Dangerous revelry

Dangerous revelry


Updated 01:59am (Mla time) Dec 31, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the December 31, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer




TONIGHT the skies will light up with a thousand and one flares and a legion of blazing portents. No, it's not the end of the world. It's just the traditional New Year's Eve revelry of fireworks, firecrackers-and fiery or fatal accidents.

To the credit of this reckless nation, the revelry through the years has become less and less deadly. Despite the characteristic tendency of revelers to explode themselves to kingdom come, there has grown a movement and a critical mass promoting and exercising caution and restraint during the celebration. That mass is building up.

For instance, the police leadership this year has pledged to crack down severely on violators of the law on illegal firecrackers. Banned pyrotechnics are those that contain more than 0.2 grams of explosive ingredients, ignite in less than three seconds or before the count of six, and carry no manufacturer's label. In the Philippines, these pyrotechnics come with such fancy names as "big triangle," "super lolo," "thunder," "mother rocket," "five-star," "OG," "pla-pla," "pillbox," "whistle bomb," "giant whistle bomb," "atomic bomb" and "super bawang."

It seems local authorities are cooperating with the police initiative. Gov. Josefina Cruz of Bulacan, the firecracker capital of the Philippines, has urged consumers to use only regulated pyrotechnics bearing business registration numbers. She said that the provincial government would crack down on illegal firecracker manufacturers and implement to the letter Republic Act 7183, the law on pyrotechnics.

But local governments seem impervious to a 2002 memorandum from the Department of Interior and Local Government to designate firecracker zones in their localities so as to regulate the festivities. Perhaps this measure should be tried and tested. It may yet rationalize firecracker use and limit its potential for damage and danger.

But there's also concern about police and military officers firing guns at the height of the revelry. Cases of illegal discharge of firearms in the past years have led to deaths and injuries. Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes has warned policemen, soldiers and firemen who will fire their guns that they would be charged and fired from the service.

Safety precautions tonight cannot be overemphasized. Untrammeled and irrational use of firecrackers has maimed and even killed thousands. It has also rendered thousands homeless on the occasions when firecrackers cause fire accidents. Although firecracker accidents have been on a decline since 1999, there's a need to further lessen the incidence. There ought to be new warnings about the irreparability of a firecracker injury since many survivors die of tetanus infection later on, as statistics of the health department tend to show.

Moreover, there's the environmental threat. Firecracker use contributes to the despoliation of an environment already stretched to its breathing limits by industrial and residential pollution. There must be a more welcoming way to welcome the New Year without compromising health and the ecology.

Recurring tragedies

Recurring tragedies


Updated 11:52pm (Mla time) Dec 27, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A10 of the December 28, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.




TWO recent tragedies -- the series of four typhoons that killed 1,062 people and the death in a fire of Speaker Jose de Venecia's youngest daughter -- have once again focused attention on two recurring problems. These are deforestation and the inadequacy of firefighting equipment and personnel.

Some people say that deforestation was not the only factor that caused the landslides and floods that killed hundreds of people in Quezon, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Mindoro and Leyte. But certainly deforestation was one of the major factors, if not the major factor. Deforestation destroyed watersheds on the mountains and deprived them of the capability to hold rainwater. The result was that the huge volumes of rain brought by the four successive typhoons came thundering down the mountains, killing hundreds and destroying hundreds of millions of pesos in property and crops.

Logging -- both legal and illegal -- has steadily cut down the once lush forest cover of the country. The forest cover has decreased by 56 percent in the postwar period. In the past 50 years, the country has lost one hectare of forest every minute, leaving only a 21-percent forest cover. To be sure, loggers are not alone to blame. There are also those who practice “kaingin” (forest burning and clearing to provide land for farms) and those who cut down trees for firewood and charcoal-making. But these make up a minimal percentage of those who destroy the forest.

The government is virtually helpless in stopping illegal logging. Only about 4,500 forest rangers watch over 15 million hectares of forestlands. That is about 300 forest rangers per region. Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri recently said, "Imagine an area the size of Mindanao with only 1,800 rangers, and you get the alarming picture."

In the coming year, the executive and legislative departments will have to get together and agree on either a total logging ban or a selective one. At the same time, a nationwide reforestation program has to be adopted, funded and continuously carried out. Perhaps the help of non-government and civic organizations could be enlisted in the massive effort. The strictest safeguards have to be adopted to insure that the funds are used only for reforestation and not frittered away in "administrative costs" and graft and corruption.

The death of KC de Venecia, the Speaker's daughter, in a fire that hit their mansion should focus national attention on the inadequacy of firefighting equipment and personnel of cities and towns. It is a shame and a disgrace that Makati City, the country's financial center, does not even have asbestos suits for its firemen. Such suits are now standard issue in cities and towns in other countries.

De Venecia has said that he would introduce a measure to equip the firefighting units of cities and towns with asbestos suits. But more than that, a thoroughgoing study should be made of the equipment and personnel needs of all firefighting units so that enough funds can be allocated for them in the national budget for 2006.

The death of KC should also prompt home and building owners to reexamine their property to see if they comply strictly with the National Building Code. In their desire to protect themselves from robbers and intruders, some home and building owners may have built firetraps. If they have unwittingly done so, the errors as well as violations of the National Building Code should be corrected before the next fatal fire strikes.

A review of some of the major fires in the past 10 years or so would show that metal grilles prevented people in burning houses and buildings from escaping, with the result that they either burned to death or suffocated. In other cases, there were no fire exits or they were improperly constructed, or there were no fire alarm systems and fire hydrants. Among these fatal fires were: the Ozone Disco fire, with 160 dead; the fire at the New Imperial Hotel in Cotabato City in 1997, with 24 killed; the Lung Center fire in 1998, with 25 patients killed; the fire at the Settlement House in Paco in 1998, with 28 people dead (23 of them children); and the Quezon City Manor Hotel fire, with 25 dead.

In most of these fires the deaths could have been avoided, or at least the number of casualties could have been minimized had there been strict compliance with building regulations or had firemen been adequately equipped with the latest in firefighting equipment.

Time to rebuild

Time to rebuild


Updated 11:42pm (Mla time) Dec 26, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 27, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.




THE STREAM of donations has turned into a trickle, slowed down by the debris of even more recent events: the death of Fernando Poe Jr., the four-day Christmas weekend holiday in its wake. Donor fatigue may have started to set in, too.

This is unfortunate, because the victims of the recent tragedies in Aurora and Quezon as well as less-publicized areas in Oriental Mindoro and Nueva Ecija remain in dire need. By and large, relief goods organizers no longer solicit or encourage the donation of used clothing; there may be enough of that already. But food remains a priority: canned goods, instant noodle packs, rice, bottled water and the like. Donation of services-a volunteer's time, to sort and repack relief goods; transportation, to distribute the goods; and so on-also continues to be in demand.

Cash, of course, is welcome, but best coursed through such reputable and reliable service organizations as the Philippine National Red Cross.

A month after the first calamity struck, relief operations continue to be the order of the day. But already it is time to focus on the next necessary phase: rehabilitation. In this stage, an already cash-strapped national government will have to step up its already considerable efforts to help the hundreds of thousands hurt by the successive typhoons. And the private sector will have to make the transition from traditional donor to partner in community-building.

Priority must be given to helping those who have lost their jobs or their means of livelihood, by giving them a chance to earn again. The national government, working closely with the local authorities, can turn the rehabilitation effort into a temporary income-earner for the victims themselves. The able-bodied, for instance, can be drafted for the short term to help in the inevitable cleanup and repair. Clearing the streets, removing the litter of logs, getting essential services back on track: all these and more will have to be done anyway. Perhaps the authorities can speed it all up by getting help from those who need to be helped. (Besides, the Arroyo administration knows all about short-term but high-impact employment projects, having hired a battalion of vest-wearing street-sweepers in Metro Manila during the campaign.)

Initiatives such as these will encourage more men and women to leave the evacuation centers by day, helping them avoid the welfare rut.

The government must also speed up the work of relocating the displaced. The President has announced the choice of a new housing site, good for about a thousand families. But even she knows this is not enough. This is where the private sector can come in, and for the long haul. Corporate sponsors can help build new houses, on safer ground.

The private sector has successful business models to choose from, including those of the Habitat for Humanity and the Gawad Kalinga project of the Couples for Christ movement. Corporations and their employee-volunteers donate a little money and a lot of time to help build houses in community sites. Instead of simply giving money, the sponsors can roll up their sleeves and actually, painstakingly, put the houses together, working closely with those who will end up living in them.

This model can be useful in the rehabilitation work, too. In the late 1980s, the Metro Manila Development Authority tried to enlist the help of corporations in easing traffic congestion in the capital region, by asking them to sponsor the work of traffic direction in specific intersections. The project did not succeed, not least because of inconsistency in application. But the same principle might work in the rehabilitation of storm-struck areas.

A hundred corporations can "sponsor" a hundred sites, each one good for, say, a hundred families.

