Reading and seeing the loss of lives and damage to property in the Visayas caused by super typhoon Yolanda is heartbreaking, yet the spirit of bayanihan and the unwillingness of Filipinos to be defeated remains strong, as someone else has pointed out, if Yolanda was the strongest typhoon in the world, then Filipinos, having lived through it, are the strongest people in the world.
While humanitarian aid begins pouring in, whether from unaffected or less affected areas of our country or from international sources, we, as a nation, should remind ourselves that while we may not be able to do much about Mother Nature (climate change notwithstanding), we should be in a position to prevent or mitigate manmade disasters brought about by human greed and corruption.
Related to Yolanda's destruction, we should consider how much of the damage might have been minimized with sufficient disaster preparedness, investments in and quality standards of infrastructure (roads, buildings, communications, water, etc), and proper community education and involvement. The same could be said regarding how we cope and begin the recovery process. The Filipino spirit in the face of adversity is not wanting, but it could be greatly complemented by resources that, instead of serving the public good, have gone into the pockets of corrupt legislators, government executives, and civilians, who stupidly enrich themselves at the expense of others.
This group includes those who exploited the PDAF and other public funds, those who would bribe, extort, or do substandard work rather than promote good public service, those who value profits over human lives and health, those who do not pay proper wages, those who litter or vandalize public places, those who can help but don't, and those who take advantage of the dire need of others in order to gain popularity, enhance their public image, or make money. For example, during the world wars, tobacco companies gave away free cigarettes for soldiers in the field. For typhoon/flood relief operations, companies often supply processed food products that are lacking or devoid of any nutritional value (e.g. infant formula for babies) as a means of marketing their products or so as to claim that they are helping the calamity victims.
So while we continue to render assistance in any way we can to our brothers and sisters suffering in the Visayas, let us keep a watchful eye on the plunder cases related to the PDAF and ensure that any international assistance is not squandered or looted by unscrupulous politicians. If only God had taken them instead of the many innocents claimed by Yolanda.
