Our country, once again, is just fresh from another typhoon. The aftermath of which, or of any disaster, is a critical and challenging period that often poses a wide range of woes for affected communities. Understanding these common woes is crucial for policymakers, aid agencies, and communities to develop effective strategies and responses to alleviate their impact and facilitate long-term recovery.

One of the most evident consequences of disasters is the destruction of infrastructure, including buildings, roads, bridges, and utilities. The damage to critical infrastructure poses significant challenges to recovery efforts, hindering access to basic services and disrupting transportation networks. Rebuilding infrastructure becomes crucial to restoring normalcy and enabling effective emergency response and recovery operations.

Disasters often result in the disruption of livelihoods, causing immense economic hardships for affected individuals and communities. Business closures, job losses, destroyed agricultural lands, and interrupted supply chains contribute to financial instability. Re-establishing employment opportunities, supporting local businesses, and promoting sustainable economic recovery are essential for rebuilding the affected areas.

In disaster aftermaths, public health risks escalate due to damaged healthcare facilities, contaminated water sources, inadequate sanitation systems, and the prevalence of diseases. Outbreaks of waterborne, respiratory, and vector-borne diseases pose immediate threats to survivors. Ensuring timely access to medical care, clean water, sanitation facilities, and implementing disease prevention measures are paramount to safeguarding public health in the aftermath of disasters.

Resource scarcity commonly emerges as a pressing issue after disasters. Limited access to food, water, shelter, and other essential supplies exacerbates the suffering of affected populations. Shortages are often accompanied by price inflation and competition, leading to increased vulnerability. Coordinated efforts to distribute resources equitably and efficiently are crucial to meet the immediate needs of communities.

Disasters have profound psychological effects, leaving survivors susceptible to various mental health challenges such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. The loss of loved ones, destruction of homes, and prolonged distress can trigger significant psychological trauma. The provision of psychosocial support services, including counseling and mentorship, is vital for addressing the emotional well-being and resilience of disaster survivors.

The economic repercussions of disasters are far-reaching and long-lasting. Apart from immediate losses, long-term economic impacts may include reduced local productivity, decreased foreign investments, increased public debt burdens, and disrupted markets. Developing effective mechanisms to mitigate these impacts, such as implementing fiscal policies and offering financial assistance to rebuild and stimulate economic growth, becomes critical for recovery.

The efficient distribution of aid resources in disaster-stricken areas presents a significant challenge due to logistical constraints, inadequate coordination, and limited capacity of local authorities. Delays or misallocation of resources can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and inequalities. Enhancing coordination between aid agencies, community leaders, and local authorities, while prioritizing transparency and accountability, is crucial to ensuring effective and equitable aid distribution.

Disaster aftermaths bring forth a myriad of common woes, ranging from infrastructure damage to psychosocial trauma, which, if not addressed effectively, can hinder long-term recovery. Identifying and comprehending these challenges enables policymakers, aid agencies, and communities to develop targeted approaches that prioritize immediate relief, sustainable recovery, and resilience-building. By doing so, we can begin to alleviate the suffering and foster lasting positive change in the aftermath of disasters.

RATHER, everything should support, enhance, reinforce our relation with God. This is what we are reminded of in that gospel which talks about the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. (cfr. Mt 13,44-46)

These parables find an echo in some words of St. Paul who said: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ…” (Phil 3,8)

How important therefore that we realize that our first priority should be God and our relationship with him which should be sustained with the constant effort to know, love and serve him! We should be ready to throw away everything else that can stand in the way.
We have to make some adjustments in the way we order our objective needs. We have to distinguish them from our subjective likes and desires that can only be the product of some personal or social preferences. In this we have to employ the appropriate means, the relevant programs and operations. We should be demanding on ourselves insofar as this matter is concerned.

We need God first of all, and, in fact, all the time. He is our most important objective need, much more and infinitely more than we need air, food, rest, pleasures, etc. For without God, we are nothing. But with him, we can have everything. That is why, St. Teresa Avila boldly said: “He who has God lacks nothing. God alone is sufficient.”

We need to learn how to find God in everything we do or we see, handle or get involved in. In this, we have to be pro-active. We should not wait for some inspiration to come or some so-called favorable or conducive circumstances to take place. We have to actively look for him or create the occasion. We can always do this, because God himself empowers us to do so.

But in finding God in everything, there is a skill that we have to learn to master. And that is we should learn how to leave everything behind so as to be with God. We have to understand very well this particular aspect or requirement of an authentic Christian life.
That’s because, most likely, our first impression of it can be misleading. To be sure, to be ready to leave everything behind does not mean that we should have no concern at all about the things of this world. We do have such concern and interest. In fact, we should.
But yes, to leave everything behind has been more than amply taught and commanded by Christ himself. For example, to the rich young man who wanted to be perfect, Christ told him in no unclear terms, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Mt 19,21) These words obviously would give us the impression that we should possess nothing.

In another instance, Christ specifies what is required to be worthy of him. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Mt 10,37)

This does not mean that we should have no concern or interest in the things of this world. We just have to understand that the things of this world are precisely the means, the occasion, the instruments we have to use to show our faith, hope and love for God and for others!

The state-run Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the country’s eight largest bank in terms of assets, signed a second partnership agreement with the Charoen Pokphand Foods Philippine Corp. (CPFPC), a subsidiary of Bangkok-based Charoen Pokphand Group for credit assistance on aquaculture projects. (Their first partnership was on poultry-related projects signed in July 2022.)

