The OFWs' disaster unpreparedness

KUWAIT — Should an earthquake of the magnitude that hit Haiti strike Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman or the United Arab Emirates today, do you know that the lives of more than a million OFWs and their families would be in grave and imminent danger? Is there anybody in our society or in government who is focusing on disaster preparedness for OFWs? Or are we going to repeat the usual post-disaster finger-pointing, Congressional and Senate investigations and the public outcry that would die down soon after all victims are buried and accounted for? We never learn from our mistakes. And so, we are bound to repeat them over and over again.

The OFWs here in the Middle East are only thinking of work, dollar remittances, and how to help their families back home. They don’t mind their own safety. They stay in high rise flats and condo and they are unaware how earthquakes and tsunamis can abruptly devastate their lives and dreams. They don’t think of fire safety and don’t care if there are fire extinguishers or fire exits. Building administrators think only of rentals and leasehold contracts. They don’t think of fire drills and other fire safety measures. These precarious conditions are putting thousands of lives in grave danger.

Filipino community actions

The Filipino communities composed of OFWs all over the world cannot be outdone in their capability to do volunteer work in aiding victims of calamities. We have proven this in the case of the Pinatubo eruption, in the Ondoy and related calamities and even in the recent Haiti earthquake. But all their actions are post-disaster. There are no pre-disaster preparedness initiatives.

Government should lead this movement. In our own small way, we have initiated in Kuwait a disaster preparedness action, uniting Filipino community organizations, conducting disaster preparedness seminars and organizing fire drills. And earthquake drills. But government, really has no purposive, focused and continuing program and budget for disaster preparedness. This is a simple but very fatal non-feasance. We shall pay a heavy price for such neglect. 

But safety is too important to be left alone in the hands of government. OFWs should take charge of their own safety. They should organize their own disaster preparedness team. They should hold their own teach-ins and workshops on what to do to avoid deaths, injuries and loss of properties in case of calamities. They should undertake their own campaign to instill disaster readiness in the minds of OFWs.

Communities of OFWs abroad should embrace disaster-preparedness as an integral part of life in foreign lands. They should talk about it all the time and walk their talk. They should not put their own safety in the hands of others, including the government.

Gov't should help too

Of course, government should not fold its hands relative for the questions of disaster preparedness. The DOLE and DFA should make sure that the subject of Disaster Readiness should be integrated in the curriculum of the PDOS (Pre-departure Orientation Seminar). Recruitment Agencies should preach this as an essential part of preparation for labor migration.

Labor Attachés, Welfare Officers, Ambassadors and Consuls should become experts on disaster-preparedness and disaster responses. Government and NGOs should organize all efforts, resources and initiatives to save the lives and properties of OFWs. If they are indeed heroes, they need not die unnecessarily.

 With all means we could muster, we should preserve their lives. Dili ba?