Central Visayas, including Cebu city and province, was battered by the strongest typhoon recorded in recent history last Friday morning. Days before the storm, residents were repeatedly warned to prepare for “Yolanda” so much so that before it arrived, many people rushed to buy canned goods and food, fearing another catastrophe like 1990’s super typhoon Ruping, which practically devastated Cebu province. It took Cebu City more than a month to recover and for electric power to be restored after Ruping.
A day before “Yolanda” reached the country, I attended the Association of South East Asian (ASEAN) SME conference at Radisson Blu Hotel with fellow faculty and students from the University of San Carlos. The seminar sponsored by Asian Institute of Management (AIM) brought to the fore the development and concerns of micro, small and medium enterprises. Part of the topic was the ASEAN integration and its prospects.
During the seminar it was obvious that organizers were bothered by the impending typhoon as the seminar was scheduled to run for two days, Thursday and Friday.
I don’t know what happened to the Friday session because Cebu was already under signal no. 3. Nevertheless the first day of the seminar was very interesting as it gave us new information and perspectives into the ASEAN activities and development of the SME’s.
Last Friday, I was at home like other city residents overseeing preparations for any possible damage that typhoon Yolanda could inflict. My wife, Naomi, had left for Malaysia Thursday afternoon so I was a bit excited and also anxious about what may transpire during the storm. I spent most of my time praying to the Lord that He spare us from the wrath of the world’s strongest typhoon. By Friday morning, power went off but was restored later in the evening. I stayed in the garage monitoring the progress of the storm with my youngest brother, Jun Jun and nephew Carlo.
I am relieved that there was not much damage in Cebu City and zero casualties. Residents were more prepared for the typhoon this time.
Unfortunately, north Cebu did not fare as well. It was the worst-hit part of the island, particularly towns of Medellin, Daan Bantayan, and San Remegio, Bogo city and the island of Bantayan.
Tacloban City in Leyte was devastated by the typhoon and massive flooding that killed scores of people. Let us continue praying for all those affected by the monster storm. And let us thank God, the Father Almighty for keeping us safe in Cebu.
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The reported standoff between the fire department and the Cebu city government last Wednesday evening was unfortunate. Both parties were asserting their rights over the premises that is presently occupied by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) regional office.
The relationship turned sour from the time the Cebu City Medical Center temporarily occupied part of the BFP headquarters as an emergency measure following the Oct. 15 earthquake. Hostile statements of the BFP regional director has not helped ease the tension.
The BFP threatened to cut off water and electricity in the building whose supply was being used by the city hospital. This action was not received well by the city government. The threat shows how they intend to respond to emergency needs of the poor despite the fact that the Cebu city government has been supporting the needs of the fire department. A dialogue should be held and, hopefully, a compromise can be reached without having to resort to legal action in deciding what is really good for public welfare.