komentaryo

Criticism

I agree there is much to be done in the face of the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, and there is really only sadness and helplessness for those of us who are far away, watching these images on television, hearing about the plight of those who are now on their seventh day without food and water.

That should not, cannot mean, biting our tongues, and giving this government a break. Because anyone at all would know that there is something fundamentally wrong about the strongest storm coming to the Philippines, about a president that warned of storm surges, but who did not order an evacuation.

There is something wrong with a national government that expected their Local Government Units to take care of their towns and provinces, to be the first responders in the aftermath of the storm, without imagining that if the towns were going under, so would the homes of the mayors and governors and councilors.

No imagination
Yes, we may let all that go. Let’s say that the government prepared, but did not have the imagination to see how bad things would be. Let’s say that the government had a plan in place, but that plan was destroyed by the storm as well.

The question then becomes: why is there no Plan B? (more…)

komentaryo

Words

There are no words for what has happened.

Even as it is also all that we have, helpless in Manila as many of us are. It was words, too, that kept me watching, waiting, for government to prove that it was in control of the situation that was wrought by Typhoon Yolanda.

On November 7, PNoy had warned about Super Typhoon Yolanda’s strength. “Storm surges in Ormoc, Ginayangan Ragay Gulf in Albay and Lamon Bay in Atimonan will bring grave danger. And waves in these areas may reach up to five to six meters high,” the good president had said.

“Let this be a warning to local government units: Your constituents are facing grave danger. Let us do all we can while ‘Yolanda’ has yet to make landfall.”

To the public he said: “Coordinate with and follow authorities. Evacuate if your area is in danger. To those near the shore: do not head towards the open sea,” PNoy implored.

Filipinos were also told to stay informed about which communities will be affected by Yolanda, by checking the websites of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, and Project NOAH. (more…)

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#YolandaPH #reliefPH

reliefph

i’ve been on this site. there are no words.

kultura

on “I used to be able to talk to myself. Now we just argue.”

It was jarring to enter the individual space for Ronald Caringal’s recent exhibit, to find all but nine images that look like comic book illustrations. All in black and white, these are close-ups of faces, familiar but not exactly someone you’d know. They are all speaking, some more adamant, more frustrated, more incensed than others. Other faces have lips pursed, eyes looking out to the spectator, spoken for by the words emblazoned within the canvas.

The story unfolds. (more…)

komentaryo

PNoy and that legal card

this was published in The Manila Times on October 17 2013. on October 30 2013, PNoy went on live television to defend the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) by saying that it’s all legal. this piece was entitled “Legal.” 

The spin is clear, and for once the PNoy government and its allies are right. All of this is legal.

Right now, as I write this on Tuesday morning, Senator Franklin Drilon is on television. “What crime did we commit?” he asks with regards the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). The inquiry he says should be: “Was it <the fund> used properly?”

The premise of course is the notion that corruption is only about the improper use of public funds. To Drilon, there is nothing wrong or corrupt about the process that the DAP went through, because unlike the pork barrel scam, which involves an entity like a (fake) non-government organization, the fund for DAP went through the correct and legal process. He can account for every single cent, Senator Drilon says. (more…)