Yolanda
Presence Matters
Going into the 3rd week after supertyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines) rammed the country, a lot of information are now coming out from ground zero. A lot of politicking, pointing fingers, blame games, but a lot of generosity, camaraderie, and heroism as well. I’m not ashamed to say that this piece is Monday Quarterbacking. But I hope we all learn a lesson or two in crisis management and disaster preparedness against future disasters.
This piece is a recap of Rudy Guiliani’s tips on crisis management. Honored by Time Magazine as “Mayor of America”, Rudy shares what he learned from the horrible experience of 9/11. Warnings though. A mountain of difference between NYC and Tacloban City, between the Philippines and USA, between airplanes crashing into skyscrapers and supertyphoons.
Rudy says the first step is to be visible:
“While mayor, I made it my policy to see with my own eyes the scene of every crisis so I could evaluate it firsthand.”
The second step is to be composed:
“Leaders have to control their emotions under pressure. Much of your ability to get people to do what they have to do is going to depend on what they perceive when they look at you and listen to you. They need to see someone who is stronger than they are, but human, too.”
The third step is to be vocal:
“I had to communicate with the public to do whatever I could to calm people down and contribute to an orderly and safe evacuation [of lower Manhattan].”
The fourth step is to be resilient. To be positive and optimistic, to be source of hope and certainty for people looking for answers and stability.
References
http://www.jems.com/article/administration-and-leadership/rudy-giuliani-gives-4-tips-crisis-manage
Again, Rudy’s tips
1. Be Visible [to gather information firsthand, and no less important, to be SEEN by subordinates, colleagues, people, media, etc so that they feel assured that there’s someone in-charge of the crisis management]
2. Be composed [in order to think clearly and judge prudently and execute fluidly].
3. Be vocal [communicate your ideas well, this is what happened, this is what we will do, this is what we need]
4. Be resilient [ recovery doesnt come overnight. it will take years.]
Filipinos are stronger than Haiyan, part 3
I thought I’d stop at part 2 but this story is so unique and unlike any I’ve encountered. Needless to say, it’s so normal yet surprisingly inspiring. It gives fresh meaning to ‘going beyond the call of duty’. This is from the facebook post of Becca Villegas Posadas.
The soldier below is Cpl Annjanette Obligado, who went to an evacuation center in Tacloban last Nov 10, Sunday, and breastfed the babies. From Becca Posadas,
She is one of the unsung heroes of our Armed Forces. Going beyond the call of duty.
People don’t realize how desperate the plight of formula-fed babies in the aftermath of tragedies such as Yolanda. Even if formula is at hand, parents will cut corners when it comes to handling the milk if resources such as clean water are scarce. This puts babies at risk of gastrointestinal ailments that are likely to lead to death. On the other hand, a breastfed baby needs nothing more than his mother or a wet nurse to keep him fed. When you feed a lactating mom, you save not 1 life but 2 or even more.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/734158_10151756029535732_748925739_n.jpg
Filipinos are stronger than Haiyan, part 2
There is a surge in stories of hope, camarederie, and bayanihan after the debris has settled. I chose this one from OJ Trance Atilano. His story about Nanay Carmen was posted on facebook.com, talk.ph and inquirer.net.
“Naiyak ako sa kapitbahay naming matanda (byuda, labandera, taga-balot ng uling sa tapat na tindahan, pobre). Kahapon nag-house to house ako hingi tulong pangdagdag para sa koleksyon namin ngayong sabado.
Paglabas ko ng bahay pagkatapos mananghalian, tinawag niya ako..Gie! Gie! Meron siyang inabot nakabalot sa plastic. Pagbukas ko, isang pack ng gatas na naka-open na. Sabi nya: pasencya na Gie yan lang talaga maitulong ko sa taga Leyte. Walang wala talaga ako ngayon. Pero pwde mo yan itimpla sa mga bata doon. Magugustohan nila yan dahil BER BRAN (Bear Brand) yan.
Di ako nakaimik. Tumulo luha ko sa harap nya. Kinuha ko ang gatas sabay panhik sa bahay. I can’t hold my tears. Parang puputok ang dibdib ko. Nahiya akong lumabas.”
I wont translate the entire text. But in summary, Nanay Carmen is a very poor widower and a laundrywoman. When she heard that OJ was going around asking donations for the typhoon’s victims, she called him and gave him her half bag of Bear Brand powdered milk: “Please excuse my gift, that’s the only thing I can give to the people of Leyte. I have nothing as of now. But you can mix it up for the kids there. They will love that because it’s Ber Bran (Bear Brand).”
The dark side of the Bayanihan spirit?
Shortly after supertyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines) barrelled through the entire Visayas region of the Philippines, frantic calls for donations were already made over traditional and new media. Netizens promptly responded and multiplied the announcements for emergency relief goods. With help from new media, relief operations and donations were like little streams that converged into a mighty river, led by schools, companies, even parishes and OFW communities abroad, and individuals.
However, together with the explosion of the Bayanihan spirit (or the spirit of a community helping one another) Filipinos are known for, criticism over the government’s slow response likewise surged like the waters that engulfed Tacloban City and towns of Samar and Iloilo Province. This time, the surge is against the President and his entire disaster response team led by Interior Sec. Mar Roxas, Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin, Social Welfare Sec. Dinky Soliman, and NDRMMC Chair Eduardo Austria. As hours turned into days it became woefully apparent that there was very little, if at all, a ‘rescue and relief’ plan.
But supporters of the beleaguered President countered “Hoy tumulong ka na lang, wag ka nang magreklamo.” (Don’t complain or criticize, just help.) One multiawarded film director blew his top and wrote a rant against the President that went viral over social networks. He said, quite succinctly, that helping and criticizing are not mutually exclusive. And I would add, criticism is a form of helping, sometimes it’s even the best help. Because how can we improve ourselves, how can we correct our mistakes if no one points them out to us? And how can we help improve the system of doing things if we don’t speak? Will we always remain silent in the face of negligence and mismanagement? Are we living in Stalinist Russia or Maoist China?
Criticism is needed, because
1) It is a hallmark of democracy. The Philippines is no longer in an authoritarian regime. We see things, we can talk. We have to.
2) I pay my taxes. I have a stake in how the country is run. If I see my leaders not doing their job, or they do it wrongly, then in it’s my duty to tell them.
3) It is the responsibility of every Filipino to leave a better society for future generation.
Bayanihan is needed, definitely. But we cannot use it to cover ineptitude and stupidity of a popular government.
Paul's Alarm 
