Thursday, November 22, 2007 Editorials: Pag-asa and disaster preparedness
THAT Pag-asa failed to notify the public in advance about the approach of a storm to Cebu last Monday is no longer debatable; what needs to be discussed are the factors that led to that error.
The Cebu City Council, therefore, is on the right track in inviting Pag-asa people to its next session so its members and the public will be appraised fully on what really happened on that day.
That is but fair, as it looks like the harshness of some sectors on Pag-asa because of the storm Lando “error” stems largely from their lack of knowledge of why the bureau stumbled.
Also, something more constructive will surely come out from an objective assessment of the storm Lando controversy rather than from the mere issuance of a one-sided condemnation of Pag-asa.
Blame
This is not to say that Pag-asa does not deserve the whipping; the failure to come up with a good forecast had an impact on Cebu’s preparation, or lack of it, for Lando’s entry.
Pag-asa people can even thank their lucky stars Lando’s passing of Cebu was weak and swift because had the storm tarried a bit the extent of the damage would have made people angrier.
But dwelling on the Pag-asa error would be questionable if it is used by some sectors to attach blame for their own failings solely on others.
Not only Pag-asa
Had Pag-asa been accurate in its forecast, for example, would the Christmas tree in Fuente Osmeña not have toppled, those billboards not have fallen and landslides not have occurred in some areas of Cebu City?
Not all the destruction brought about by the storm can be attributed to the failure of Pag-asa to inform in advance local government units that the storm would hit Cebu Monday afternoon.
Part of it can be attributed to geography and some existing structures’ vulnerability to continuous rain and strong winds.
Preparation
Which means that while flogging Pag-asa and pushing it to straighten up its act can be justified, local governments should not also gloss over their own failings when Lando hit Cebu.
They should improve their disaster preparedness work, Pag-asa or no Pag-asa.
