FOR THE second time in a row, President B.S. (Benigno Special) Aquino skipped the second anniversary of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in Tacloban City.
Tacloban City is the center of the anniversary commemoration because it was ground zero of the devastation wrought by the strongest typhoon on record.
P-Noynoy always had reasons—both flimsy—to be absent at the ceremonies in Tacloban City.
Last year, the first anniversary, he was in Guiuan, Samar province, where Yolanda first made landfall.
This year, on Sunday, Nov. 8, his reason was even flimsier and unpardonable: He stood as sponsor in the wedding of the youngest son of tycoon Andrew Tan.
It seems the President’s priorities are lopsided.
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His absence at the Yolanda ceremonies in Tacloban City is a repeat of the Mamasapano aftermath all over again.
The President skipped the arrival honors at Villamor Air Base for the 44 police commandos who were killed in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, last year.
He skipped a solemn and important occasion in his calendar to attend the inauguration of a car plant in Laguna province.
No amount of excuses given by his apologists and by P-Noynoy himself could make people forgive the President for being a no-show at the rites.
P-Noynoy is truly special in every sense of the word.
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The citizenry can never forget the exchange between Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez who asked if the national government could take over the disaster relief operations in the city in the aftermath of Yolanda.
Roxas’ reply, uploaded on YouTube, was a classic example of arrogance of power: “You have to understand that you are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino… If it’s not legalized, then OK you are in charge…
Bahala na kayo sa buhay n’yo (You’re on your own).”
The then interior secretary was referring to a tiff between the mayor’s aunt, Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, and the Aquino family.
Roxas didn’t even think of the suffering masses in the city before that classic statement came out of his mouth.
He wouldn’t mind seeing people suffer in pain to satisfy the whims and caprices of his eccentric boss.
And this guy dares to run for President!
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I was in Tacloban City three days after Yolanda struck.
My staff and I at “Isumbong mo kay Tulfo” were with a team of doctors from St. Luke’s Medical Center led by Dr. Sam Tanzo.
I saw for myself the disorderly reaction—or none at all—of the national government to the giant disaster in the first few days after the supertyphoon.
For example, a propeller-driven Philippine Airlines plane from Manila landed at what remained of the Daniel Z. Romualdez airport carrying Department of Health (DOH) doctors and other personnel.
I met the DOH personnel to ask for medicines as my group was running out of antibiotics, anti-tetanus vaccines and medicines for colds, coughs and fever.
My medical mission had set up a temporary hospital and clinic for the throng that was lining up to get a plane ride out of the city.
What did the doctors tell me?
One said, “We are on an inspection mission to see the damage.”
They didn’t bring any medicines because they still wanted to know the extent of the damage wrought by the supertyphoon.