Evacuation: A waste of money

Year after year it happens and year after year we throw good money after bad and next year we will surely do it again, simply because it is the way we Filipinos and our political leaders have done it for decades. I refer to our annual practice of removing, rescuing persons and families from low lying areas or danger zones in the path of the latest typhoon, transferring them to evacuation centers or buildings, feeding them for two to three days, even weeks in a really bad disaster, and then after spending a ton of money, to bring them all back home until the next typhoon comes along. Why on earth do we allow them to live in those dangerous areas knowing full well that they present a repetitive risk, burden and perennial waste of money that can be avoided? I recently asked the mayor of Legazpi City, Mayor Noel Rosal, how much they spend in the evacuation, care and return of residents every time there is a typhoon in Legazpi City. Mayor Rosal estimates it at P5 million per event and so far they expect to spend approximately P15 million for three typhoons.

That is just for one small city. If we could actually ask COA or Congress to sum up the national annual expense in evacuating, caring and returning millions of Filipinos every year, I am confident that it could reach billions to date and all that money would have been better spent for proper housing in safe areas that would not require constant evacuation of people. It would also put an end or minimize opportunities for corruption, such as the practice of bulk purchase of imported rice that some claim comes with incentives or commission for politicians. The prevailing excuse in many provinces is that many of those requiring constant relocation are fisherfolks who need to live near the coast because of their bancas, nets and larger fishing boats or farmers living in foothills or river banks.  Yes, that has been the case but it does not necessarily mean it should be forever. Many countries have developed communities for fisherfolks inland where they are safe and secure while building docks, jetties, yards and similar facilities where fisherfolks can dock, store, secure their boats. Many towns worldwide have even developed fish markets that have evolved into dining areas and ultimately into tourist spots. Many people I know who live in developed areas or urban centers always head out to such places when they go to Davao, Cebu, Pangasinan, Roxas City and Iloilo, among others, because they want to taste the fresh catch and experience the ambiance by the seaside.

In Europe, I’ve seen what they call garden patches along the railway tracks that are rented out by local governments to people who are into gardening or actually make a living in plants and vegetables. The idea of having farmers living in one area and farming in another is not far fetched. In the agricultural side of Lipa City, I know of several “contract farmers” who rent open land to plant corn and seasonal vegetables. They share the crop or sale of the crop with landowners but the farmers don’t live on site. They live in a nearby barangay and ride their carabao-drawn carts to and from work every day.

There is so much wisdom in applying these two-pronged strategies of community “development” as well as developing livelihood centers because local governments will ultimately stop wasting money in evacuation operations, they will safeguard and upgrade the lives of people in such marginalized areas. The LGU will be able to convert and develop those coastal areas or foothills into commercial income generating zones that provide revenues for local governments and we will finally have more offerings in provinces for tourists. If only the Department of Environment and Natural Resources strictly imposed the “No build zone” in all coastal areas, then worked with the DILG to establish the safe zone and facilities for fisherfolks, most of our coastal areas could be cleaned up and could become highly profitable for everyone.

At the moment many places like Calatagan in Batangas have beachfronts closed off by property developers and deny convenient access or passage to fisherfolks. In order to achieve the goals of the two-pronged strategy, the first thing we need to do is to recognize that fishermen, fisherfolks and farmers are FILIPINOS who deserve our respect, recognition and better treatment. We give so much honor to OFWs, medical frontliners, laborers and grudgingly farmers. But only when fishermen or fisherfolk end up being threatened, rammed or dying out at sea do officials of government suddenly see them.

One major problem is that the different concerns of fisherfolks or farmers are spread out among several government agencies, from BFAR under the Department of Agriculture to Agrarian Reform, to DILG, etc. I’m no bureaucrat but I think that is the basic problem; too many cooks spoil the food. In the case of fisherfolks and farmers, everything has been spread out to the point that nothing is coordinated and therefore nothing substantial is ever gained. President Duterte recently mentioned the need to push for the Department of OFW to address OFW concerns. The real problem and concern is to determine why government is not able to fully address the needs of just one sector out of so many. What we need to do is to overhaul the attitude, approach and response of government as a whole and not in parts or pieces. Consolidation is also a defense against waste and corruption.

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