Could this be true?
Taking pictures of the 'humongous' undisclosed DSWD warehouse where local and international donations of goods for the victims of the typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng are stored and waiting to be repacked and distributed, a blogger got so enraged by what she has seen and experienced when she served as a volunteer to be one of the repackers and called on her followers to spread the word about it.
Apparently, blogger Ella Rose felt it unthinkable that the DSWD still has all those piles and piles of relief goods which were donated for the victims of the recent typhoons while so many victims are still waiting for additional relief because they were totally devastated. Houses were destroyed. Many were left jobless. Thousands await help in evacuation centers. Those who have nothing hardly even could have three meals a day. More so to buy cooking utensils, at the least. Or perhaps even just a decent mat to sleep on or a towel to dry them up either from sweat or another fresh dash of rain on them. It must have felt so appalling to be faced with stocks upon stocks upon stocks of Pork and Beans, water jugs, cooking pots, sleeping mats, blankets, etc. Not to mention the yet to arrive 100 tons of fortified biscuits from the United Nations World Food Program.
She was enraged some more when allegedly the DSWD reasoned out that there were no enough volunteers to repack them so they could be distributed at the soonest, reasonable time. She reposted some pictures showing volunteers in some other relief centers, even as young as 10 years old, very much willing to extend efforts to help expedite the much needed relief.
As soon as Ella has posted her emotion-laden entry in her blog, her followers and readers immediately posted their disgust and anger on the DSWD. Tirades were thrown at the DSWD. The entry has reached the international community like wild fire.
The DSWD secretary reacted on the controversy. Of course, there are always explanations and reasons. The media was able to catch the hot item. The DSWD banked on the word 'rotting' goods used by the blogger as a defense wall. Goods are released, it said, on calibrated amounts. The Philippine Daily Inquirer ran a story about the defense. Giant TV networks ABS-CBN and GMA 7 also had their share of the item.
One or two weeks from now, it is possible that those goods would no longer be there. They would have been distributed already to the local DSWD offices in areas devastated by the typhoons. Meanwhile, help would continue to arrive, both from local and international donors. The warehouses could be filled up again. The pictures shown by blogger Ella are definitely quite disturbing on first look. It is so easy to accuse the DSWD of being so slow or worse hoarding those goods for whatever reason one can imagine.
But could truth be judged based on pictures alone accompanied with emotionally filled comments or descriptions?
I salute blogger Ella Rose for her exposé. That was truly admirable of her. How many among us could act like her and take a personal stand and become the 'guardian' of truth, justice, and equality? How many among us can speak up genuinely for those who have less in life?
Ella did what she believed was right. She felt that by letting those relief goods be stocked up longer, it is also denying the intended recipients the good intentions of those who responded promptly to help them right away. If indeed they are for distribution, why delay?
The DSWD should explain what they mean by 'calibrated release'. Does it mean storing some of them for future emergencies or calamities? But the goods were donated for the victims of Ondoy and Pepeng. Perhaps to include Quedan and Ramil. Not for other future calamity victims. Statistics of victims is a public knowledge. Apportioning or allocating these donated goods could be easily done by experts. The DSWD should know by now how much should go to the different regions devastated by the typhoons. I guess all donations must go. No single donation should be left lurking somewhere in any government agency or private entity for that matter. All donations were meant for the victims. And it must be as soon as possible. As soon as they are repacked. Future victims of calamities will have their own share, too once we get there. Meanwhile, the government should always have buffer budget for calamities which it prepares for future use, especially when donors already get burned or fatigued. But it should not come from the donations which the donors gave for a particular intention.
Lessons have to be learned.
But could truth be judged based on pictures alone accompanied with emotionally filled comments or descriptions?
I salute blogger Ella Rose for her exposé. That was truly admirable of her. How many among us could act like her and take a personal stand and become the 'guardian' of truth, justice, and equality? How many among us can speak up genuinely for those who have less in life?
Ella did what she believed was right. She felt that by letting those relief goods be stocked up longer, it is also denying the intended recipients the good intentions of those who responded promptly to help them right away. If indeed they are for distribution, why delay?
The DSWD should explain what they mean by 'calibrated release'. Does it mean storing some of them for future emergencies or calamities? But the goods were donated for the victims of Ondoy and Pepeng. Perhaps to include Quedan and Ramil. Not for other future calamity victims. Statistics of victims is a public knowledge. Apportioning or allocating these donated goods could be easily done by experts. The DSWD should know by now how much should go to the different regions devastated by the typhoons. I guess all donations must go. No single donation should be left lurking somewhere in any government agency or private entity for that matter. All donations were meant for the victims. And it must be as soon as possible. As soon as they are repacked. Future victims of calamities will have their own share, too once we get there. Meanwhile, the government should always have buffer budget for calamities which it prepares for future use, especially when donors already get burned or fatigued. But it should not come from the donations which the donors gave for a particular intention.
Lessons have to be learned.
Meanwhile, the power of the Internet in disseminating information is not a question anymore. Bloggers like me are free to post practically anything under the sun, whatever pleases us. Bloggers could either make or break people or institutions. Once published in the Internet, one hardly has control anymore. And before one knows it, the damage has been done.