Are we dreaming with our eyes open? Perhaps, but both the technology and the simplified process for building simple but sturdy houses, like those of Habitat for Humanity, are readily available. The need is great. And the time is opportune: The calamities have helped focus the nation's attention. A concerted, cooperative effort to rebuild might just revive the nation's spirit.

The day after

The day after


Updated 09:33pm (Mla time) Dec 25, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A10 of the December 26, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



View full-size editorial cartoon
FROM THE TABLES of the rich, groaning with food, to the humble homes of the poor, where there is little materially to share--for all of us, Christmas is over. This doesn't mean the holiday season is over since it will last until after New Year's Day, after all. Still, for all of us, the giving and receiving is pretty much over.

Except for the very well-off, most Filipinos have gone through the holidays spending far more than they should. Many of us had surely hoped to receive more than we actually got. Whether it is better to give more than we got is something each individual must decide. We believe that this holiday season, far more people did more genuine giving than in recent years.

Somehow, despite the financial pressures that face all of us, people still found a way to give more. Among middle-class Filipinos, we have seen a remarkable trend in recent years. People, instead of giving material gifts, have been giving to charity or to good causes in the name of their friends. This is truly a remarkable way to celebrate Christmas. We hope more and more people, as they experience this kind of sharing, decide in the coming years to share in this manner as well.

Spontaneously, in many offices throughout the land, companies also decided to give up part, or all, of their Christmas party budgets so they could send relief goods to people suffering from the effects of the typhoons. Instead of Kriss Kringles and games, people donated to charity. There were a number of cases where management was surprised by their employees taking the initiative to give up parties so they could give to those in need. Each and every Filipino, from whatever walk of life, who gave up something so that others might have a little something, is a Filipino who truly knows what the holidays are all about.

The Armed Forces and rebels both put away their rifles, so that the country may have a little peace. This makes the holidays even more precious. At least for a little while, throughout the land where rebellion and military offensives otherwise dominate life, at least everyone can enjoy some peace and quiet.

Poverty haunts us. Natural disasters have afflicted us. Politics and rebellions divide us. And yet, rich and poor alike, most of us came together as families, and spent some time in prayer and laughing, joking, sharing. We did it in many different ways, each according to our means, but each, we believe, at least for a moment, united by the ties of affection and celebration. If we find our wallets emptier, let us hope it was because we spent for the most unfortunate, and not merely to display our good fortune.

Foreigners always say that Christmastime in the Philippines is like no other. They are right. In a world that has grown increasingly materialistic, good fortune is confused with the accumulation and display of possessions. Here, Christmas is still for the family, the extended family. This is, in the end, for all the faults of our clannish nature, a truly precious thing we can all enjoy.

The days leading up to the holidays were filled with stories of private and public grief, of tragedies shared and experienced. These stories of grief reminded all of us to cherish all the more those we love. These stories inspired us to reach out, with an embrace, with flowers, with a prayer. Our country has experienced many Christmases marked by adversity and misery. Our elders can always tell us that even if things look bad, things have been worse before.

It can never be so bad, however, if we always remember that those who have less should receive a little something from those with more. If we always bear in mind that we all feel the same emotions, and are capable of the same wants, then those who are wanting can always hope for a time when today's hunger and hopelessness will go away.

Can you hear it?

Can you hear it?


Updated 09:52pm (Mla time) Dec 24, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A10 of the December 25, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer




IN A TIME of lingering anguish and sudden loss, Christmas comes almost like an irrelevance. After the tempest of a divisive and long drawn-out election year, after the sorrow of unexpected death (those of entire communities, that of a popular Filipino icon), the longed-for day arrives looking like a lesser thing.

There is little relief, and less gaiety. Even the rich are burdened by a sense that the time is not ripe for a celebration.

But it is in times like these, when we seem to encounter the mysteries of Lent in the middle of Christmas, that Christians actually come closest to the true meaning--that is to say, religious rather than commercial--of the season.

In his Christmas message, Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Rosales reminded us of an obscure but crucial axiom of the faith: "Christmas is whispering to us even in the darkness and after the tempest and sorrow are gone."

Indeed, to the Christian believer, the whispering happens even when the tempest is still howling, when the sorrow still runs deep.

Can you hear it?

Our response will be revealing, not for what it says about Christmas, but in fact for what it says about ourselves.

Loud and clear

TO MARY, the wearying return to Bethlehem for the imperial census must have seemed a less-than-happy time to give birth to the promised Savior of the human race. The inhospitable innkeepers must have seemed like more sorry examples of the race to be saved. And the terrified shepherds visiting "a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" must have seemed yet another reminder of the poverty that was all around her.

But it was Mary's gift--as it was the gift of the other two central figures of the first Christian season of Advent, the prophet Isaiah and John the Baptizer--to see beyond appearances. In the literal darkness, in the midst of the homecoming tempest and the sorrow and pain of childbirth, she heard Christmas loud and clear. Playing host to a flock of shepherds so soon after giving birth, Mary yet received their astonishing angel-babble with grace. "As for Mary," the evangelist Luke recalls, "she treasured all these messages and continually pondered over them."

It is Mary's love for her Son that puts everything in perspective: the untimely pregnancy, the unwanted traveling, the jostling crowd, the fear of losing the Baby, the make-shift delivery room, the surprise, perhaps even unwelcome visitors. In the Nativity experience, she foreshadowed the essential teaching of her crucified Son. Love's sacrifice is redemptive.

This lesson is even more relevant to us today, when millions of Filipinos seem plunged in gloom or deep in the throes of suffering. The Manila archbishop, in his message to the faithful, suggests something we already know all too well: Grace comes even or especially from the afflicted, if they allow themselves to turn their affliction into love's willing sacrifice. "These people who have been touched by God's love in Jesus are capable of bringing peace where there is conflict, of building and nurturing fraternal relationships where there is hatred, of seeking justice where there prevails the exploitation of man by man. Only love is capable of radically transforming the relationship that men maintain among themselves."

"Touched by God's love in Jesus." This subtle phrase suggests what theologians call the economy of salvation. If we are in pain, and we offer our pain as a sacrifice of love (that is, as part of Christ's own suffering), our suffering redeems us, gives meaning to our lives, and ultimately saves us. This is the heart of the Christian faith. We are touched by God's love in Jesus to the degree we share in his self-sacrifice.

This is, thus, what Christmas is whispering to us amid the gathering darkness, in the middle of our tempest and our sorrow: Even in affliction, there is yet hope.

Banal Christmas

Banal Christmas


Updated 01:37am (Mla time) Dec 24, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the December 24, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



TONIGHT, before midnight, Filipinos will flock to Catholic churches across the archipelago to attend the penultimate Mass ending the novenary of early dawn Masses that started last Dec. 16. Strictly speaking, the Mass is not penultimate because Catholics are still mandated to go to a Christmas Day Mass tomorrow. But the midnight Mass tonight is a credible finis to the nine-day run-up to the birth of Christ that remarkably prefigures the long wait in the Old Testament for the birth of the Messiah.

Of course, the preparation for Christmas started long way before with the Catholic liturgy's lighting of the Advent candle wreath last month. The lighting symbolizes many things, among them, the vigilant anticipation of Christians for the coming of Christ.

But Filipinos have long ago anticipated Christmas, since the onset of September when radios started filling the airwaves with the first Christmas carols, a case of Christmas overeagerness. A sort of anticipation that borders on obsession.

But Philippine Christmas takes its most distinctive form at the start of December when the streets and establishments are festooned with lights that have become more and more ingenious through the years. Offices and schools start elaborate gift-giving practices, aside from the predictable parties. Corporations play Santa Claus by showering goodies on depressed communities and marginalized sectors. Giving becomes institutionalized, at least for a month.

But the practices that characterize the Filipino Christmas have become so common that they seem commonplace and banal. Such is the power of the practices to insinuate and integrate themselves into the season that their import has been lost in the hurly-burly of the celebration.

Even the altruism of Christmas is lost in the corporate do-goodism that has more and more become part of the bag of tricks of marketing men eager as always to exalt business and corporate virtue in another form of grating hardsell. There seems to be no end to commerce's remarkable facility to debase Christmas.


Meaningful Christmas

AND yet this year seems a particularly meaningful Christmas for the Philippines. The month started propitiously enough with destructive typhoons that flooded and laid waste to a wide swath of the archipelago's southeastern regions, displacing tens of thousands and killing hundreds. The death of theater great Zeneida Amador late last month, and the deaths this month of Fernando Poe Jr. and KC de Venecia, the last one tragically in a fire, have cast a pall of gloom in a season that is otherwise determined to make merry and cheer things up.

All these tragedies should compel us to reflect the meaning of the season and plumb its message and insights. This would require going beyond the tinsel and glitter of Christmas and reacquainting ourselves with its rituals that have become second nature to us, but which we have somehow transformed into rote in our eager rush to embrace commerce and materialism.

In the end, the meaning of Christmas is the same one that has been ingrained in us by the rituals and practices that the Spanish friar missionaries and the Church had in the past introduced and fostered in order to consolidate the faith. The practices are basically sacramental forms that symbolize and reflect in themselves the glory of God and God's fellowship with mankind in a world seemingly bereft of hope and vitality. The genius of the Spanish missionaries was to integrate these practices into the lifestyle of the Filipinos so that they would seem to form a seamless weave in the larger tapestry of Filipino religiosity.

