It was this writer’s impoverished province of Samar, through its officials, that responded to the emergency caused by the closure of the iconic San Juanico Bridge. The action was to declare the province under a state of emergency. The primary purpose is to tinker with the reserved calamity fund for an emergency that is far from the usual calamity for which the reserved fund is intended for.
The situation had actually caught the attention and concern of the national government which had given instructions to the concerned national agencies, chiefly the public works and highways department, to prioritize the repair of the bridge. It would be recalled that the sudden closure of the bridge which banned heavy vehicles weighing over three tons.
The affected vehicles and passengers scampered for alternatives as some loads were essential like food items and perishable. There were no ready solutions for such emergency and it took several days for the affected travelers to receive assistance from the local government units in the affected areas of Santa Rita, Basey and Tacloban.
The stranded drivers and crew were forced to seek financial help from their principals, usually from the vehicle owners. Food and water supply became scarce at the onset of the emergency. The local governments eventually came up with food and water to support the stranded drivers and crew of the buses and trucks that were barred from crossing the bridge.
The intention of tapping the calamity fund as a quick response to the emergency may be motivated by good intention considering that the current budget of the local governments had already appropriated. It is only the reserved funds that may be used on the basis of an artificial calamity that is manmade due to utter neglect by the same government agencies that is now under pressure to allocate needed funds.
Already, the city of Tacloban had also issued a similar declaration of a state of emergency following the action of Samar officials. There is hope that other local governments in the affected areas will likewise move to declare their localities as under a state of emergency. This will lead into the utilization of the calamity fund that it primarily reserved for calamities, disasters and other emergencies. People could just be hopeful that their needs would be served.
Efforts to gather resources from national government agencies are being facilitated just to raise the needed funds. What is needed is people vigilance to guard the calamity funds not to be misappropriated to personal pockets of corrupt women and men in both government and private sectors. It is the people in the affected areas that must do their share to ensure that the calamity fund. Indeed, there is no other aim but to spend the reserved calamity fund on the basis of a man-made emergency.
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