Cebu: Enjoying a mini-boom as center of relief

Last Sunday, Pres. Benigno “PNoy”Aquino III went back to Leyte purportedly to supervise the relief operations. If there is anything that Super Typhoon “Yolanda” did, it opened the eyes of the International Relief Community that the Philippines is not just Manila or Manila is not just the Philippines. The bumbling incompetence of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center has caused so much delays that a full week after the Super Typhoon ravaged Central Visayas, there are still bottlenecks that has brought relief goods for Samar and Leyte down to a trickle. One such bottleneck was in Matnog, Sorsogon.

Last Sunday, I went with my family to Bantayan Island and my good friend, Mr. Alex Tan, owner of Island Shipping Corp. discouraged me to go due to the heavy traffic of vehicles wanting to cross to the island. He reminded me that it was like Holy Week times two! Indeed Mr. Tan was right to warn me. But I had to do what I needed to do and he went out of his way to ensure that I was able to take his ferry to Bantayan Island and back. Without Mr. Tan's help…I'd still be in Bantayan Island today.

These chokepoints, especially in the Visayas where we rely heavily on Roll-on Roll-off vessels, were never in the radar screen of the NDRRMC. As I already wrote before, the Matnog, Sorsogon to Allen, Samar crossing has only two Ro-Ro vessels. If the NDRRMC doesn't augment that, that chokepoint would never be resolved.

However if the NDRRMC commandeered Ro-Ro vessels along the Batangas-Mindoro routes, it would certainly unclog that chokepoint. But those other small islands that are not serviced by Ro-Ro vessels are the most difficult to help. This is where the US 7th Fleet could come in to fly helicopter missions to those small islands to the people who have not seen any relief goods ten days after the typhoon had passed.

If there is anything good that has come out of Super Ty-phoon “Yolanda” it is that Cebuanos have been shown to have a big heart and everyone who has been touched by the TV news of the severity of the disaster and the incompetence of the NDRRMC went out of their way to bring or deliver relief goods to the people in Northern Cebu because sending them to Tacloban is nearly impossible, while Ormoc is difficult. But anyone can go to Daanbantayan, Bogo or San Remigio to bring their relief goods to the people who need them the most.

Yes, business in Cebu has boomed a bit because of the hundreds if not thousands of foreign relief volunteers who swooped down from their respective countries to help typhoon victims. These international relief workers are staying in the various hotels in Metro Cebu. This is not to mention that most of our supermarkets and grocery stores have been enjoying brisk sales because people are buying basic foodstuff including health products and water to support the relief efforts. I'm not happy about this, but it is the truth!

Meanwhile over the weekend, the Filipino people were amazed that ABS-CBN broadcaster Korina Sanchez would dare question the reportage of CNN's Anderson Cooper over her radio program. To which Anderson Cooper gave a retort that totally em-barrassed Korina because she happens to be the wife of DILG Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas. I gathered that her radio program has been temporarily suspended.

Incidentally, last Friday evening, I was at the Resort World Marriott for the 13th Grand Wine Experience as the special guest of Mr. Bobby Joseph, who told me that he met Anderson Cooper in the elevator. The following day, Marriott GM Bruce Winton, who was formerly the GM in Cebu told me that Anderson Cooper stayed at the Marriott and he showed me their photograph together. But he had to leave Saturday morning.

Incidentally as the Island Ferry was docking into Hagnaya, the ferry boat beside it was ready to go with the German relief effort. They had two huge trucks bringing a well-packed metal containers. It's no wonder that netizens reported that the Bureau of Customs wanted to slap the Germans with Customs duties because they didn't know what was inside those shiny metal containers. Of course because it got out into the social networking sites, the Customs allowed the Germans to go.

This is the problem with the Aquino Regime; the NDRRMC should have had the power to suspend Customs duties or VAT on relief goods (which Kim Hernares wanted to tax) in emergency situations like this. But these people couldn't help themselves and in the end, they create a bad image for our country and make a worse image for the government of PNoy that his government is in disarray with Cabinet secretaries doing their own thing. To a government that puts image on top of everything, they're fumbling and bungling amongst themselves.

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