A letter from Leyte

Mr. President  BENIGNO  S. AQUINO III:

The totally distressing and embarrassing PROBLEM of lack of food, medicine, water, and other basic needs (like recovery and decent burial  of dead bodies) in typhoon ravaged areas, particularly Tacloban City, despite the existence of a national government with annual budget of roughly TWO TRILLION PESOS, is quite real, as eloquently dramatized to the nation by evening TV newscasts and other modes of communication through the Internet.   

From your response to foreign media as I personally saw on TV, you expect local governments to handle the problem because they are the ones responsible for it. Your response, Mr. President, is extremely disappointing.   

After typhoon Yolanda struck and wrought terrible havoc in its path, WHAT MATTERS is no longer WHO IN GOVERNMENT HAVE THE DUTY TO HANDLE THE PROBLEM, first and foremost of which is providing timely relief to the hungry, sick, and dying.  

WHAT MATTERS now is WHO IN GOVERNMENT HAS THE CAPACITY TO HANDLE THE PROBLEM. 

As President of the nation who asked Filipinos to vote for you in the 2010 elections, you not only have the CAPABILITY (or most power and influence) but also the DUTY to address the problem.       

Local government officials are not capable of solving the problem because local governments do not have budget, savings, or surplus funds to clean the extent of mess and devastation inflicted by Yolanda. To begin with, their receipt of INTERNAL REVENUE ALLOTMENTS may not be up-to-date. Moreover, they are themselves victims which need help from outside.  Their assets, like motor vehicles, were damaged by flood. Those not damaged are not usable for lack of gasoline and diesel supply in the ravaged areas. They may have some cash, but no stores or business establishments are operating in their localities---and local workers are not available for work because money cannot buy anything at this time in their areas, and they are more concerned with survival of their families.       

As President, you can do what local government officials cannot do. You can commandeer airplanes and helicopters to airlift and drop food, medicine, and water in critical areas in Samar and Leyte, like what was done during World War II as we saw in movies and TV. You can mobilize the arm forces and civilian government employees to help. You can commander bus, trucks, and buses to help in relief distribution. You can ask oil companies to send gasoline and diesel forthwith through tugboats and barges to the area. You can ask relief goods to be distributed by air, land, and sea from different sources, including Cebu and other nearby islands. You can ask your cabinet members, your alter egos, to work day and night to plan and implement proper and timely distribution of relief goods, and many other things.           

In brief, Mr. President:

ASK LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO DO IT, BUT IF THEY WILL NOT---OR CANNOT---DO IT, THEN YOU DO IT---through the national government. 

MARCELO  L. TECSON

A Concerned Citizen

November 14, 2013