EDITORIAL – Woefully inadequate

The Spaniards sent rescuers with a K-9 team. The Malaysians and Taiwanese sent troops with sonar and heat-detecting equipment as well as relief goods. The Americans sent two shiploads of Marines, helicopters and relief goods.

More help is on the way from overseas, even as hopes fade with each passing day for finding more survivors in the deadly landslide that struck the village of Guinsaugon in Southern Leyte last Friday morning. The nation is grateful for the international assistance that has poured in, but the aid also highlights the inadequacy of the country’s capabilities to deal with natural disasters.

This is unfortunate for a country that lies in the so-called Ring of Fire — a land visited regularly by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, typhoons and torrential monsoon rains that induce massive flooding and, yes, landslides. Much of the equipment that the foreigners have brought in, from the sonar to the military rescue aircraft, the Philippines sorely lacks.

The country is ill-prepared to deal even with accidents such as fires, whether in crowded slums, in apartment buildings or in Makati’s exclusive Dasmariñas Village. The country has an acute lack of everything, from fire trucks to asbestos suits and even long ladders to save people from burning buildings.

All the international aid pouring in could lull the country into continuing complacency. Why invest in disaster preparedness when the international community can always be relied upon for help? Upgrading the nation’s own capability to deal with disasters, however, can mean a swifter response that could increase the chances of saving more lives.

In disasters, whether natural or man-made, a few hours can mean the difference between life and death. And even when hope dims for finding more survivors buried for three days in 100 feet of shifting mud, the right equipment can at least lead to the retrieval of bodies for proper burial by relatives. Once the tragic story of Guinsaugon fades from the headlines, however, everyone will forget the inadequacy of the country’s capability to save lives.