I've been receiving a lot of queries from my colleagues at work, my students and a few friends about how my family and relatives back home were affected by the super typhoon Haiyan (local code name: Yolanda). My response I always held back, as I was almost tempted to answer they were lucky. Lucky because they were being way far off the destructive path of the unwanted calamitous visitor. But I resent to use the word lucky. Why? Because there were a lot of people back home, short of being lucky, suffered the unthinkable magnitude of the destruction and wreckage that Yolanda left behind. And for the many who lost their lives, I am almost tempted to consider them lucky as well, for they don't have to endure hunger, thirst, pain, the stench, the grief of losing loved ones, looting, and yes the never ending negative publicity that's perpetuating in social media.
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The night Yolanda was supposed to hit the Philippines, I was unusually hooked to Facebook, checking updates from home every time I woke up. The periodic updating I got made me sleep calmly through the rest of the night. And then, the video footage, shown on TV and posted on FB, as the destruction unfolded with Yolanda's landfall, not once, not twice but many times, capturing the eerie howl of the winds stronger than the equally notorious US's Katrina and Sandy, and the storm surge akin to the rushing waters in the Day After Tomorrow, had said it all. Tacloban and the surrounding areas were never the same again!
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The days that follow after Yolanda, there was seemingly lawlessness in the hardly hit areas,and looting has become a commonplace. The survivors, instinctively driven by the 'survival of the fittest' feat would do anything and everything to keep themselves (and their families) alive. And this was while appropriate agencies (government and private) worked their way to get into the jungle of scattered broken limbs or uprooted trees, fallen power poles, stretches of impassable roads, and broken infrastructures. But help was on the way!
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And then the blame game. Filipinos are good 'turists', good at 'turo-turo'! Finger pointing!
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It is understandable why many people felt so badly about the sluggish response of the government. They felt the pain, the grief, the agony, the hunger, the utter sense of helplessness and hopelessness of the destitute survivors. For they could be their parents, brothers, sisters, relative or friends. But let's not be quick at pointing that accusing finger as to who is to blame! While every netizen has the right to express his concerns, views and opinions, and to ventilate his grievances or complaints, spreading accusations that could be baseless and false, and even derogatory to authorities do not help at all! Yes, it took days before government can deliver substantial relief impact to the survivors, but for a reason! There were many planes available to deliver food to the hardly-hit areas but the airport is not functional! When earthquake hit Bohol, there were no qualms or complaints about government inefficiency. Because there were no major roadblocks in their activities. Not in the Yolanda-stricken areas!
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In the days after Yolanda, I held back posting my thoughts, opinions and observations on FB. I watched post after post. It's been one week now since the catastrophe, still a lot of netizens have nothing else but negative postings. And the posts were hateful and divisive! Granting that all the rants are true, some people have to bear the brunt consequences of their choices. Come on folks: when you point an accusing finger to a person you believed is to be blamed, the other 3 fingers are pointing back at you. If you think that the president or politicians are to be blamed for this brouhaha, think again! For you may have elected him/them into their office. And you were a part of the problem!
