGUs in the performance of their primary
responsibility as first responders.
This is consistent with the
provisions of the Local Autonomy Code whose purpose is for the devolution of
powers and responsibilities in providing basic services and facilities.
During emergencies such as disasters, the regional
and/or national DRRMC are called upon to coordinate the affected localities,
provinces, or regions as the case may be – thus, providing support. But the primary responsibility as first
responders providing the services enumerated above remains with the LGU or, in
this case, with the Tacloban City government led by Mayor Romualdez.
Furthermore, the NDRRMC Law
also provides prohibited acts that include “Dereliction of duties which leads
to destruction, loss of lives, critical damage of facilities and misuse of
funds.”
Aside from fine and/or imprisonment, the penalty could be perpetual disqualification from public office if the offender IS a public officer like a City Mayor.
Aside from fine and/or imprisonment, the penalty could be perpetual disqualification from public office if the offender IS a public officer like a City Mayor.
The Aquino Administration
has indicated that, after things get settled and the relief, rehabilitation,
and recovery get underway, it might conduct a probe on how local officials and
other public officers met their primary responsibilities before, during, and
after the disaster.
Ironically, a formal declaration of his inability to
fully fulfill his duties as Mayor and a written request for the National
Government to fill the vacuum would have resolved any misunderstanding or any
possible legal dispute. Instead of
totally rejecting to put in writing what he actually asked orally, he could
have just added a sentence clearly stating that his action ”does not mean
resignation.”
