PNoy's speech that he shouldn't have said

Today is the 34th death anniversary of my late father Atty. Jesus "Lindong" Avila who died at the young age of 59 years old. My brothers, Rene, Bing and I have already passed his age of death…so we are now in our "bonus years." If there was one lesson that my father imparted to me that I will never forget and continue to use, it is that a handshake is more important than a signed document. When there is an agreement between friends, a handshake is more important than a contract. May we ask our pious readers to please pray for the repose of his soul.

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Did you read the newspapers yesterday where no less than Pres. Benigno "PNoy" Aquino III called upon the new officers and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to take a more active role in disaster and humanitarian mission in times of calamities? Pres. PNoy said that AFP officers and personnel play an active role as first responders during calamities and natural disasters and should also help in rehabilitation efforts.

Frankly speaking, I would like to know who is the speechwriter of the president? This is a speech that doesn't need to be read especially after super typhoon "Yolanda" hit Central Visayas. PNoy is the Commander-in-Chief and therefore at his command, the AFP could have turned into a search and rescue group and swooped down into Tacloban, while the other soldiers could have taken over the job that the police could no longer do. Alas, he failed in his role as Commander-in-Chief of the AFP!

Of course all this is in hindsight. But it reveals the extent of the unpreparedness of PNoy and his National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council. Like what I already wrote in the Philippine Star a couple of weeks ago, the president only cared about this image while the Filipino people continue to suffer because of his government's incompetence, an incompetence that has now resulted in a high death toll.

Yet, PNoy wanted to know why so many people died? All the president needs to do is look at YouTube and he will see CNN's Anderson Cooper or Andrew Stevens asking the survivors in Tacloban why they did not run to the hills? The common answer was crystal clear. No one in Tacloban explained to the people what a storm surge was. But when Anderson Cooper asked, "If you were warned of a tsunami what would you do?" The reply was, "we would have run to the hills." This conversation was documented and is more than enough proof of the failure of NDRRMC.

On the congressional front, Senate President Franklin Drilon vowed to oversee the disbursement of relief and rehabilitation funds that Congress had pledge to provide to the national government for its aid and rebuilding programs. In short, Congress will monitor how the rehabilitation funds would be spent. Come now, are we talking about this Congress that is so tainted with corruption thanks to Janet Lim Napoles?

Pray tell me that the Filipino people could still trust this Congress, especially Senate Pres. Drilon who is himself facing plunder charges before the Office of the Ombudsman. For sure, many senators and congressmen are so happy that typhoon Yolanda got Janet Lim Napoles off the front pages of our national and local news dailies. But they ought to know that the Filipino people are now at the limit of their patience. They are sick and tired of corruption in Congress, a corruption that could have saved lives if only more money was given to disaster preparedness and relief.

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Monday evening, at the height of the rush hour, I left Cebu City on my way to Carcar passing through the South Road Properties and I did not expect that traffic would be that heavy for a Monday evening. This should now teach our planners one important lesson; to plan today how to improve traffic conditions before the SRP becomes Cebu's version of EDSA.

I went to Carcar for the surprise 70th birthday celebration of my first cousin and namesake Valeriano Segura who now lives in Carcar. It was also the birthday of his late mother Tia Benjamina Valencia Segura. But what took us by surprise was Manny Castro and his sister Chona Castro Floro brought in the Coro Basilica de Malolos Choir under the baton of Erick Torralba. I learned that this choir had been winning choral competitions and festivals abroad. They are the pride of Bulacan and the Philippines.

Indeed it was an unexpected night with a special concert with the Malolos Choir who sang our favorite Tagalog and Visayan songs and to start the season of cheer Christmas songs. Incidentally Chona told us that the Malolos Choir has already sang in Carcar previously during the 150 anniversary of the Balay Tisa, the oldest house in Carcar. Sitting there and listening to the beautiful voices of the Malolos Choir brought me to reminisce the old days of Carcar which was the heart of Cebu's culture in the days of the Zarzuela.

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