Nevertheless, they are not mere pious practices. If the sacraments guided the native Filipinos from birth to grave, it is the same with these practices: they accompany the Filipinos through the vagaries of existence, endowing their lives with meaning, relevance, love and hope. St. Thomas Aquinas, the great Dominican theologian and Doctor of the Church, has a phrase for it -- "grace builds on nature."

So what is the meaning of Christmas? We should go back to the lighting of the Advent candle. The practice is not a mere pious gesture. If the candle signifies and even sacramentalizes hope, its lighting is a prophetic act. It means that we are committed to keeping the flame of hope alive in a world that seems determined to go back to darkness. It's an act of faith, and in the context of the Filipinos' many-sided struggles, a subversive and defiant one.

Spectacle

Spectacle


Updated 01:11am (Mla time) Dec 23, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the December 23, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



FROM A DISTANCE, the throngs that turned out to bury Fernando Poe Jr. appeared what prognostications said they would be -- not only ardent but also adulatory and noteworthy for endurance. In fact, they made for a spectacle, the sort that gives foreign (and therefore culturally different) observers pause; or for an epic movie, the sort that sweeps the viewer along as frame upon breathless frame unreels, sound and action melding in raging movement.

Raging but, because of disparate persuasions, conducive to petering out. And also, because ideologically unorganized, lacking the force of an idea whose time has come. Authorities must certainly be grateful that the tidal wave of grief portentously looming for the past days descended with a weight not much more than the metaphorical extended sigh. But then the bereaved family as represented by Poe's widow had consistently, admirably, refused to bite the bait slyly dangled by adventurers, at the same time maintaining a frosty hauteur toward which Malacañang could only be diffident. (Imagine what could have been if Susan Roces behaved otherwise.)

Casting about for comparisons, mourners and assorted politicians hark back to the 1983 funeral march that escorted the assassinated Benigno S. Aquino Jr. to his grave -- a swollen river of movement made seamless by a unity of purpose: to defy Ferdinand Marcos; to show, despite the overarching terrorism of his dictatorship, that public outrage was now breaching the banks; to declare that enough was enough. Without intending to gainsay the perfervid quality of yesterday's march, there is no parallel point on which to ruminate but the general thread of sorrow running through it.

To be sure, the memory of Poe's coffin on a carriage pulled by a horse -- part of the spectacle, apparently in keeping with the now-mythical image of "Da King" as a horseman, but now imbued with a certain measure of insensitivity considering the terrible effort that the horse was compelled to make -- is now part of the national imagination, as is the memory of the flatbed truck bearing Aquino's coffin. But unfortunately, the rowdies who yesterday comported themselves solely as voyeurs (hanging from trees and trampling plants and niches, as much moved by a morbid curiosity as by schadenfreude), mugged for the TV cameras, and damned the organizers' assiduous planning and grappled as heatedly for space as for whatever giveaways they could grasp -- even those who, incredibly, were seen waving the Stars and Stripes in the manner of activists waving the red flags of protest -- took away from the proceedings what could have been a unifying theme: the supposed widespread anger at the alleged cheating that robbed Poe of the presidency. (Then again, why shouldn't they wave the Stars and Stripes? Even the mighty US government sent condolences to the Poes.)


Panic

IT WOULD SEEM then that Malacañang had switched to panic mode, and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her coterie of advisers were caught in the throes of overreaction. How inelegant. Imagine the Commander in Chief marking the 69th anniversary of the Armed Forces on Tuesday, not on the grounds of Camp Aguinaldo where she could have regally trooped the line and inspected her troops, but in the fortress also known as the Palace. And imagine her bidding her soldiers to "be by my side," like she were crooning a love song to them, as though they were not obliged to do so.

This unseemly behavior is entirely of a piece with the flurry of conciliatory gestures that Malacañang had made since news broke that the principal contender to Ms Arroyo's post had given up his ghost. Politely rebuffed by Poe family members on its amazing efforts to get on their good side, Malacañang had turned tail and proceeded to scare itself silly with the man's ghost. Is this any way for a strong republic to proceed?

Now the question arises as to why the apparent panic in Malacañang reached such surprising proportions ("very strict" inspections and access controls, "upgraded" security arrangements, "additional troops," not to mention ferrying Palace employees by barge). Why the defensive stance toward the supposed anger over its alleged dirty tricks during the presidential election? What is it hiding?

Long goodbye

Long goodbye


Updated 05:10am (Mla time) Dec 22, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 22, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer




THE PATH to the North Cemetery will be long. In the fresh, cold, crisp air, the legions will walk. Fernando Poe Jr.'s coffin, on a caisson, will be pulled by horses, but his fans, friends and family will walk. Recent days have been filled with statements from his widow Susan Roces and brother Conrad Poe, appealing to the people to escort Poe to his final resting place with dignity, respect and, above all, peacefulness.

We are sure that Filipinos from all walks of life and from all sides of the political fence will try to live up to that call. Beyond considerations of public order, there is the simple but profound consideration of giving to the dead what all the dead, rich or poor, famous or unknown, deserve: a final farewell that celebrates all that was beloved in a person.

The people that Poe loved--and who loved him back--proved in the past days, that they could pay him tribute without disgracing his memory. There were, to be sure, a few hotheads, and there was a minor stampede. But they were isolated incidents in a wake that was marked by the innate politeness and self-control of the Filipino.

Because Poe's funeral is a public occasion, it calls for public comment. The funeral itself will be grand without, as Conrad Poe himself said, being "grandioso" or grandiose. There will be pomp, but it will not be the pomp of the state. Instead, it will be the ritual of religion, and the ceremonial called for by Poe's way of life. There will be horses, which he loved, followed by the family he loved, surrounded by the people who love him, down the streets of a city he called his working home, to the cemetery where the tombs of his parents and brother await him. This is the Filipino way of death: full of symbols, rituals, meaning.

This is the question that faces so many people, as they bid Poe a final, and long, farewell. How will they give meaning to this final scene in a life that loomed so large in their own lives?

Whether attending the final, pre-dawn funeral Mass, or marching in the procession that may take up to six hours to wend its way from Santo Domingo Church to the North Cemetery, the wishes and example of Susan Roces must inspire Poe's fans. It is not only grief that must unite his fans and supporters, it must be the kind of self-control and discipline that has governed his wife through her days of public and private grief.

If much is expected--and asked--of Poe's loyal fans, the same, and even more, is asked of the police, the media and the officials of a government those fans and supporters resent and may even hate. Not everyone can be expected, in what will be a long and tiring funeral, to maintain his composure and self-control. The lines will be long. The crowds will ebb and flow. As crowds tend to be, this will have their own mind, even logic. The many will be at the mercy of a few, and it is how those few are treated--the hotheads, the shovers, the pushers, those temporarily blinded by passion and grief--that will dictate how the many will respond.

The Poe family has given every assurance that if it were up to them, the funeral would be emotional, but orderly. Unfortunately, their expectations and appeals can only go so far. They can only achieve so much. By their words and deeds, the public has every confidence that during the long farewell, their wishes will remain uppermost in the public's mind.

But after he is buried and the widow has gone home, and the pomp is done, there will still be the restless and grieving fans, the anxious and depressed supporters, of whom some people will want to take advantage. What Poe never wanted to do in life, some may try to do because of his death. The country and Poe's memory do not deserve such opportunism. Not now. Not ever. They cannot keep quiet in the face of a widow's express desire for peace, and then, when she has turned her back, turn her husband's supporters to thoughts of violence.

As the country takes to heart Susan Roces' appeals for peace and dignity at her husband's funeral, so must we make an appeal to her. Even after her husband is taken to his last resting place, may she not let politics turn a long goodbye into a farewell to the public peace and harmony she and her husband deeply desire.

A widow's advice

A widow's advice


Updated 00:09am (Mla time) Dec 21, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the December 21, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer




WE would like to add our voice to the call of those who counsel against using the funeral of Fernando Poe Jr. to destabilize the government. The death of "Da King" has been politicized enough, and at this time when the nation is still reeling from widespread hardship and misery caused by an economic decline and disasters, we need political and social turmoil like we need a hole in the head.

Thus, it is well that the widow of FPJ, the dignified and level-headed Susan Roces, has called on his supporters to make sure that the funeral would not be tarnished by politics. The people who mourn the death of their idol would be honoring his memory best by heeding his widow's advice.

FPJ was a man of peace, despite the fact that he often portrayed violent personae in his movie roles. We believe that had he lived, he would have pursued through peaceful and legal means redress for what he believed was a wrong done to him through alleged cheating at the polls. If he had wanted to employ violent means, he could have roused his hundreds of thousands of fans and supporters to march and rise up against the Arroyo administration, but he did not do so.

The Philippine National Police is reported to be preparing at least 1,000 officers to keep the peace during the funeral march. The PNP would be well-advised to continue to adhere to a policy of maximum tolerance and to keep as low a profile as possible. Probably the police should wield only nightsticks and not firearms, to avoid a possible repeat of the killings that recently occurred during the Hacienda Luisita strike.

