ARMSHOTS

by Bernardita Benedicto Valenzuela

As the Fifth Anniversary of YOLANDA fast approaches - November 8, 2018 - we are constrained to hark back to that fateful day during which precious lives and valuable property were washed away.

I can still recall vividly what I, together with representatives of various agencies – in the Command Center at City Hall where we had been since the night of November 7- had gone through.

As the vicious winds smashed unrelentingly against the building breaking almost all the glass windows – pummelling all of us with terrible force – we ran from room to room until we finally landed on the first floor all loudly praying the Rosary led by a Policewoman with a trembling voice.

When finally the winds abated at around 11:45 am., Secretary Mar Roxas and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin came up to City Hall both using canes. They had arrived the day before – checked in at the Leyte Park Hotel where the Storm Surge was at its worst. Wilson Chan, LPH proprietor / Manager told me they were running from the ground floor to the second floor – water fiercely rushing toward then.

Together with Jabs Lagutan then City Disaster Risk Reduction Office Head. I spoke to them. Instead of offering help – they asked first of all for insulin for Secretary Gazmin – highly diabetic – who had no insulin with him.

Fortunately Tacloban Chief of Police, Col. Bong Cabillan was around and he looked all over Tacloban - at that time utterly devastated/ for the much-needed medicine which he was able to find at St. Paul’s Hospital (Secretary Gazmin I suspected was in a state of near-shock)

Secretary Mar asked me if he could put up a Communications Center to be able to reach Malacañang, (it seems he forgot to bring a Satellite Phone.) He wanted to go to the Airport. I told him no vehicle could get through – all roads were full of debris – fallen posts and trees.

He asked for a small motorcycle or even just a bicycle. I replied: “Mr. Secretary, even houses were washed away – how much more a bicycle?” Anyway, as we were talking our Procurement Officer came up the stairs (I recalled the City Government had donated bicycles the month before to the City Police.)

He went to the Police office and shortly thereafter – Col. Cabillan came bringing 2 bicycles. (In a media interview – Secretary Mar allegedly said that he went up the Tacloban City Hall: nobody was there.)

When I arrived in Cebu November 16 – to bury a nephew who had died in the disaster- I was interviewed by GMA Newscaster Bobby Nalzaro – I mentioned that this is the first time “anybody called me nobody!"

All these I am stating here to prove that instead of offering us Taclobanons help we needed so badly then – the 2 high officials of the National Government – Chairman and Vice Chairman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Council – were equally helpless. They came to Tacloban unprepared. The very fact that they had checked in at Leyte Park Hotel (which faces San Pedro Bay) proves that they themselves did not know nor did they anticipate the strength of a Storm Surge – in proportions akin to a Tsunami.

Disaster response must be immediate. Any government rules re release of relief goods and equipment have to be set aside because of the urgency of the situation.

The National Government did not bring immediate assistance to YOLANDA survivors. Were it not for the International Community – foreign governments – international non government organizations who sent relief goods-who arrived in Tacloban Day One and thereafter - we would have fallen flat on our face. Among local government officials who sent help – it was the Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who first came to help – unsolicited – barely 48 hours after YOLANDA – bringing with him his whole City Health Office – doctors (nurses/paramedics) – medical equipment and supplies – truckloads of relief goods – and a cash donation of two million pesos!

For this magnanimous gesture – Mayor/President Duterte will be forever etched in the memory of Taclobanons – with our eternal gratitude!

The office of Civil Defense during a Seminar held here in Tacloban 3 weeks ago – submitted a report that the City Government of Tacloban was not able to help in the cleaning of the streets and roads. OCD claimed MMDA was the one who did this. We acknowledge the help of MMDA through Chairman Francis Tolentino who came days after the typhoon. But it was the City Government headed by Mayor Alfred Romualdez who cleared the streets - he even drove the Backhoe (driver was missing) to first clean the road leading to the Airport – but had to retrieve first the bodies of dead Taclobanons littering the whole area.

Tacloban City Government officials who survived did a gargantuan job in the relief operations.

OCD also underscored that the City Gov’t did not observe the Building Code in giving permits for the vertical infrastructure in Tacloban, No Building Code in our country stipulates that a building should be able to withstand winds of more than 280 kilometers per hour. Otherwise no one can afford to erect a medium-priced building. For example instead of 20 schoolhouses – government can build only 5 – for one disaster-resilient schoolhouse can be built only with a budget which normally could build 5 or 6 more. Sturdier structures cost a lot to build- or doesn’t OCD know this?

Memories certainly last. Mine are slowly disappearing – but when news reports about misdeeds of former key National Government Officials arise - like missing foreign donations to YOLANDA victims – rotting relief goods, etc – the ugly memories resurface – the feeling of despair sets in and invades one’s peace of mind.

Nevertheless as I keep on repeating “Tacloban will right itself – repair its wounds - count its blessings - and move into the future!”