In Hong Kong, 15 people, including heads of construction companies, were arrested within days of the deadly fire that recently swept through a residential complex. Authorities moved quickly. They identified persons responsible for safety lapses and filed charges.
When lives are lost, accountability cannot wait. That was the message given by the Hong Kong authorities. Other arrests were made, even of government critics, but the message was that justice should begin immediately as any delay deepens the harm on victims.
In Cebu, the wish for swift response has yet to be fulfilled. A month after typhoon Tino, thousands of victims are still waiting not only for aid needed to rebuild their lives but also for answers. Who approved the developments in the affected areas of Bacayan, Cebu City; Consolacion, Liloan; and Talisay City? Who signed off on flood control projects that failed? Who is behind the illegal quarrying upland? There is no list of responsible officials, no charges filed, no urgent action. Only promises of investigations.
The Supreme Court (SC) decision last week also showed a similar sense of urgency and accountability. In ordering the return of P60 billion in Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) funds and prohibiting the transfer of another P29.9 billion more, the SC manifested decisive action. The same ruling also showed that the government could move fast when institutions take accountability seriously. The judiciary saw grave abuse of discretion and acted with urgency.
In post-typhoon Tino Cebu, where the consequences of failure are not measured in pesos but in broken homes, trauma, rising bills and lives lost, there has been no equivalent urgency.
I say this not as a distant observer of the disaster but as a victim. My car is gone and my home is now gutted and empty, its contents destroyed. But I count myself fortunate as I have alternatives as to a temporary home, other means of moving around, plus the fact that I survived. Others were not as fortunate.
Not a single official has faced the kind of swift justice we saw in Hong Kong, or the accountability pointed out in the SC’s Philhealth ruling. Billions of pesos for flood control, environmental protections and zoning rules to prevent development on dangerous terrain, none of these have produced clear answers or consequences. The victims are left to rely on their own resilience, while those who made the decisions that put them in danger continue with their business.
The SC decision and what Hong Kong authorities did were lessons for those responsible for public safety. When public welfare is at stake, action cannot wait, whether that be in disaster preparedness and in holding to account those who failed in their duty.
Swift justice is indeed possible. We saw it in other countries, as in Hong Kong. We saw it in our own SC decision last week.
The question is whether Cebu, and the offices responsible for the people’s safety, will show the same urgency.