The fans and supporters of FPJ would also be rendering the nation a great service if they would police their ranks and make sure that no agents provocateurs from the Left or Right infiltrate them to cause trouble during what is supposed to be a dignified and solemn occasion. This was possible during the funeral march of the late Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. that was attended by an estimated two million people. We do not see any reason why a similar peaceful funeral march cannot be held for another very popular and charismatic figure.

A father's grief

THE SAD eyes and mournful countenance of Speaker Jose de Venecia said it all. His face showed the unbearable sorrow of a parent who had lost a dearly beloved child. Interviewed after the death of his daughter Maria Kristina Casimira (KC), De Venecia said that "she brought us so much happiness and so much joy...Next to my wife, she is the light of my life." Many people watching the televised interview could not help but shed tears in sympathy with the De Venecia couple who had suffered an ineffable loss.

Could KC's death have been avoided? If only she had gone out with her siblings instead of staying home that fateful night. If only her nanny had stayed with her in the same room. If only adequate safety precautions had been taken in stringing up the Christmas lights at the De Venecia mansion. If only there were no iron grills, or if they could have been easily opened from inside in an emergency. If only the house had not been so impregnable--even the glass windows were bullet-proof--to allow easy access to firemen and rescuers. If only asbestos suits and other sophisticated fire-fighting equipment had been available so that firemen could have gone through the blazing inferno to rescue her. If...

The Speaker said he would file a measure providing for the purchase of asbestos suits for the fire departments of cities and towns. This, and other measures that would upgrade the firefighting ability and equipment of fire departments, should be given high priority on the legislative agenda. These things, as has been demonstrated by the De Venecia tragedy, literally mean the difference between life and death.

We are sure the great majority of congressmen would be willing to give up a substantial portion of their pork barrel to fund a measure that would improve the firefighting ability of firemen and modernize their equipment. Firemen from highly developed countries like the United States could be invited to Manila to teach our firefighters new techniques in fighting fires. Let's not wait for another De Venecia tragedy to strike before upgrading the firefighting capabilities of our firemen.

Bias

Bias

Updated 11:52pm (Mla time) Dec 19, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 20, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.




PERCEPTIONS have their own reality. This is what we must remember when we take the measure of a Filipino icon like Fernando Poe Jr. It is also what we must keep in mind when we seek to understand his widow's angry and startling accusations of media bias.

The redoubtable Susan Roces did not mince words when she berated the ABS-CBN network for alleged bias in its news coverage. "Hindi ko kikimkimin ang sama ng loob ko (I will not suppress my hurt feelings)," she said. "People don't want to watch your news coverage because you capitalize on personal hurt," she told Karen Davila, the new anchor of "TV Patrol World."

In such cases involving personal hurt, perceptions harden almost into religious truths. For those who share them, no explanation is necessary; for those who don't, no explanation is possible.

To be sure, Roces did offer an explanation (echoed the next day by opposition leader Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr.). She complained about ABS-CBN's use of "tight shots" during the campaign, which tended to minimize or ignore the size of FPJ's adoring crowds. "You did not show the crowd, you weren't showing the people," she said.

This is a serious accusation, made more so by its specificity. But Roces' outburst was not the first time it was raised. In truth, almost every media organization received this kind of complaint from the Poe camp once the campaign started. It would not be unfair to Poe's media handlers to state bluntly that, instead of yet more questions about Poe's lack of a platform leading the news stories, they would have preferred photos or footage of the day's crowds.

Certainly, if what Roces meant was that ABS-CBN did not give the Poe presidential campaign the Erap treatment, she would be completely in the right. The television network that has helped elect several senators and at least one vice president did not cover Poe this year the way it covered his bosom buddy Joseph Estrada from the 1998 election right up to the deposed president's impeachment trial in 2000.

This makes ABS-CBN a victim of its own past practices.

But there were in fact many times during this year's campaign that the network was thought to be biased for FPJ.

Let us cite only one instance. The first major crisis the Poe campaign confronted was the series of disqualification cases filed against the candidate; any propaganda value from the cases, however, was quickly countered by an even more sensational allegation: that the incriminating documents against Poe were reportedly forged by a group under the direction of Ricardo Manapat, the director of the National Archives then.

In the Senate hearings conducted and then hurriedly concluded by Poe supporter Sen. Edgardo Angara, employees of the National Archives emerged to serve as hostile witnesses to Manapat.

ABS-CBN was not remiss in its coverage of both the scandal and the hearings. More to the point, it did not fail to run favorable stories about the witnesses. The preferential treatment reached its height when a network reporter followed three witnesses, then under Senate custody, on their triumphant if temporary return to the National Archives. The three were feted at every turn, receiving encouragement from what seemed like the entire agency, from the moment they arrived to the time they left. But why did the witnesses return that particular day? The real answer became clear only at the very end of the report, when the witnesses, waiting at the building's driveway, filed back into an ABS-CBN service vehicle.

A careful viewer would have reached only one conclusion: The witnesses had been brought back to their office, and were now being returned to the Senate, by the network itself, for the sake of the story.

But judging from Roces' remarks last week, this instance of anti-Manapat (and thus pro-Poe) coverage is not something Poe's supporters appreciate, or even remember.

And thus we come to the blind side of perceptual thinking: we only see what we want or are conditioned to see. We do not remember our neighbor's hundred acts of kindness; we only notice the one unfortunate exchange of words. We do not notice the thousands of policemen doing their duty; we only see the cops who take bribes. That, sadly, is the reality.

Half-cocked

Half-cocked


Updated 02:29am (Mla time) Dec 19, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 19, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



IN POLITICS as in ordinary life, compromise is the necessary art. But there are compromises that push people farther apart, rather than bring them closer together; concessions that give insult, rather than appease.

The trial balloon-first floated by Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye -- that it was the "sense" of Malacañang to honor Fernando Poe Jr. with a National Artist award or a burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, is one such unhappy compromise.

We have a phrase for that kind of concession: consuelo de bobo, or an idiot's recompense. The whole idea is transparently an attempt to appease Poe's supporters, who still feel angry over what they see as massive cheating at the May polls. It is self-evidently a sop, to contain public discontent.

But it has done no such thing. Instead, it has led to the exact opposite, raising discontent to an ugly pitch. The public unease has affected not only those who mourn Poe's passing, but even those who do not necessarily regard Poe as the champion of the masses. Poe's loyalists see Malacañang's gesture as insincere and political, and therefore demeaning to themselves and their idol. Others see in the rush to judgment a cheapening of the honors, a lowering of the standards.

What were the President's men thinking?

Either some people close to President Macapagal-Arroyo panicked and sought an immediate solution to what they defined as a problem of appeasement. Or the same gang who couldn't shoot straight, the same people behind the President's bungled appointments or botched announcements, rushed in, half-cocked, yet again.

The reaction from those closest to Poe should have brought the trial balloon crashing down.

"Why only now? It should have been made long ago," said Conrad Poe, the actor's brother, referring to the National Artist award. He also rejected the offer to bury Poe in the national heroes' memorial, saying the plan was to bury his brother in the family plot at the North Cemetery in Manila.

The spokesman for the Poe presidential campaign also cautioned the Palace against politicizing Poe's death. "Don't ride on the wake, don't mix it with politics," House Minority Leader Francis Escudero told reporters.


Half-mast

BUT whether by accident or design, Malacañang continues to offer the poisoned fruit. Presidential Adviser on Culture Cecile Guidote-Alvarez has confidently announced that the late actor would be conferred the Presidential Medal of Merit tomorrow, creating the legal basis for an order to lower the flag to half-staff on Wednesday, the day of his burial.

"By virtue of this award, once it is given and accepted, there is therefore the honor of a half-mast. Ang luksang sambayanan ay magaganap sa [The day of national mourning will take place on the] day of the funeral. That is part of this award."

The proposal to have the flag lowered to half-staff was first raised in the House by neophyte Rep. Teofisto Guingona III of Bukidnon. In no small measure, the young Guingona owed his victory to Poe's decision naming him the official opposition candidate in a rather crowded field (which included, among others, a long-time opposition candidate running under deposed President Joseph Estrada's party). So perhaps in an excess of gratitude, Guingona argued that the lowering of the flag to half-staff was a "gesture of unity with the family in this period of mourning."

He was joined by a senior oppositionist. Sen. Edgardo Angara, the man widely perceived to have played a decisive role in convincing Poe to run, said Poe deserved the honor because he had stood out in his field.

Their position is easy to understand; they are mourning the loss of their leader, and in such a frame of mind no honor is too great for the fallen. But their view must be tempered by the requisites of law and the greater good of the public.

Alvarez et al. may be working overtime to provide the President with the legal basis, but the award they have in mind may not only be conferred; it must also be accepted. If the still-angry widow Susan Roces rejects it, where will that leave us?

