Manila, QC bets start jockeying for congressional seats

The battle for congressional seats in Manila and Quezon City are heating up even as the date for the filing of certificates of candidacy has been moved to Oct. 11.

It will be Rep. Manny Lopez against comeback kid Roberto Asilo in the first district of the capital city of Manila.

Lopez’s son, businessman-lawyer Alex Lopez, will fight top Councilor Rolan Valeriano in the second district, while former Rep. Naida Angping will face Rep. John Marvin “Yul Servo” Nieto in the third district.

In Sampaloc’s fourth district, an interesting match looms between Rep. Edward Maceda and former Rep. Trisha Bonoan, while former Mayor Lito Atienza will face off with Amado Bagatsing’s  daughter, Rep. Amanda “Cristal” Bagatsing, in the fifth district.

In the sixth district, Pastor Benny Abante has once more cast his hat into the ring, this time against Councilor Cassie Sison.

In Quezon City, its Bingbong Crisologo’s son, Councilor Anthony “Onyx” Crisologo against party-list member, Bernadette Herrera, in the first district.

In the third district, it’s a three-way race among Mayor Herbert Bautista, Quezon City’s top Councilor Allan Benedict Reyes and Mike Defensor, former representative and adviser to then President, now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In the fourth district, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board member, Bong Suntay, will face Councilor Marvin Rillo, thus reigniting their rivalry after they finished in the No. 1 and No. 2 slots in the 2010 polls, respectively.

Meanwhile, Rep. Alfred Vargas of the fifth district, Rep. Christopher “Kit” Belmonte of the sixth district and Rep. Winnie Castelo’s wife, Councilor Precious Hipolito-Castelo of the second district, are running unopposed, for now.

In disasters, be it natural, man-made or even terror acts, government should help the people BEFORE, DURING and AFTER. This should be its mission statement. But what has happened to recovery efforts after Supertyphoon “Yolanda”? Typhoon “Pablo”? Bohol earthquake? Marawi? Now comes “Ompong” which wrought massive devastation in northern Luzon with 64 people killed and at least 45 missing as of Sunday.

In 2015, we were second in the World Risk Index report of United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security. We dropped to No. 3 in 2016 and 2017 with a reported 52.46 percent exposure to natural disasters, 52.78 percent for “vulnerability” and 80.92 percent for  “lack of coping capacities.”

Today, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) manages disasters with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana as chair and with four vice chairs from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Science and Technology and National Economic and Development Authority. They are joined by 40 others from various government, nongovernment, civic and private groups. It is an ad hoc organization that critics call “a camel designed by a committee.”

The NDRRMC is a “working group” that plans and leads in activities in communication, warning signals, emergency, transportation, evacuation, rescue, engineering, health and rehabilitation, public education and auxiliary services. It is big but since it is “ad hoc,” there are many things its members cannot do.

Seriously, what we need is something similar to the US Federal Emergency Management Authority, whose clear mandate and accountability is to support its citizens and first responders in times of hazards—from preparation to rehabilitation.

Just look at our government’s confusing or “self-designed” calamity fund allocations. From 2011 to 2015, the disaster fund was a steady P13 billion. But in 2016, an election year, the Aquino administration budgeted a whopping P38.9 billion. In 2017, it was reduced to P15.7 billion and this year, the calamity fund is at P25.5 billion.  I continue to wonder where all these “ad hoc” money ended up.

For comments/suggestions, e-mail me at [email protected].