I BELIEVE it is now the best time for me to express my appreciation and gratitude to those kind-hearted individuals and groups that, without being asked, voluntarily gave valuable support to our efforts to provide assistance to all those who suffered loss of property and even lives as a result of killer Typhoon Frank.

There are a good number of these good Samaritans, many of whom asked to remain anonymous. They donated food, water and clothing to the thousands of victims in Iloilo City.

In behalf of the people of Iloilo City, I would like to make special mention of my compadre, Ambassador Tony Cabangon Chua, to Serge Osmeña-Valencia of the PCSO, to the Philippine National Red Cross headed by my good friend Sen. Dick Gordon, to the manufacturers of EQ diapers, to PLDT Smart Foundation, for joining hands and delivering to our city much-needed relief goods that kept our flooded compatriots afloat and hopeful. Above all, we are thankful to Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, for directing the National Disaster Coordinating Council, the Department of Agriculture, the National Food Authority and the Department of Health (DOH) to extend utmost help and assistance to the beleaguered people of Iloilo City and to the victims of the typhoon and the muddy floods. The solicitousness of Her Excellency is best exemplified by the fact that even while she was in that hectic official visit to the United States, she never abandoned the plight of the people of Iloilo City.

It was a successful mission, if not for a small incident that happened during the medical program conducted by the Philippine Medical Society to see to the health conditions of typhoon and flood victims in Iloilo City. Dr. Lydia Depra Ramos, an overstaying regional director of the DOH in Region 6, almost stopped the medical mission from pushing through by her show of bureaucratic arrogance when she demanded that the Philippine Medical Society explain why its members were conducting a medical mission in Iloilo without her prior approval. This is the same Depra Ramos who caused a string of cases to be filed with the Ombudsman and in the DOH for various offenses. Is she also the one who is known in Region 6 for her imperious and offensive attitude, but manages to cling to her position by claiming protection from the secretary of health? Once upon a time, the patron saint of Depra Ramos was Franklin Drilon. Now, many in Region 6 are asking the question: Is it Secretary Duque now?

We don’t need the likes of a Depra Ramos in Region 6. Maybe she would be more useful if assigned to Basilan or Jolo.

****

The country boosted its capability to build bigger and better cargo vessels, and the President inaugurated recently the first Philippine-made container ship built by Korean Hanjin Heavy Industries in Subic free port. This is the first of six ships ordered by a Greek company. Hanjin is also planning to build the world’s largest container ships of the 100,000-ton capacity. The point here is that shipbuilding is the core industry of South Korea that lifted the impoverished country into one of Asia’s highly developed economies. Now the country is pursuing the same economic strategy, and indicators show a positive future in this area. This is the kind of presidential initiative the country is looking for on a long-term basis. Given the right leadership, we can show the world that the Filipino can!

****

By the way, notwithstanding all these crisis situations happening all over the world, for the first time in our history, our dollar reserves have reached more than $36 billion. It is more than enough to tide us over during these times of uncertainty, and let us thank the President for laying down the groundwork for a sound economic base and keeping the momentum that keeps the country afloat even in the worst of times.

Leave a Reply