Everyone's battle

Everyone's battle


Updated 06:04am (Mla time) Dec 18, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 18, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



TONY Man-wal Kwok, former deputy commissioner and head of operations of Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), is trying to give Filipinos the benefit of his experience. He served for 35 years in customs control, drug enforcement, finance investigation, intelligence and prosecution for the Hong Kong government, and joined ICAC as an investigator when it was established in 1975. He rose to the post of deputy commissioner and head of operations in 1996 and led the agency through Hong Kong's reunification with China in 1997. His message to Filipinos attending a three-day seminar on fighting corruption was simple and direct: "We need tough political will in order to battle corruption. We cannot rely on a single agency, everybody needs to respond in fighting corruption."

Kwok said fighting corruption requires three things. First, political will from the top, not just from the executive but also the legislative and judicial branches of government. Second, the active participation and support of the private sector. Third, follow-through on everyone's part if momentum is to be created and maintained.

Another international anti-corruption expert, Fredrik Galtung of Transparency International, said in the same seminar that the Philippines should play a "catalytic role" in the international campaign against corruption because of the Edsa people power revolution that overthrew the dictatorship and restored democracy. People power, and its motivating desire for public accountability and transparency, should therefore be both the motivation and the means for fighting corruption.

These statements should remind our officials and the public that fighting corruption can be done, but it won't be accomplished by paying lip service to anti-corruption drives. Corruption is a shortcut that enables people to avoid observing the law. Making the shortcut an unattractive path requires that the law is logical and easy to obey, with people finding it easier to follow the law than to violate it.

In turn, this requires that people both in and out of government be motivated to want to obey the law in the first place. There are many ways to motivate people, and they include fear of punishment and a basic desire to be good. As we pointed out in the case of Singapore's experience with keeping government salaries competitive, enabling government workers to enjoy competitive incomes reduces the temptation to do wrong, and the ability of the public to try to bribe officials.

This doesn't mean, though, that raising salaries is enough. There will always be greedy officials, but greed must be proven to carry a high price, legally and socially. The legal price must be an inflexible and harsh prosecution and conviction by the government. The social price must be to prove, in so doing, that corruption carries with it dishonor and social death.

In the case of the Marcoses and their cronies, their breaking the law hasn't resulted in any of these things. Convictions have been few and far between, due to a combination of unmotivated and at times incompetent prosecution, a lack of political will in prodding the prosecutors, and the refusal of many to punish the Marcoses by shunning them socially or politically.

The same can be seen in the case of former president Joseph Estrada. The dedication of some prosecutors may be unquestionable, but in general the prosecution is losing steam. The wheels of justice are seen to be grinding extremely slowly, if at all. The prosecutorial process remains susceptible to purely political considerations. And the public has not followed through by demanding justice and a swift determination of his plunder cases.

Lifestyle checks, about which President Macapagal-Arroyo brags, have actually made conspicuous consumption by officials a dangerous thing. But if it only convinces crooked officials to be more discreet in their thievery, instead of teaching them they shouldn't steal at all, it only makes the job of investigation and punishment harder. Political will means not only shaming, but jailing, wrongdoers.

Kwok's statements are really a challenge to the Filipino people. He basically dares every Filipino to do his part by not paying bribes or turning a blind eye to wrongdoing. This is the hardest part of all. Just as congressmen can say they need the pork barrel because the public wants it, and just as the public proves this by electing and reelecting congressmen who rely on pork, so will corruption continue as long as Filipinos play an active role in corrupting public servants.

Politics of grief

Politics of grief

Updated 01:11am (Mla time) Dec 17, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 17, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



IT'S a paradox that in his death, Fernando Poe Jr. has achieved what he sought out to attain in his failed presidential bid: to unite a severely fragmented nation. And it is the paradox of unity that in a people's coming together, politics should debase the national cleansing brought about by a catharsis of grief and sorrow, further causing pockmarks and rifts in the tenuous peace we have built for ourselves in loving deference to a dear departed icon.

It is saddening that Poe had barely given up his ghost when some of his more rabid supporters and certain sectors of the political opposition that he headed have chosen to profane his memory by bad behavior and tasteless partisan gestures.

At the Santo Domingo Church Tuesday night, some of Poe's fans went berserk upon spotting the funeral wreath sent by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. They grabbed the wreath, tore it apart, crushed the flowers, trampled the foliage and cursed the name of the President, accusing her of robbing Poe of his victory last May 10. The show of vehemence and violence was in stark contrast to the solemnity of the surroundings, the national shrine to boot of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. Obviously these people did not know how to respect hallowed ground.

One could ascribe such behavior to raw rage typical of mass hysteria, thus forgivable of people feeling extremes of grief and anger. But what is not forgivable is the politicking of opposition figures who have chosen to ride on the crest of widespread grief over the death in order to boost the fortunes of the opposition and by extension, their political standing.

Foremost among these are Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos, Sen. Edgardo Angara and former President Joseph Estrada. Marcos, with her heavily engineered angular chin, has injected a Botox shot of numbing propaganda into the mournful atmosphere by sounding off the possibility that Poe's widow, the well-liked Susan Roces, would take on the mantle left by her husband and head the opposition.

Angara, who perhaps couldn't resist reconnecting with his Marcosian past, said amen to Imee Marcos' Botox-induced ruminations. It is quite a relief that sectors of the opposition have admonished Angara against fueling political talk at a time when the opposition and the nation are in grief.

But trust Estrada to try to score political points against the Arroyo administration at the cost of the death of Poe, whom he calls his best friend. Estrada made the incredible claim that Poe died of disappointment and despair over his loss to Ms Arroyo in allegedly fraudulent elections. He explained that it was typical of Poe to keep things to himself and not express his hurt to friends.

The claim by the deposed president is incredible for two reasons. One, if indeed Poe kept matters to himself, then it's inconceivable how Estrada could have known that his friend was utterly depressed about his electoral loss. And second, all accounts of those close to Poe during his last days showed that he had moved on after his defeat last May 10.

Although he had contested the election result, accusing the administration of fraud, which in itself was a gentlemanly gesture that showed he was willing to allow democracy and the law to do their function, Poe, according to those around him, had been busy planning new film and television projects. He had in fact supervised the packing of relief goods for the victims of the last two typhoons. Against the claim of Estrada, Poe seemed to be a remarkably well-adjusted person, not wont to wallow in self-pity.

Perhaps all of these divisive sectors should emulate the grace of Susan Roces, who, when asked if the President was welcome to visit Poe on her husband's wake, replied, "Everyone is welcome." In fact, when she received a rosary and letter of condolence from Ms Arroyo, she thanked the President for her gesture.

Even former Sen. Tito Sotto, Poe's campaign manager, was composed and gracious to expressions and gestures of condolence, even if they came from political enemies. These people do credit to the memory of Poe, a proper gentleman who was an unfailingly gracious person and a singular unitary figure -- which cannot be said of certain cantankerous people who highhandedly call themselves his pals and allies.

In denial

In denial



Updated 02:01am (Mla time) Dec 16, 2004
Inquirer News Service


Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 16, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


MALACAÑANG is raising the bogey of a credit downgrade to push Congress into enacting several tax measures, said Sen. Joker Arroyo. The administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has resorted to this "sickening" tactic of using foreign institutions in order to "achieve what it wants to achieve," he said. "Enough already of the much ballyhooed rating agencies and the impending downgrade ... its effects have been and are already being felt."

Certainly everyone hopes the senator is right. If the recent upsurge in prices, the scaling down of government services and the fall of investments are all we have to endure, we should be grateful already. The 11 professors of the University of the Philippines School of Economics, followed by other financial analysts both in and outside of government, warned of worse -- much worse -- things to come if government didn't act quickly enough to control the budget deficit and reduce its P5.4 trillion debt. They saw an Argentina-type financial meltdown, marked by bank runs, runaway inflation, food riots and widespread unrest and violence. And the government had two-at most three-years to act, they said.

Have we headed off the predicted economic disaster in just four months? Senator Arroyo apparently thinks so. That is why he wants Congress to pay no heed to the advice of credit-rating agencies, the importuning of Malacañang on the tax measures and, of course, the dire warnings of economists. And the miracle is that the threat has passed with hardly anyone lifting a finger to fix the huge budget deficit and the colossal debt yet.

But Senator Arroyo is not the first to arrive at the conclusion that the worst is over. The President beat him to it. After publicly admitting in August that her government was in the midst of a "fiscal crisis," she announced last month that the problem was behind us. And to repeat, nothing had been done yet to address the crisis.

Except talk. There were plenty of proposals to tame the deficit and reduce the debt. The administration sent Congress eight new tax measures to raise added revenues and said it would trim down the bureaucracy, impose limits on the salaries and allowances of executives in government corporations and adopt a number of austerity measures. A number of Filipinos responded by chipping in several millions to a Bayanihan Fund or supporting a fund-raising campaign launched by Catholic Church leaders.

Only the citizens put their money where their mouths were. While a few senators promised to give up their pork barrel, the House of Representatives voted to keep all of the pork Malacañang had tucked into the budget for 2005. When local officials protested that they would be forced to cut back on vital services, the administration quietly dropped the proposal to cut the internal revenue allotments of provincial and municipal governments. In the meantime, Ms Arroyo continued to appoint her staunchest political allies to newly created positions and offices as if the bureaucracy were not already bloated and top-heavy.

