FREELANCER: Anger can go sky high when power, comm go off

The ongoing “Rally for Transparency and a Better Democracy” of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, on its second day as I was writing this piece yesterday, is the church’s way of calling for transparency and accountability particularly on the issue of trillion-peso anomalous and ghostly flood control projects.

Although many expressed support for the initiative of the INC “for standing for the silent majority who are calling for accountability and reforms for government processes to deter corruption,” many are also calling the three-day mass action as “pure display of irony and hypocrisy” and a “disturbance.”

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We all have our own views and opinions. Everybody’s free to express his own sentiments. We respect each other’s say.

We also respect the INC members’ way of expressing their sentiments.

What is important is we are not blind and deaf to the glaring corruption in government.

Our money lost to corruption can never be recovered, so we must also do something to put the guilty behind bars, and to push for reforms that will discourage those who also want to steal people’s money.

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No Electricity, No Communication?

When any of these two goes off, we shout to the blue heavens.

When both go off, we fly our anger to space.

Understandable.

When power supply, cellular phone and internet connections were cut off when Typhoon Tino’s roaring winds and rushing flood waters downed scores of power and communication lines, all hell seemed to have broken loose against power distribution utilities and telecommunications networks. Again, understandable.

Tino was not lambasted but the telcos and the power distribution utilities or DUs, for not being able to immediately restore their services.

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Now that PLDT, Smart and its TNT, Globe and its TM, Dito, Converge and other internet providers have restored most of their cell sites and home connections severed by the typhoon, most are silent again.

No telco can afford to let its services remain absent for so long that each did everything it could to fire up their downed cell sites and restore cut fiber lines as soon as possible.

As I have been stressing before, no cell site must be allowed to operate without a generator!

The same thing with DUs like NOCECO, NORECO, NONECO, and Negros Power. They called for manpower support from other DUs in their desire to restore electricity in the shortest possible time despite the massive onslaught of Tino.

Now that power is back in almost all homes, most are silent again.

There are other areas that are still waiting to be reenergized in terms of electricity and communications. These areas suffered the most damage not only to telecommunications and power lines and infrastructures that restoration works are still ongoing. These areas also had too many obstructions that initially prevented linemen from accessing downed poles and cut wires.

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Several lessons have also been learned courtesy of Typhoon Odette, and lately Tino.

Trees must not be planted near power and communication lines, and must be regularly pruned to minimize damage not only to DU and telco facilities but to residential properties, too.

Clearing teams must be organized in every purok and barangay so that in times like these, they can immediate be deployed to clearing roads.

Backup communication facilities must be on hand for any eventuality like satellite phones or radio transceivers.

Preemptive evacuation of residents in low lying areas and in communities prone to strong winds must be enforced well ahead of landfall.

Food and other needs of typhoon victims must be prepositioned to ensure the areas that could be cut off due to infrastructure damages can have days of provisions.

Close coordination between the barangays, the local government units and service providers is necessary, etc.

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Still Needing Help

For now, thousands in Negros still need food, water, personal hygiene and other kits, and temporary shelter.

In Moises Padilla, La Castellana, Isabela, Binalbagan and La Carlota City alone, many still need a steady stream of support which the government alone cannot cope with. Canlaon City, too, is devastated.

Owners of destroyed and damaged houses will not get much support from the government due to very limited plundered,,, I mean public funds.

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Thanks to the local officials who, other than exhausting their local government resources in helping the victims, are also spending a lot from their personal pockets just to address some of the needs of their constituents.
We and the private sector can do more for them.

Let us continue to send our help in whatever form we can.

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By the way, To Miso’s group, we at NDB will not hesitate to facilitate your help in any form to residents of your identified municipality (Binalbagan, Moises Padilla, La Castellana?) that was ravaged by Typhoon Tino. Just allow us to coordinate with the LGU so that they will be the one to receive and document the help you will extend. Many thanks for helping Negrenses.* (APT)