While hundreds drown…

July 7, 2008  --  Got something to say?
Print This Post Print This Post

While hundreds of Filipinos were drowning in the Philippines in the aftermath of typhoon Frank, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was going on her merry ways to complete her 10-day visit to the United States.
When reports of the disaster trickled in, the President appealed to Filipinos abroad and the world for help. She asked for donations and ordered Philippine embassies around the world to open disaster relief donation accounts for the victims of the devastating typhoon. She assured the world she was on top of the situation and refused to cut short her visit. More than 1,500 lives have been lost and billions of pesos in infrastructure, properties and crops have been destroyed in Mindanao, the Visayas and Luzon. Several provinces declared their areas in a state of calamity.
The world responded with expressions of sympathy and monetary aid. Yet, the President and her entourage of more than 60 relatives and officials kept spending tens of thousands of dollars a day during their stay in the United States.
Many do not fault her for proceeding with her meeting with President Bush in the White House June 24. But they said she could have been a bigger figure if she decided to go home after that to personally preside over the continuing crisis.
By continuing with her meetings with members of Congress, businessmen and the Filipino American community and proceeding to New York, the President had shown how callous she can get, said some observers. “Like Nero, she went on with her ego-boosting schedules while hundreds of Filipinos were drowning back home.” “Our place is here,” said Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the Philippine National Red Cross, who broke away from Arroyo’s entourage to oversee the rescue operations in Mindanao, the Visayas and Luzon.
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo spoke for the millions of Filipinos when he said in a statement issued in Manila: “In the face of the exaggerated and expensive trip of more than 60 of our national leadership to the United States for more than a week, how can we talk of austerity and frugality in spending the people’s taxes, knowing for whom they must be urgently applied in times of great calamity. We would be embarrassed to pray to God to solve our problems and perform miracles for us when we fail to do what lies in our power to do.”


Posted by News Team | Filed Under Editorial 

Comments

Got something to say?





Authentic Diecast Model Cars