The hottest place in hell…

CTALK 

By Cito Beltran
The Philippine Star

Martin Luther King once said, “The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of great crisis choose to do nothing”.

Judging from the behavior of our government officials, politicians and media personality, I would do a spin on what Martin Luther King said and say: The second hottest place in Hell are reserved for those who in times of national crisis actively stir up discontent, disunity and disorder, the third hottest place would be for government officials who were feuding while everyone needed to know if government employees were exempt from work due to Typhoon Pedring.

Last Saturday, certain members of the opposition tried to place their favorite President, Noynoy Aquino in a bad light by criticizing him for not being visible in the flooded areas of Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan or Central Mindanao.

This cheap shot reminded me of a radio commentator who spent a good half hour criticizing former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro for staying put at his command center instead of going out in the field during Typhoon Ondoy.

I actually called the radio commentator and explained to him the reason why it’s called the “coordinating center” and why GIBO needed to stay at the coordinating center instead of “be seen” by media. Teodoro got more things done, more problems solved by addressing them as the problems came in.

It would have been fool hardy and stupid if PNoy immediately went out to the field with no idea of actual conditions and insufficient logistics or manpower to alleviate flood victims who were so spread out in the three largest provinces of Central Luzon.

In the same breath, the negative comments of opposition politicians about the “need to be seen” is a reflection of their TRAPO mentality and misunderstanding of roles.

As Traditional politicians, Trapos see crisis, poverty and elections as the three principal opportunities for self-promotion. It is during a crisis when they are able to loan out assistance and just like banks they too charge interest in the form of “emotional interest” or “Social usury” we mistakenly call “Utang na loob”. How on earth can any assistance be called “help” if you are forever bound to a debt of gratitude?

In criticizing the President for not being visible, the TRAPOS once again fall into their own pit. They overlook the fact that the Executive branch is made of several departments with their respective roles and functions. To the credit of those in the executive branch even during the Arroyo administration, there has been a growing realization and awareness that in order for government to function, the system must operate through the proper channels and not short circuited by politics and politicians.

The problem with TRAPOS is that they want to be both legislators and bosses.

At a time when the country is being pounded by a string of typhoons, when people are drowning and dying, when livestock and “near harvests” are lost, the least the opposition could do is to help or shut up.

If one or two of them are so hell bent on becoming Senators in 2013, please do your black propaganda and campaign at the appropriate time and place. Don’t do it at the country’s expense and misery. If you cannot be Angels of hope and help, please don’t send out your Press releases on national helplessness and doom.

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Modern day calamities have become so overwhelming that even the most powerful nations on Earth find themselves lacking either in manpower or resources when ever storms, earthquakes or calamity strikes.

Here in the Philippines we all know that our government is still decades away from being sufficient and capable to cope with such problems. Time and again Filipino “Malasakit” or Compassion has helped fill the gap as well as bring out the best in us.

In this light isn’t it about time that we come up with a system where we can sound the alarm or send out a “HELP ALERT” so that every civic-minded individuals and organizations immediately knows there is a legitimate call for volunteers and supplies.

Why do we need to be dependent on our “Kanya-Kanya” process of soliciting donations that often happens a few days or a few weeks late? If the National Disaster and Relief Coordinating Center had such a call, the response I believe would be faster.

In addition to this, the MWSS should commission its own bottled water plant and mobile refilling stations since there is a constant appeal for bottled water every time flooding occurs. It is ironic how donors spend out of pocket; while bottled water makers make a killing just so flood victims can drink!

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While floodwaters rose in Central Luzon and Central Mindanao, it seems tempers were also rising between the Samar and Balay group enough to put a hole on the ship of state while the President was in Japan.

To be specific, the level of disrespect between Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa and the Communications group got so bad that it made the Aquino administration look like school kids in a playground squabble.

When Typhoon Pedring hit the country, government employees and members of media kept asking the communications group whether work in government offices would be suspended or not? For hours, the Communications group tried to deflect or defer answering the question because no decision had yet been made, but as the day wore on, patience ran out and tempers got testy.

In exasperation, a member of the communications group got so fed up being the punching bag and said “why don’t you ask the Executive Secretary instead, it’s his decision to make, we only make the announcements”.

Unfortunately, that was the problem on that fateful morning. No one could get a hold of the Executive Secretary, while the Communications group took the beating.

I don’t know who hates the other more, but Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa and Secretary Sonny Coloma need to get their act together or get more beatings from the media, while thousands of Filipinos suffer from their failure to act and to communicate, especially with each other!!!

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