As the administration and its allies in Congress went back to business as usual, the citizens gradually found out that they have to bear the whole burden of dealing with the looming financial crisis. Power rates have been raised, along with water rates. The specific taxes on gasoline and other products are being increased. And then there are the eight new taxes Congress is working on, all of which will ultimately be taken from the citizens' pockets. It seems that the idea of sharing the burden, put forward by the 11 UP economists, has been conveniently dropped. Everything is being dumped on the citizenry.

With the President talking and acting as if there was no crisis, should we now believe Senator Arroyo when he dismisses those warnings about a ratings downgrade and its consequences as part of Malacañang's scare tactics? We wish we could. But not even he or the President swearing that no crisis exists or even looms can make that mountain of debt vanish. Neither would it persuade the ratings agencies to change their analyses of the situation nor make foreign investors rush in with their money.

The wide budget deficit and mounting debt need fixing and they cannot be fixed by wishing them away. Revenues have to be raised, fat has to be trimmed, waste has to be cut and corruption has to be checked. That is a tall order for any administration, of course, but the Arroyo administration must do all that to deal with a mountain of a problem.

The quiet man

The quiet man


Updated 02:23am (Mla time) Dec 15, 2004
Inquirer News Service


Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 15, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



IN "MEASURE for Measure," there is this Shakespearean line: "Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall."

Fernando Poe Jr. was, first and foremost, that rare example of a man, the self-made aristocrat. There is no other way to understand him than by comprehending the implications of this characterization. He was heir to a great name, a beloved one: his father was both a hero of the screen and a hero of the resistance to the Japanese invader. And yet, his father having died young, Ronnie Poe had to carve out for himself a life and career that would both honor his father and make up for the loss of income and support caused by his father's death.

In an industry whose glitz and glitter never quite outshine the ruthlessness, intrigue and self-indulgence that is its dark side, Poe honed his creative talent and used his great capacity for discipline to overcome and achieve. He mastered the rules, even breaking them when he had to, by defying producers and directors (and becoming one himself) in order to establish himself as a star no longer at the mercy of the industry. He molded the industry to his will, and forever changed it.

He had, on his side, an instinctive understanding of the requirements of his craft, fundamental among them, an appreciation of the thinking of his audience. He mastered the tricky combination of illusion, of establishing, and thereafter promoting a heroic figure on screen, while maintaining a kind of authenticity that merged what he saw as his own virtues with those his audience believed in, and wanted to see. He was generous, he was kind, he was helpful. He was also quiet and remote, a lone wolf that became a pack leader.

There was a near-mystical bond between not only his fans and himself, but between his fellow actors, producers, directors and technicians in the movie industry and himself. He was always grateful, in a society in which gratitude is a supremely important virtue. He was generous, in a society that demands generosity from achievers. He not only made, but maintained, lasting friendships. He was, within the forgiving bounds of his generation's attitudes, not only loyal to his wife, but gave her every courtesy and respect. He was also a genuinely loving foster father.

And yet in acquiring everything a self-made man would want, from wealth to professional prestige, to property and a respected family, he was autocratic and patriarchal in his professional and personal life. That is, he was not only acknowledged as king of Philippine cinema, but he was kingly in his behavior, as our society sees kingship: remote yet approachable, stern yet forgiving, commanding yet courtly, but always remembering and never failing to remind that he was boss. He had the common touch, but there was nothing common about his tastes, his habits, even his politics.

Because of his last, and unsuccessful, role as presidential contender, the reckoning of his life must necessarily include the political. He may have always viewed it with suspicion and contempt, but he definitely had specific ideas about it. He and his wife were loyal admirers of Ferdinand Marcos, who, rightly or wrongly, was viewed by many as the personification of a self-made aristocrat. Poe's own quest for the presidency was not merely motivated by loyalty to an old friend, Joseph Estrada, whom he loved but whose trust he never abused. It was spurred on by a self-made man's desire to provide the kind of leadership conservative, self-made men want, and miss: devoted to property; desirous of order and peace; hierarchical, patriarchal; a datu for the common man. Malakas for a weak society.

His fans grieve for Poe today. It is fair to say all Filipinos of a certain age see in his passing one more sign that the virtues of traditional Filipino society are receding even more firmly into the past. With the passing of a famous man, it is tempting to excuse his faults and pay tribute only to his virtues. The truth is, Poe was what Filipinos like to see: simple virtues tempered by occasional faults, the whole made marvelous by the imperfection of its parts. For in the end, both the private and public man were built on an appeal to every person's conviction that they can at least dream of being a hero.

Conservation

Conservation



Updated 02:05am (Mla time) Dec 14, 2004
Inquirer News Service


Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 14, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.


MORE than a week after four cyclones struck various parts of Luzon, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) warned that Metro Manila could have a water shortage. It said the avalanche of logs and mud triggered by the storms had severely damaged a 13-kilometer tunnel that brings water to Angat Dam from the Umiray River in General Nakar, Quezon.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the damage to Umiray tunnel was unprecedented. She assured the people, however, that the government was working round the clock to repair the damage. On Sunday, Malacañang again sought to allay the fears of a water shortage in Metro Manila. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the repair of the tunnel would be completed in time to avert a water crisis.

Still, the earlier statement of the MWSS should be viewed in connection with a warning made in October by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) of drier conditions for the rest of the year and slightly warmer than normal temperatures in the first half of 2005. Pagasa, in an advisory on another El Niño episode, said the persistent warming of the atmosphere over the central equatorial Pacific Ocean had expanded. It also said an increased risk of below-normal rainfall was expected in most parts of the country in the first quarter of 2005.

Warmer temperatures will generally mean less rain, and less rain will mean less water. A hotter than usual dry season will also mean increased use of water in most households.

So, despite the more recent statements of Malacañang downplaying the threat of a water shortage, the people of the metropolis, and indeed of the rest of the country, would be well advised to prepare for a water shortage and practice water conservation. The expected deficit in rainfall early next year will adversely affect not only the household water supply but also agriculture, hydropower generation and health and sanitation, among other sectors.

More and more, water is becoming a scarce and precious commodity. Because in the past water was plentiful and relatively cheap, people never worried about a possible shortage. Now, not only because of a probable water shortage but also because of the announced increase in water rates, people should use water wisely and efficiently.

Now may be the time to insure that one's home is leak-free. Many houses have "hidden" water leaks. These can be detected by reading the water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the water meter reading goes up, there must be a leak somewhere. Leaking faucets must be repaired immediately. If a faucet drips at the rate of one drop per second, one can expect to waste 10,206 liters of water per year.

Aside from checking water leaks, other water conservation measures that may be taken are:

• Using a basin or washtub while doing the laundry, and using the rinse water for other purposes, such as mopping the floor.

• Turning the tap off while shaving or brushing one's teeth.

• Storing drinking water in pitchers or bottles instead of letting the tap run every time one wants a drink.

• Defrosting food overnight or hours before cooking, instead of using a lot of water to defrost it.

• Avoiding unnecessary flushing of the toilet and using water in a pail instead.

• Using a bucket and dipper instead of a hose in washing the car.

• Storing rainwater in buckets for watering the plants or cleaning the car.

Right now, Malacañang officials are trying to avoid a scare over a possible water shortage. But we can never be sure. (We can never be sure about things that concern nature; we never expected, for instance, that four successive typhoons would hit the country and produce disastrous results.)

We cannot be complacent after the government assured us that the repair of the Umiray tunnel would be completed soon. Some things can still go wrong. And the expected "weak" El Niño episode early next year could become worse. It's best to hedge against a water shortage by storing water now, conserving it and making a habit of using water wisely and efficiently.

Year of infamy

Year of infamy

Updated 00:33am (Mla time) Dec 10, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 10, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



ON DEC. 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, journalists in the Philippines have come together to remind their readers, viewers and listeners of Article 19 of the declaration, to which our country was among the original signatories: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

About 100 media organizations and individuals have signed a pooled statement drafted by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP). Timed for the observance of International Human Rights Day, the statement points out that while journalists in other countries are jailed, or are subject to harsh censorship and media laws, media practitioners in the Philippines are paying an even greater -- indeed, the ultimate -- price: They are being murdered with impunity.

The statement, drafted by the NUJP, says: "The Philippine press will remember 2004 as a year of infamy. We have lost 13 colleagues in what could be work-related murders, the highest number in history." The concern expressed by Filipino media people is shared by their colleagues the world over. Reporters Without Borders has expressed its deep concern. After Iraq, the Philippines was the world's most dangerous country for journalists, the group says, adding that the Philippine government must "urgently come up with some fresh approaches to halt this wave of violence against the press."

