Yolanda Rehab: Thanks to the INGOs, NGOs; Shame on the gov’t of the Philippines

Tacloban City

Two months from now the 2^nd year anniversary for typhoon Yolanda will be commemorated. Maybe a majority of the Yolanda survivors have just started picking up the pieces of their lives back. A stranger might see the road repairs, building new classrooms, hospitals and all along the national highway wherever he may be as he steps into the soil of this province.

He/she might wonder why people still demand fo help in repairing their homes when in fact he/she has seen a lot of changes by way of new constructions. It is because the reason that the government has abandoned us early last year when the people needed the help and hope from his government. 

Think about this: Vietnam and Thailand government through the DSWD Region 8 have donated a thousand sacks of rice according to the Philippine Ports Authority, but nothing have been given to the survivors of typhoon Yolanda. What has been given instead is NFA rice? Where are the imported sacks of rice? Was it sold at the Chines rice traders?

The emergency shelter assistance that is intended for the victims has been laid down a very strict guidelines that made the majority of the households did not qualify. Had typhoon Yolanda chooses on who will be affected? Does Yolanda only hit the private employees and evaded the government employees? The guidelines created by Dinky Soliman were very inhuman. I don’t know where she got those ideas that lead her to make those stupid guidelines. Many had just been excluded for thousands of reasons that a survivor won’t even want to discuss to you because of anger.

Some of them had just accepted the fact that this is how the government responds to its needy constituents. It’s just like the normal way of how they neglected the needs of the vulnerable sectors in the society who were in need of basic services. They are so numb. Nothing was new to the response. A lot of lessons were learned from Yolanda and one of it was in knowing who had been there during our dark times. Who are those government officials who remained and never leave us? They are just few and we know all of them. We will love them till the end of time. Yolanda was a test of leadership. For some, it was a nightmare because they have shown their true colors and let the people judge their acts.

A majority of the poor in the hinterlands, especially the coconut farmers lost their livelihoods. The said intervention from the government has not been felt by the farmers. Where are the billions of funds for the coco farmers? Is the cleaning of the farmlands sustainable? They suffer hunger every time. They’re having a hard time shifting a livelihood to another because of lack of training and information about vegetable farming. This kind of services has not been even delivered to the farmers. How lazy they are! It is very shameful for the government that those who were helping the community (that his people) are from the INGOs and NGOs.

I went to the hinterlands of Merida and Kanangga last week and I noticed that every tarpaulin I saw was from an INGO or NGO. I did not see programs and projects from the government. It’s awful to realize that the government was not doing anything but only corruption. I met some friends working the INGO who served the older people. This sector has not been considered by anyone. They’re old and neglected. There are fellow typhoon survivors who worked in that organization. They are serving the needs of the poorest of the poor. But like any other organizations, they have programs that soon to end. A majority of the INGOs and NGOs already left.

Some of them stayed until their program will end. After they left, will the government provide the basic needs of the poor? I guess not. They will remain insensitive as they are in the first place. I pity our people who were still living under the shadow of uncertainty. Many call them as resilient people, yes they might be and we are proud of that.

We’ve been resilient because of the people in the INGOs and NGOs who helped us stand when we suffer the loss of livelihoods, properties and even the lives of our loved ones. They were there to comfort us. They gave hope to our hopeless dreams. The organizations filled the gap that the government was not even bothered to fill. Shame on the government, really and I’m ashamed of this kind of administration. In behalf of all the survivors of typhoon Yolanda, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL THE INTERNATIONAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR HELPING US AND FOR GIVING US THE COURAGE OF MOVING ON AFTER THE DISASTER. To Mr. President, have some balls sir!