Typhoon Ulysses, internationally known as Vamco, brought heavy rains over Luzon, including Metro Manila as it made landfall.
The volume of water caused flooding in many areas. Cagayan Province and Isabela were severely flooded to the point where residents climbed up to their roofs to survive.
As of this writing, the death toll for 2020’s deadliest typhoon reached 69 while 12 are still missing.
Cagayan, as a catch basin, received the rainwater from other provinces and the water released by the Magat Dam.
The flood in Cagayan was the worst it experienced in the last 45 years. According to the Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba, it was worse than what they had prepared for.
Amidst the Typhoon and after, when people need rescue, netizens have been looking for government officials, especially President Rodrigo Duterte. In fact, the #NasaanAngPresidente even trended on Twitter as netizens demand accountability and action from the President.
After this call of the netizens, Duterte said that he badly wants to go out but his security won’t allow him.
He just surveyed the areas hit by Typhoon Ulysses through an aerial inspection. However, this did not sit well with Glaiza de Castro.
https://twitter.com/glaizaredux/status/1327838050819338240?s=20
The actress finds it useless to conduct such inspection without putting up a solution to the problem.
Cagayan and Isabela have been submerged for many days and many residents have yet to be rescued that’s why Glaiza reacted to the said inspection.
On her Twitter, Glaiza also encouraged people to donate for those victims of the typhoon.
The current administration seems to have a very poor response to the crises that our country is facing. From the pandemic to these natural disasters, the sense of accountability from our leaders is missing.
Duterte’s administration also gave less focus on disaster preparedness and risk management programs.
To recall, Duterte cut the budget for our country’s two important disaster risk management programs, Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessments of Hazards) and the National Calamity Fund.
In 2017, The national calamity fund was slashed from proposed P38.9 billion to P23 billion. Also, the Office of Civil Defense, the operating agency of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council was only allocated P481 million from P1 billion in the previous year.
Project NOAH which was initiated by the Department of Science and Technology in 2012 that aims to develop extensive programs for disaster mitigation was scheduled for funding since 2015. However, it was still given less importance.
The central government should refrain from blaming the country’s unpreparedness on its agencies because President Duterte has control over the situation.
We should also stop using our fellowmen’s resilience to cover up the real problem. We need concrete solutions, let’s not sugarcoat the government’s shortcomings.
