here we go again

When ever disaster or tragedy strikes (be it a natural or man made one), the first thing government officials do is point fingers. The second action they do is to create a committee to investigate the cause of the said catastrophe. These knee-jerk reactions can very well be illustrated by the recent scandals and calamities that rocked the Philippines.

First on the list is the corruption in the military. Here much had been said about Gen. Garcia and his unexplained wealth (who were in the loop, where he got the money and how he amassed it), that it lead to congressional investigation, as well as military and civil court cases. I know deep down that after the initial media hype and photo-ops, this issue will again be over taken by events and eventually lead to nowhere. Such is the tragedy that is the Philippine government.

Recently, the issue of Hacienda Luisita was big news. The issue was further aggravated following the death of 7 strikers (or 14 strikers –depending on whose side is reporting). This is considered major news mainly due to the fact that the family (the Cojuancos) that owns the vast hacienda are the Who’s who of Philippine politics (this includes a former president of the republic, congressmen, businessmen and media personalities).

Again, there was a pointing of fingers on who was to blame. The Department of Labor and Employment (who ordered the demolition and called on the military) was blamed by the opposition. The NPA’s as well as the leftist group were blamed by the military for aggravating the strike. And once again, there will be an investigation on who to blame and what caused the violence.

This never-ending cycle of pointing-fingers and committee investigation will once again happen in the wake of typhoon Winnie. The recent typhoon to hit Luzon left at least 348 dead, millions in damaged infrastructure and in agriculture. This typhoon was not the strongest to hit the country, but steady rains caused landslides and flash floods in Quezon, Rizal, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan. Illegal loggers are to be blamed for this, how ever, government officials are not far behind. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, local government and even the slash-and burn farmers are at blame too. People with short term concerns are just as guilty as the callous officials.

It is depressing to note that our leaders and the majority of the citizen are still governed by parochial interest.