Persistent reactive responses
Years back, everyone throughout the world had been alerted to the adverse impacts of global warming. Plus El Niño.
Drought, problematic water supply. Affected crop production. Insufficient supply affecting prices.
And the domino effects of disasters/emergencies are commonly known and have since been widely disseminated but government agencies, with their mandate of service and available funds/resources/personnel should have been long prepared for prospective climate-related challenges for people and the environment, but have not.
How many times have several of us repeatedly asked: Are governments prepared for El Niño, for example?
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of us from the civil society organizations attended a disaster management meeting of Cebu City. That early, the possible challenges/problems of El Niño constituted the main agenda.
Drought and lack of water supply were discussed. In fact, the search for new water supply sources and its budget costs became the center of that afternoon’s discussion. Our partner from a women’s group flared up! “What? Until now, City Hall is still uninformed about previous research findings and presentations about water sources, their locations and other data?
“We have had numerous previous discussions and data about identified water sources in the city, this committee does not know about where these water sources are? And again, wants to spend/misspend unnecessary public funds?”
Where are the previous water source data and information in this city? Must every new administration start the search for water sources all over again, wasting time/ effort and funds?
Almost daily reports these days show farmers, their dry fields, and depleted soil. Urgent pleas for help from the affected agricultural sector have been echoed long before and continuing ‘til now.
Could not governments have prepared better for these previously known problematic climate changes years back and saved our farmers and consequently, the rest of the public from less water supply, insufficient and expensive crops, wider poverty, and more hunger among our people in many more areas throughout our country?
The knee-jerk, too-late, reactive responses observed recently: Send more water trucks to affected areas, perhaps cloud-seeding in others? One local government agency posted their exploratory visits to possible hydro plants.
Insufficient funds and subsidy for affected farmers and the list of responses, years-long-delayed reactive solutions, fall flat, short, and ineffective.
If the present government response to El Niño is too delayed, ineffective, wasteful of public funds and resources, how much more if more serious disasters and emergencies strike in the future?
How prepared is Cebu City and other local governments in this province or throughout the country for major disasters, caused by humans and nature?
Observe present/past responses to fires, to earthquakes/typhoons, to floods, or even to traffic. Disaster management requires comprehensive, research-based, quick, collaborative efforts plus resources proactively prepared years ahead!
For now, let us focus on responses to basic, daily needs. Take water, as an example. Visit government offices and private, commercial establishments. Count and note how many of these have continuing/ample water supply?
Add well-functioning toilets. How sufficient is water and toilet management in the cities and provinces of the Philippines?
As an agricultural country, how many of our farms have sufficient water and sturdy irrigation systems? How many of our farmers have enough resources for their planting and harvesting needs?
What about our fisherfolks? How many have their own bancas for fishing?
Is that why disaster preparation and responses are delayed or absent or inadequate? Because, even the most basic of needs are not yet even provided/amply supplied sustainably?
Why worry about future problems when present simple, basic problems are unmet, ignored, not prioritized? And why not?
Politics, politics, politics. And social inequality? The welfare of many is never the priority of those in power who are busy, busy, busy with millions/billions/ trillions of reasons/projects favorable for them and their families?