EDITORIAL - Calamity for the fund of it

There is something uniquely Filipino in the declaration of an area as being in a state of calamity. In the Philippines, a place is placed under a state of calamity not because it is truly under a state of calamity but because officials want unhindered access to calamity funds.

 The logic of the law here is that it makes no sense for the usual bureaucratic gridlocks to hamper official access to calamity funds if a calamity has already been officially declared, never mind if the situation on the ground does not support such a declaration.

 As most people outside of government would have it, a calamity is a calamity, regardless of whether you declare one officially. When a calamity descends, you know it without being told. Truly responsive and realistic governments know how to respond to one even without the hype.

 Alas, this is the Philippines, where government and every official or functionary in it makes the easy things difficult and the difficult things easy, and all without ever knowing the difference.

 Consider the following: It takes a calamity declaration to gain quick access to calamity funds. But when calamity funds are unspent, no declaration is needed to use the unspent funds for the Christmas bonuses of officials.

 This is not meant to be funny. This has actually happened and could still be happening. The only reason nobody seems to have noticed is because while you need to make noise (official declaration) to use calamity funds for calamities, you have to be quiet with Christmas bonuses.

 People from other countries will probably find the systems in place in the Philippines discombobulating. They probably will not understand why a fuss has to be made about a situation that is apparent just by looking in order to get hold of something meant for that situation.

 It is good that most people who come to the Philippines only do so for a visit and not to actually live here. If they do, and coming as they are from systematic and orderly backgrounds, it probably will not take very long for them to become their own personal calamities.