Who would still want to help?

Sacks of rice meant for the survivors of typhoon Yolanda were found at a local eatery in Tacloban. Someone sold the sacks of rice to the eatery's owner, who obviously did not think twice before buying them. They were probably sold a lot cheaper than retail for the owner to buy them all, in the hope of making a killing. The DSWD is now filing a case against the eatery's owner. The owner does not want to name the sellers of the seventeen 25-kilo sacks of rice, whom she claims to be Yolanda victims themselves. She merely wanted to help them out, and claims ignorance regarding the illegality of buying relief goods.

I find everything that the owner claims to be full of it. First of all, who has seventeen sacks of rice to sell? Don't tell me Yolanda survivors do not want rice, and that they would rather have money. Money for what? To buy rice? Second, why not name the sellers, if they are only Yolanda survivors? If nobody was prosecuted nor charged with looting the whole city, will the government go after those who sell rice?

If this is what is happening in Tacloban, who would still want to offer help if what the city apparently wants is money and not relief goods? There are still many from all over the world who want to help. Should they be told to give money, instead of food, clothing, shelter, or even jobs and education, if it is true that relief goods are only being sold, instead of being utilized?

I thought overseeing anything concerning the Yolanda victims was the job of the rehabilitation czar? Then why is something as brazen as this happening under his watch, in light of his threats to those who would abuse? I believe personnel from a government agency were responsible for selling the rice. Which is why the eatery owner is just too scared to reveal the sellers. It is apparent that corruption is alive and well in calamity-torn Tacloban. We aren't even talking about all the funds given to the survivors. Money is a much juicier, more desirable temptation than anything else. Obviously the rehab czar, along with the more trustworthy line agencies need to do more to ensure the help does help in the intended manner, and not turned into a business.

Six months have passed since Yolanda, and we still hear of issues such as this one. I have to ask, why do we hear so many problems in Tacloban, and not from any other place equally devastated by Yolanda? How can the city rise from the disaster if this is the way things are running, or being allowed to run? The eatery owner should have known better than to buy sacks of rice labeled "DSWD Relief Supplies. Not for sale", unless she is that dense, or the promise of a windfall was just too much to resist.

I cannot help but think that so much of the same has happened in the past months. International agencies have expressed concern as to how relief goods are being handled. We hear of tons of rice rotting in warehouses, we hear of anomalies in the construction of bunkhouses, we hear the never ending complaints of survivors claiming they haven't received any help. This is not an isolated case. If all these are not addressed soon, then the world may just turn a blind eye, should another typhoon tear its way into the country.

Nobody wants that.