If I Were Single I'd Move

I blame the static electricity after the storm. I was reading through the Philippine Star [RP Dragonboat teamhelps rescue..., page14, 29 Sept 09] and came across a rather interesting quote. Pay attention to the last sentence:

The Makati City government has allotted P15 million to help localities placed under a state of calamity by the National Disaster Coordinating Council, Mayor Jejomar Binay said yesterday.

He said the P15 million will be used to provide relief goods and other basic needs of flood victims, particularly blankets and sleeping mates.

source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=509505&publicationSubCategoryId=207

Ok I know its a typo but I just cant resist [warning. The Soup mode activated]:

• If I were single, I'd move to Makati NAO!

• Is this considered a Public or Private Enterprise?

• Wow, he's really pulling out all the stops for the elections.

• Can we choose or are they assigned?

• I already have one, can I just get a cash refund?

• Is trading allowed?

• Sir, I'd like to volunteer....

• I guess we know his stand on the Reproductive Health Bill.

Cynic Dries Out

I've been scanning the news online. If there's any political dividend out of this flood tragedy, it will likely go to administration candidate Gilberto 'Gibo' Teodoro, Jr. As Secretary of National Defense and Head of the Disaster Coordinating Council, he certainly benefits from the media attention. The rather heroic [and it is heroic] nature of commanding the rescue effort does hang a halo over his head.

Well, since he's in the limelight I guess I should start looking at his credentials. I like halos around politicians. They're like bullseyes. And apparently others are taking aim as well. Just today there's been a rumor that Gibo has been refusing foreign aid saying that the country did not need it. Ahh, dredge the mud from the flood and sling it around...

I then go check out the news. No mention of the man turning away help. Most of the news items I saw had him asking for help. I then check out his website [ http://www.gibo.ph/ ]. No mention of him asking for or refusing aid. Most of the items are reports on the state of the rescue effort.

While I'm there I check out his platform. Its split into two pages, My Views and Strategy. My Views identifies broad challenges that he wishes to address. His Strategy is surprisingly detailed considering the vagueness of the My Views page. For each region he identifies specific plans.

I check out the Bicol region. Its a mixed bag. Better disaster preparedness is good. Drainage system mainenance is good. Damming the rivers, if not handled properly, may result in environmental damage.

What else? Land development. What kind of development? More commercial establishments and condos instead of farm land? A Technopark or Industrial Park? I think I prefer infrastructure development over land development. How about building roads and sewers that are good enough to accommodate a population growth of 2% per annum?

He also plans on more R&D for the promising steel and engineering sector. Ok, that's interesting and new. For the longest time must development efforts centered on tourism, agriculture and handicrafts. This may be a better direction. I'd love to see the basis of his assessment.

Overall, the site articulated vague principles alongside a to-do list for each region. The only thing lacking is an explanation of how everything actually integrates. It seems as if he really doesn't have an integrated platform. This may not be sufficient. I'll continue checking his site.

I'll be looking into the Honorable Secretary's past accomplishments in a future post. It should give some more insight on the man's character. One thing is certain though. He goes out on the field trying to get people to safety.

Political News Rained Out

Most of the talk about politics have, thankfully, been suspended due to rains. Some of the presidentiables seem to be mobilizing their own resources to help the people stranded in the floods. Well If some of the politicians got the money from public coffers, it's one expense I don't mind.

The volume of water surprised everyone. In fact I was out driving yesterday afternoon at the height of the storm. I didn't know the rivers and dams were already overflowing. Apparently a month's worth of rain fell in just 6 hours yesterday. Considering its still monsoon season... its a lot of rain.

My impatience saved me because I decided to head for a nearby bookstore instead of waiting in the traffic jam that I saw. Inside, the store staff traded stories: people seeking shelter at town halls, waterways overflowing, floods nearby. Power was being shut down in some areas because lines were submerged. Nearby buildings were already dark.

So I waited and called my wife on the celphone. I told her to stay at the school. She told me not to take undue risks. I managed to get there when the traffic subsided. The water though was still rising in areas. Water ran like streams down some of the roads I passed. On our way back, I saw water gushing out of the gates of the local pumping station.

When we got back to the house, we hunkered down and started calling. Getting word from our friends and relatives was difficult. The telecom systems were likely swamped. A lot of communication passed through chat, email and Social Networks. Fortunately for us most of our friends and family seemed safe if a bit battered. Sadly, it was really ugly for others. But when this is over I can already hear what people will be saying:

It was bad. It could have been worse.

Where are we?

This is an attempt to make sense of the events in this little corner of the universe. I'm sure I'll find it useful for keeping my sanity. Maybe my younger relatives will find it useful for understanding their environment when they start noticing the strangeness. The Blog as a cure for our notoriously short memory. If only it were that simple.

and, by the way, hello world.