Where is the mayor?

The story of the El Cid brand of leadership is aweinspiring. History tells us that in the siege of Valencia, Spain by non-Christians, El Cid died probably out of famine resulting from the attack. His wife Jimena fitted El Cid's corpse with his distinctive armor, mounted the dead body on his horse, Babieca, in such a way as to make it appear that he was alive and they galloped with other soldiers towards the enemy line. The appearance of the Spanish warrior in leading his army in unequalled bravery and almost wanton disregard of personal safety struck fear in the hearts of the enemies. Indeed the physical presence alone of a leader in the most disparaging situations inspires his people no end.

I have been critically harsh on the innumerable legal shortcuts done in this administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. The extra-judicial killings, perceived to carry presidential blessing, are cruel forms of infirm leadership. President Duterte's jargon, many times, illustrates a warped leader's thought process. I say this in relation to his vitriolic diatribe against some foreign sovereigns. His language is a flawed application of promoting Philippine interest. But, in fairness to our president and as regards the Marawi City crisis, he demonstrated El Cid-like kind of leadership. How many times had he gone to the Marawi war zone to lift the spirit of weary soldiers until the other day when he proudly declared the city, now destroyed beyond recognition, liberated from dreaded ISIS influence.

Let us train our eyes on Cebu City. I could count some harrowing incidents here recently. There were earth movements in Barangay Busay. Reports have it that the soil erosion mainly affected the wealthy sector of our society. A part of a resort, left hanging on a cliff that resulted when the earth on which it was built tumbled to lower levels had to be demolished. When the land slipped even more to erode the road and threaten another nearby establishment, the firm owner worked on the damage without waiting for city authorities.

Deaths resulted in two other landslides. A woman died in a high-end subdivision and a lowly worker lost his life when the elevated portions of their location, loosened by incessant rains, rolled down on them.

In some barangays in the south district of the city, there were numerous fires resulting in loss of lives and property while flash floods, in unprecedented levels damaged some areas in north city villages.

I know of no scene of recent major disaster where our mayor visited. He was neither in Busay nor in Apas during the landslides. Neither was the mayor in Pasil in conflagration nor in flooded Bacayan. Such physical absence of our city leader from all sites of disaster points to nothing else but his utter lack of concern. If he is trying to give meat to the reckless remark "who cares?" It will not be irrelevant for us to ask "where is the Mayor?"

His Honor, Cebu City Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña, is not an engineer tasked with leading a crew to erect mitigating walls designed to prevent landslides. He is not a fireman paid to train water hoses on burning houses. It is not the job of our mayor to rescue residents whose houses are threatened by raging floods. Mayor Osmeña is supposedly more than all these combined.

Most victims of calamities despair in their helplessness. Disorganization, for not knowing what to do, aggravates their situation. The presence of the mayor in a scene of disaster is El Cid kind of leadership exemplified. Seeing him in the height of tragedies brings hope the sufferers. And, it's not just sight of the mayor commiserating that countervails the pains. More importantly, he attracts the kind of help needed. Rescue and relief workers, medical assistance and security personnel, among other service providers, always listen to his directives. They converge around the mayor and when the latter is in the vortex of disasters, they feel compelled by his presence to do their best. Conversely, the mayor's absence resonates his lack of concern.