Super typhoon Tino has left the Philippines but in its wake leveled large areas in Eastern and Central Visayas, Palawan, Mindanao and other islands.
From fatalities of 10 or so reported during the first hours after the floods, the death toll as of this writing (Friday, Nov. 7) is 188, with 135 persons still missing.
These are official figures from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), an office with a long and professional-sounding name but blind, clueless and lame in the "risk reduction" part of its mandate.
My monitoring of the news shows that the hardest hit areas are Cebu, particularly Compostela, Liloan, Cebu City and Mandaue City, and the islands of Samar and Leyte, particularly Guiuan and Southern Leyte. And even Iloilo, Antique, and Guimaras island, aside from Palawan.
The images of devastation are appalling and sad, they would break even the hardest hearts such as those of Martin and Chiz, and Zaldy and Jayjay and Benny and Robert and Henry and Brice and Cathy and most especially, Manny.
It is hard not to think of these names whenever catastrophic floods hit the country. And the list goes longer and longer, taking a life of its own -- Joel, Jinggoy, Curlee, Sarah, Bong, Sandro, Gerville, Stella, Mitch, Mario, Nancy, Grace, ad infinitum.
After the dead had been counted, after the total property damage to public and private infrastructure, homes, schools, churches, bridges, roads, power and communication facilities--what do we have?
Relief operations and building from scratch again.
Disaster relief has tanked the coffers of the local government units, even such rich cities as Cebu and Mandaue. Gov. Pam Baricuatro has asked for assistance from the Palace.
How about the private sectors and other friendly governments? The business community, the showbiz personalities with strong ties to Cebu such as Kim Chiu, leaders of Davao led by VP Sara Duterte, and friendly nations were the first ones to help.
Offices such as the Consular Office of the People's Republic of China in Cebu were seen early on preparing and distributing relief goods such as canned food, drinking water and clothing supplies.
But where is the United States in all these? We miss them in Bogo City, also in Cebu, when the huge earthquake struck in September. We miss them in typhoon Tino, too.
And to think that when President Bongbong Marcos and Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro were touting the additional 5 military bases under the EDCA, it was officially assured that these EDCA bases are to be used for disaster response, relief and evacuation assistance.
It took Tino to unveil this great EDCA lie.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNews #ViewfromCalumpang #NDRRMC #EDCA