In condemning the killings, media practitioners point out that press freedom is both a universal and specifically Filipino right, "enshrined in the Constitution, not because a special sector demands special privilege, but because it helps ensure adherence to all other basic civil liberties." Indeed, the statement adds that "media groups are aware that our profession does not suffer alone. We also condemn the killings of judges, lawyers, anti-corruption advocates and human rights workers nationwide."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in leading the government observance of "National Human Rights Consciousness Week," says the "worst violators of human rights" are from the New People's Army. That is her view. However, such a view ignores the fact that rebels of any stripe operate outside the law, while the government is duty-bound not just to enforce the law, but also to live according to the law. And the most basic law of all is the Constitution. When a government fails to both protect its citizens, and punish the perpetrators of high crimes, it joins the ranks of those living beyond the pale of the law.

The President, speaking in Malacañang, praised the Commission on Human Rights and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for their "quiet but unremitting cooperation in the human rights education of our military personnel." She must have forgotten recent cases of callous treatment, if not outright intimidation, of media people by the military, and the remarkable ineptness of the police in investigating and apprehending the murders of media men. The President should have read Human Rights Commission (CHR) Chair Purificacion Quisumbing's report saying that 33 percent of complaints about human rights violations filed with the CHR were allegedly committed by the police, while local officials and employees accounted for another 13 percent of cases. Of the 1,001 cases filed with the CHR from January to September this year, 812 were cases involving allegations of civil rights violations.

What the Philippine media are calling for is what every Filipino citizen is entitled to: freedom from intimidation and harassment; the chance to practice one's livelihood undeterred by terrorism; the swift and effective prosecution of crimes; and the safety of witnesses and other people who can help in the prosecution of cases. We insist on what everyone should expect and demand: a government whose officials, soldiers and policemen protect the people, instead of harassing them or proving powerless to render them aid and justice. The recourse of all decent people should be the courts, the ventilation of public opinion, never the assassin's gun.

Rocking

Rocking

Updated 01:03am (Mla time) Dec 09, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 9, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



In youth, the heart exults and sings,
the pulses leap, the feet have wings.

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

AS the Philippine Daily Inquirer celebrates its 19th anniversary today, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it has turned out to be Longfellow's kind of youth -- energetic, dynamic, independent, bold and innovative, eager to explore new horizons. In other words, very much full of life and enthusiasm.

This year's anniversary theme, "Rocks at 19" certainly speaks a lot about the Inquirer. Rock music, after all, is universally identified with the young and is generally upbeat. At its birth, it was considered revolutionary. During its "golden age" in the 1960s, it was viewed as an expression of the young generation's defiance of the establishment, though to this day it is also said to have given the young a sense of cohesion.

The Inquirer, in a sense, is similar to rock music. In its early, fledgling days, it was a powerful voice in the "revolution" against the corrupt Marcos dictatorship. Following up on its monumental role in bringing down the dictatorship, the paper again was a defiant voice against the plunderous Joseph Estrada regime and contributed to its fall. And to this day, to use a cliché, it continues to afflict the comfortable, even as it seeks to comfort the afflicted.

Meanwhile, it has been blazing new trails. To make for faster and easier delivery of Inquirer copies to its readers in the Visayas and Mindanao, it put up separate printing plants in Cebu and Davao. Then, it led the Philippine press' "incursion" into the Internet. It was also the first in the country to introduce a free paper, aptly called Libre, a tabloid that is circulated in Metro Manila's mass rail transit stations.

The year that is coming to close saw the Inquirer coming up with more innovations. One is the "Correction Box" where, as the name suggests, factual errors in previous reports are corrected. Another is "In the Know," which provides brief backgrounders on the issues of the day to help readers get a better appreciation of the news. Earlier, in another first, it went into broadcast media with "Super!" on 103.5 K-Lite and InqTV on ABC-5.

There have been other bold moves that show more than just youthful dynamism on the part of this paper. These were made not so much to maintain the newspaper's position as a market leader, which comes almost naturally with the quality of service it provides and which is reflected by its position at the top among the nation's broadsheets. They were made as part of a continuing, all-around effort to live faithfully by the tenets of the journalistic profession, improve service and reach out to a larger audience -- here and abroad -- especially the youth. This is in line with its mission "as a world-class processor and provider of news and information ... serving as a catalyst of social progress." At the same time, these moves keep the Inquirer in step with the fast advancing information-communication technology.

No, the Inquirer is making today's Filipino youth a special audience not because they belong to the same generation. The Inquirer subscribes to the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future."

But the way things look, our present generation of leaders doesn't offer much promise about building the future for our youth. Still it is not too late to build our youth for the future. And in this task, the Inquirer will keep doing its share.

As the youth of today become adults of tomorrow, they will eventually take on the mantle of leadership in this country -- in politics, business, religion and every field of human endeavor. The Inquirer, too, will inevitably grow in age, but we will strive not to grow old. For as Samuel Ullman said: "Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."

Yes, we are committed to keeping our ideals and our enthusiasm.

Root causes

Root causes

Updated 02:53am (Mla time) Dec 08, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 8, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



THE WORLD knows Oxfam as a development, relief and campaigning organization that works with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering around the world. Right here, in the wake of flood and landslides that killed more than a thousand people, Oxfam has sent teams to Real, Infanta and General Nakar in Quezon Province where they will spend the next four weeks providing immediate relief for approximately 68,000 people. Oxfam will assist with water and sanitation relief while providing materials such as plastic sheeting to improve the living conditions in the evacuation centers and homes damaged by the floods and landslides. Afterwards, it will also provide seeds to farmers, fishnets to fisherfolk, and other basic tools and materials so that people can rebuild their livelihoods. The Oxfam teams will also survey the needs of the people they help, including water sources and the quality of water to ensure that waterborne diseases are prevented from spreading.

A great deal of the difficult task of helping people help themselves is undertaken by groups such as Oxfam, and when such groups speak out, people should listen.

In a report released this week, Oxfam focused on the decreasing levels of foreign aid money set aside for development NGOs by rich countries. It warns that the UN's Millennium Development Goals on poverty reduction are being put at risk. It also decries what it perceives to be the tendency to attach too many conditions to foreign assistance, such as spending caps and fiscal targets to foreign aid contributions.

In the same report, Oxfam expressed concern that anti-terrorism efforts are endangering foreign aid budgets, with security concerns taking priority over poverty reduction in dictating where foreign aid funds are spent. For example, over the past three years, levels of American aid to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Afghanistan have equaled the aid to the rest of the world combined.

In London, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, together with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, issued a joint statement in which they manifested their devotion to the War on Terror, but also said that the war was a short-term military approach to the issue. Significantly, the two leaders also called for a long-term approach to fighting terrorism, which entails attacking the root causes of the problem. They agreed that these root causes were linked to poverty, deprivation and denial of freedom to people. Pakistan's president was more emphatic in an interview with the BBC: "We are fighting [terrorism] in its immediate context, but we are not fighting it in its strategic, long-term context."

Musharraf pointedly remarked, "What gives rise to a young man or woman to give up her or his life? It is the political disputes and we need to resolve them and also illiteracy and poverty... These combined are breeding grounds of extremism and terrorism."

The statements of Oxfam and of the Pakistani president are, in a sense, two sides of the same coin. Groups such as Oxfam cannot do their work in conflict-ridden areas, and suffer when foreign aid is curtailed to buy bombs instead of allocating funds to help people emerge from poverty. But prudent leaders who use military methods also realize that total war cannot be waged forever. Armed might is, at best, from the point of view of those engaged in statecraft, a delaying operation if the root causes of conflict aren't addressed.

Hermann Goering uttered the notorious Nazi slogan, "Guns before butter," which indicates that only a mentality that glorifies conquest and demeans humanity thinks that bullets can do more than growing and sharing food. Contentment breeds security, after all. Armed conflict only breeds hatred and misery.

Both Oxfam and Musharraf in a sense have made similar criticisms of American policy, which presumes security can be the offshoot of waging war. These views from divergent sources should make Filipinos pause to reflect on our national priorities. The Philippines has been made anxious by terrorists and terrorism, but wiser counsel says peace and quiet can be achieved only by reducing the incidence of poverty, and by educating people and making them healthier. A more peaceful and productive country cannot be achieved at the point of a gun.

Taming typhoons

Taming typhoons

Updated 11:33pm (Mla time) Dec 06, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A12 of the December 7, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.



"It (Hurricane Isabelle) reminds me of Cleopatra... Really pretty, but kind of sinister." -- American scientist Hugh Willoughby while admiring a swirling blue-gray satellite image of "Isabelle," which killed 17 and caused billions of dollars in damage in September 2003.

VIEWED from the top or in satellite images, typhoons, the Pacific counterparts of North America's hurricanes, may truly be beautiful, but they certainly are very deadly and destructive. The typhoon is one of nature's most awesome meteorological phenomena.Filipinos are very familiar with the death and destruction caused by typhoons. Because the Philippines lies right smack in their path, Filipinos have almost become inured to seeing 20 to 25 tropical storms hit the country every year. They've become so accustomed to typhoons that sometimes they fail to adequately prepare for it.

But we have to think seriously about typhoons and how they can be deflected or moderated. And how can we cope with the awesome, elemental forces of nature? Sometime ago, before martial law, a congressman introduced a measure that became popularly known as "a bill seeking to abolish typhoons." It was laughed at in public forums and laughed out of Congress. Actually, it had a serious intention: it sought to start studies to mitigate the effects of typhoons.