Their second agreement “is in support of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) commitment to intensify the fishery sector by increasing the local shrimp production to 276,320 tons from 2023 to 2027”, as announced by DBP. The DBP would provide financing for working capital requirements, fixed assets acquisition, installation of other support facilities, pond development of post-harvest facilities.

CPFPC, known to operate vertically integrated agro-industrial and food businesses in 17 countries, also engages in the production, processing, and marketing of poultry products in partnership with integrated partners. (Its Thai parent firm is one of the largest producers of poultry and pork internationally.

The partnership covers a range of aquaculture-related activities supporting small and micro enterprises and cooperatives with a minimum funding of P15 million or up to 90 % of the total project cost, the partners reported. The agreement also covers medium-to-large enterprises with minimum funding of P15 million, or up to 70 percent of the total project cost.

MY COMMENT:
The second partnership between Thailand and the Philippines on aquaculture is welcomed and timely, especially for the Philippines which is facing food security problem. While fish production has been well augmented by the aquaculture sector, still one finds prices of quality fish species are still unaffordable by the ‘common tao’! Also, the agreement between DBP and the CPFPC is in line with President BBM’s goal “to improve agricultural production and ramp up modernization efforts of the sector.”
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Detained senator Leila De Lima opined that the world of then president Rodrigo “Digong” Roa Duterte (Duterte) and incumbent senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa (de la Rosa) is getting smaller. This, after the United Nation’s International Criminal Court (ICC) denied the motion filed by the aforenamed officials to bar the investigating team from proceeding with the probe of the bloody war on drugs. With the denial of the motion to halt the probe, there is no impediment for the ICC to prosecute the supposed culprits of that bloody drug war in the country.

But the Marcos administration through its Secretary of Justice (SOJ) Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla (Remulla) is hell bent to defend Duterte and de la Rosa by invoking the country’s sovereignty, arguing that the ICC has no right to interfere in our country’s internal affairs. He raises his own story that the administration’s justice system is working and there is no need for the ICC to interfere with our courts. He further claims that the justice department under his power is conducting investigation of the alleged bloody war on drugs.

Unfortunately, the tale of SOJ Remulla is a fallacious narrative if people would follow the actions done by the justice department insofar as the investigation of the war on drugs is concerned. Thus far, there are no clear results of such investigation and the claim that there would be findings on those involved in the war on drugs remains unseen. Of the reported over 7,742 victims of the war on drugs based on the Resource Library of the Armed Conflict and Location Data (ACLED), only two convictions had been won, chiefly on the strong relentless efforts of the victims’ families as well as religious and civil society groups.

With such outcome of SOJ’s Boying claimed investigation, the former ICC’s chief prosecutor Fatou Bensoda announced that there was “a reasonable basis to believe that the crime against humanity of murder” had been committed in the war on drugs carried out under the government of President Rodrigo Duterte. She further urged the ICC to open-up a full-scale investigation into the bloody crackdown between July 1, 2016 when he assumed office until March 16, 2019 when the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC took effect.

The investigation is set to proceed under ICC chief prosecutor Karim Asad Ahmed Khan KC, a British lawyer specializing in international criminal law and human rights law who has served as prosecutor of the ICC since 2023. The investigation had been labelled as an interference on our country’s internal affairs according to SOJ Remulla, adding that their coming into the country is not welcome and would result in a mess.

Peace loving people seeking justice would hope that the investigation will proceed to an acceptable conclusion and the justice department would not make it a mess.
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The Philippine Qualifications Framework and Philippine Credit Transfer system is a glimmer of hope for the formal and non-formal education. It is a noble act of harmonizing the east and west of education and meeting them not separating. To me, this is not just noble but a practical approach and a way forward to attain greater access and answer the present and future needs of our systems.

Presently, the Commission on Higher Education is conducting a Regional Cascading evenyt of these noble undertaking.

The Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) is a quality-assured national system for the development, recognition, and award of qualifications based on standards of knowledge, skills, and values acquired in different ways and methods by learners and workers of the country1. It is governed by the PQF National Coordinating Council (PQF NCC) composed of the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Professional Regulations Commission (PRC), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)1.

The PQF aims to establish national standards and levels of qualifications to assist and support academic and worker mobility and to address job-skills mismatch1. It outlines what an individual has learned and can do based on qualification type, levels, and degrees of competency1.

The Philippine Credit Transfer System is a mechanism that enables the transfer of credits between institutions, programs, or levels of education. It is designed to facilitate student mobility, lifelong learning, and the recognition of prior learning.

In a nutshell, these harmonizes the mandates of the CHED (Commission on Higher Education ), TESDA (Technical Education Skills and Development Authority ) and aligned their interests. Further, it gives them a common standards. This is a more than welcome development for all.

The advantages of the PQF and the Philippine Credit Transfer System include increased consistency of qualifications, transparency for employers, workers, teachers, learners, parents, and governments who wish to understand Philippine qualifications and compare them with others1. They also facilitate human capital development and skills mobility3. A successful framework increases the consistency of qualifications, provides transparency for employers, workers, teachers, learners, parents, and governments who wish to understand Philippine qualifications and compare them with others3 (pqf.gov.ph)
It is hoped that this Synergy will propel our educational system, forward!