Floods And The Bucks That Wash With It

Guess who makes big bucks off flooding...

The media (incidentally) in the guise of public service. Tragedy and catastrophe inherently mean viewership. And a lame government obliges in cunningly specious gratitude.

Susmariosep! It takes two to tango? Tangoed, done, kaput!

Ever wonder why each media outfit has its own “foundation”company? That’s where the bucks fall, say funneled. Reminds me of that brave& proud one-liner… “The Buck Stops Here!” Yikes!

Is there ever a truly independent audit to see where the big bucks go? Doubt it!

Should there be one? YES! But the government may not be the best party to do that. An NGO would better fit the task.

Now, do you still wonder why we can’t really plug the “loophole?”Did you say “It is by design?”

Project NOAH, relief goods, and flood mapping and monitoring are NOT “drilling down to the heart and bottom of the problem.” It’s a superficial, quick fix, and band-aid approach that has taken us to where we are right now.

We have to be outraged! How much of what we sweat for do we helplessly give up to taxes? I can hear groan, grouch, and whine! Yes, outrageously MUCH! We should make the government account for every peso of it.

How about addressing deforestation? Trees are being mowed down by the hundreds of hectares each year.

How about dealing with the dilapidated, antediluvian drainage system which has clearly seen its days? While house-size drainage tunnels have become an international standard, we’re downsizing the definition of “house” to fit the standard.

How about dealing with the perennial and nagging problem of trash and its proper disposal? What makes the last one difficult is there’s always political consequence to it. Whatever you do with it, somehow the squatting problem always gets in the picture, and politicians never had the will to dare antagonize "their" votes, thus, the IMPASSE.

Until we see resolute moves in the foregoing, media will continue to be flood’s incidental beneficiary, and the public, a character to this “reality” blockbuster agony.