Now weather modification, and specifically the deflection or moderation of hurricanes and tropical storms, is the object of serious scientific studies. One of those engaged in such studies is American scientist Hugh Willoughby. He believes hurricane mitigation represents the next frontier of knowledge in meteorology. Forecasting is already far more sophisticated than it was 20 years ago.

The immediate challenge is preparing for hurricanes and trying to minimize devastation. Researchers have discovered that some simple adjustments like planting certain trees and using certain nails in construction can make a big difference in the level of damage caused by a hurricane.

Another researcher, Ross N. Hoffman, and his team are investigating how they could nudge hurricanes into more benign paths or otherwise defuse them. Successful computer simulations of hurricanes carried out the past few years suggest that modification could some day be feasible, he said.

In one experiment, Project Stormfury, researchers tried to tame hurricanes using cloud-seeding techniques, which at that time (the 1960s) were the only practical way to affect weather. The project sought to slow the development of a hurricane by augmenting precipitation in the first rain band outside the eye wall -- the ring of clouds and high winds that encircle the eye of the storm. The Stormfury results were at best ambiguous and similar experiments have not been tried since.

What makes the research into hurricanes and typhoons very difficult is their high degree of unpredictability. The atmosphere's great sensitivity to tiny influences and the rapid compounding of small errors in weather-forecasting models are what make long-range forecasting (more than five days in advance) extremely difficult. We all know how imperfect weather forecasts are.

Still, the application of chaos theory and the use of computer simulation may yet offer hope that some day weather modification, and particularly the mitigation of the fury of typhoons, may become a reality. (A chaotic system is one that appears to behave randomly but is in fact governed by rules, Hoffman says.)

The Philippines is one of several countries that would benefit greatly from typhoon mitigation research. In the past 10 years, 4,274 persons have been killed, 7,602 injured and about 3 million left homeless by typhoons. These storms have caused almost P70 billion in damage to public and private property and crops.

Bicol and Eastern Visayas, which lie directly in the path of typhoons, are among our poorest regions. The government and the people seem to be engaged forever in a Sisyphean struggle in these areas: this year they repair the damage caused by typhoons to infrastructure and the following year they are destroyed again by even more powerful storms.

Typhoons are a great and recurring obstacle to the country's economic development. Academic and scientific institutions and Congress would be doing the country a lot of good if they could convince other countries that experience a lot of typhoons and hurricanes, like the United States, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, to undertake a joint research on the taming of these terrible, awesome and destructive giants of nature.

Not entitled

Not entitled

Updated 01:34am (Mla time) Dec 06, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 6, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.


TO BE certain, Senate President Franklin Drilon's appeal to his fellow legislators to give up part of their pork barrel funds in favor of the many flood and landslide victims seemed not a little gimmicky-as though he were in part playing to the gallery.

But there is so much wrong with House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles' terse reply to Drilon's challenge that we can overlook the senator's grandstand play.

What, exactly, did the gentleman from Davao City say?

"We have already given up our pork. Did anyone give up their pork when we were bombed in Davao and for the war in Mindanao? So many people died there, too, right?" Nograles said last Friday, in a text message he sent the Inquirer.

Strictly speaking, congressmen have not given up their pork-only a portion of it, and if continuing delay forces the reenactment of the present budget, not even that. But Nograles' imprecision is telling, because it reveals the sense of entitlement that underlies our lawmakers' attitude to the pork barrel.

To mistake sacrificing a portion for the entire sum is to emphasize, not what is given up, but the one doing the giving up. It's as if Nograles-and on this matter he is truly the majority leader, because he speaks for most congressmen-begrudged the reduction in funds so much that he thinks he has practically lost the entire pork barrel. He is rather like a salaried employee who, after withholding taxes are deducted from his pay, melodramatically complains that the government has taken everything!

The employee has grounds for feeling that way; he must believe, after all, that he is entitled to all the fruits of his labor. But Nograles and other congressmen? Why would they feel that way about giving up part of the pork barrel, if they did not feel similarly entitled to ALL of it?

Nograles also seeks to draw a parallel between the recent tragedies and the wave of terror that swept certain parts of Mindanao. Did anyone give up their pork then, he asks? But back then there was no fiscal crisis, no national soul-searching over the use and abuse of the pork barrel. Back then, giving up the pork barrel wasn't even being discussed.

But we are in the middle of one such crisis now. Contrary to President Macapagal-Arroyo's startling announcement last month, the country is still very much on the road to default. According to the economists from the University of the Philippines, that terrible milestone may be only two or three years away. And for all the hue and cry that followed the President's admission last August that a budget crisis did in fact exist, none of the eight revenue measures needed has yet been passed. There is some movement, yes; but just because things are in motion does not mean, as the President took it to mean last month, that the crisis is in fact over.

Nograles' reply also assumes the basic fallacy that legislators now take for granted: that they bear part of the executive branch's responsibility for their respective districts. This attitude is transparent in Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo's reply to Drilon.

"May I stress that senators do not have direct constituencies, unlike congressmen who are answerable to their districts," the President's eldest son said. The young Arroyo was not propounding a novel theory of the separation of powers; that is beyond his ken. He was simply repeating the rationalization congressmen use to justify their greater need for the pork barrel; that is, that they have a direct constituency, that they are answerable to their districts.

Nonsense. In our system of government, all elected officials have a direct constituency; just because a senator is elected at large does not make his constituency any less direct. And, contrary to the young Arroyo's view, all government officials-not just congressmen-are answerable to the public.

The problem is, Nograles, Arroyo and most other congressmen define being answerable in another way. We do not mean to be facetious, but if the pork barrel is truly the answer, what in heaven's name is the question?

Things to do

Things to do

Updated 00:44am (Mla time) Dec 05, 2004
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on page A14 of the December 5, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer



WE have often chided the President for issuing laundry lists of things to do during moments of national import, instead of offering the nation a bold, inspiring vision. But in this time of calamity, such a list is exactly what we need from President Macapagal-Arroyo, a list of steps to take-immediately or in the next few weeks-to hasten the country's recovery from the natural disasters of the last two weeks.

Her appeal to the people to unite in the face of the recent tragedies is timely, but in itself it is not enough. This is in part because the over-simplifications that drive political rhetoric are already hard at work. A mere two days after typhoon "Yoyong" exited, it has become conventional wisdom to blame both the practice of illegal logging and the New People's Army for the floods and the landslides.

The truth is much more complicated than that. Both illegal loggers and the NPA (the government says the communist rebels are illegal loggers themselves) bear part of the blame. But commercial or legal logging is not without fault, either. And some local politicians and businessmen helped create the conditions on the ground that aggravated the disasters.

If the over-simplifications drive post-disaster policy, then the government cannot hope to stop similar tragedies in the future.

There is a pressing need, then, to find out exactly what happened. This pursuit of the truth will take time; judging from sorry experience, a whole lot of time, because every other senator and congressman and executive official would want to have his say, preferably before the cameras.

But we cannot afford to be distracted from the tasks at hand; that is why the entire country needs to focus on the immediate and the near term, and that is where the President's laundry list comes in.

The most immediate items on that to-do list concern rescue and relief operations:

1. The spell of good weather between the last typhoon and the next "low-pressure" disturbance should not distract the government and the non-government organizations it is working with from continuing with the rescue attempts; there may yet be victims who survived the mudslides that overtook a portion of Dumingan town in Aurora and killed a hundred, for instance. In the one or two days left before the onset of another storm, rescue must be the undisputed first priority.

2. A close second would be relief. It is critical that the flow of relief materials continues, but it is crucial that the relief centers in the calamity areas must be made safe and secure. The worst thing that can happen in the next few days is for another evacuation center to collapse. (The one at Real cost over a hundred lives.) If any such center is at risk, the evacuees and the relief materials must be moved to a safer place. But such centers are at risk also from the outbreak of diseases. It is imperative that, for the sake of the living, the dead must be immediately buried. And that hygiene standards must be, however heroically, maintained.

In the next week or so, the President must also insist on temporary measures that will help prevent similar tragedies or help account for last week's. These initiatives may include the following:

3. The meteorological agency Pagasa should fill in the gaps in its forecasting ability by increasing frequency and forging short-term linkages with institutions that have advance equipment. What is to prevent Pagasa, for instance, from supplementing its three daily forecasts with, say, updates from CNN or Nasa, properly attributed and qualified?

4. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources should identify all the Timber License Agreements, Industrial Tree Plantation Lease Agreements, Industrial Forest Management Agreements, and Socialized Industrial Forest Management Agreements that awarded logging concessions in Aurora and Quezon.

5. The Department of Defense should begin a comprehensive review of the government's disaster-management plans, in particular, to explore better ways of coordinating with NGOs and other civil-society groups which take disaster-preparedness seriously.

And so on and so forth. In helping the storm-struck stand on their own feet again, the government must be specific and time-bound about its short-term goals-before the deluge of politics swamps us again.