| Coping with Disaster By Antonio C. Abaya Written Jan. 03, 2005 For the Manila Standard January 05 issue The earthquake-tsunami catastrophe that hit the countries around the Bay of Bengal last Dec. 26 with devastating effect has been of such biblical proportions that it is said to have caused Planet Earth to wobble for a few milliseconds in its orbit around the Sun. It has also raised the age-old philosophical question of why a supposedly benevolent and omnipotent God would cause, or even only allow, 160,000 (and climbing) totally blameless people, including some 50,000 completely innocent children, to die such unnecessary and meaningless deaths. No event in recent decades, or even in recent centuries, has literally struck both the physical and the metaphysical core of our universe. This event was not the direct or indirect result of man�s inhumanity to man, or of man�s abuse of the environment. It cannot be blamed on any human sin of commission or omission. It was a completely amoral event, entirely the result of natural forces beyond the control or influence of any human. It was a random event to the extent that it was unpredictable, but it was not so unpredictable that it was totally unexpected. Scientists are aware that seismic plates do rub against each other and occasionally buckle or break from the immense pressure that they exert on each other. And when this happens on the ocean floor, it displaces millions of tons of water which radiates out in concentric waves until their energy is dissipated. Anything that stands in their way is simply demolished and swept away, including the concept of a benevolent and omnipotent God. An omnipotent God could have prevented such a catastrophic event from unfolding, but did not. A benevolent God could have spared millions of innocent people, including millions of children, from suffering what they did, but did not. The argument that the benevolent and omnipotent God was somehow punishing his errant children for their sinful ways, or was somehow reminding an increasingly secular world of his awesome powers, or was somehow manifesting his presence and mercy in mysterious ways that are beyond our comprehension�..just doesn�t make sense to me, given the sheer enormity of the disaster, in which man did not play any role except that of puny victims of a random, amoral event. Man�s free will, and therefore his culpability for the evilness of this event, is not even a factor here. It is ironic, as well as apropos, that the tsunamis swallowed their victims with truly disinterested and ecumenical neutrality. Muslim Indonesians, Buddhist Thais and Sinhalese, Hindu Tamils and Indians, Lutheran Scandinavians, Catholic Germans, and Calvinist Swiss, plus the usual complements of Jews, agnostics and atheists, all drowned with more or less equal agonizing struggles. And those who survived did so, not because of the fervor of their religious convictions or because they had chosen the correct deities, but because they were simply luckier than their neighbors or their children or their parents. It was a cosmic throw of the dice, no more, no less. But who threw the dice? Early Warning System Monday morning quarterbacking has decried the absence of any early tsunami warning system in the afflicted areas, similar to that in the northern Pacific. But this is na�ve. The Pacific is a broad expanse of water. A major earthquake off, say, the Aleutian islands in Alaska, would generate tsunamis that can be detected by sensors in time to warn residents in Japan or Hawaii or the West Coast of North America, which are thousands of kilometers away. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck off the northwestern tip of Sumatra spawned tsunamis that reached the coastal towns of Aceh province in less than 15 minutes, the resort islands of Thailand in less than 30, and the eastern coasts of Sri Lanka and India in two hours. Especially for Aceh and Phuket etc, there would simply have been no time for mass evacuation even if such an early warning system operated in the Bay of Bengal. And since an event of this magnitude has never occurred in this area before, the chances of it occurring again in the next 500 years are probably very slim. Twenty years from now, personal memories of this catastrophe will have faded. And if another, even weaker tremor were to hit the area again, a two-hour lead time will probably not be enough to overcome human inertia and compel masses of people to abandon their homes and other prized possessions for a dicey survival on higher ground. Coping with Disaster For the Philippines, the danger from tsunamis on the scale of the recent disaster would come from major earthquakes in the Hawaiian Islands or from the Pacific Coast of Central and South America, which are parts, as we are, of the Pacific Ring of Fire. But our distance from these points mean that by the time the tidal waves hit our Pacific coast, their energy would have been largely dissipated. (Only some 200 people were killed in far-away Somalia by the tsunamis generated by the Sumatra earthquake.) Of greater concern to us would be undersea earthquakes in the waters south of Taiwan or within the Indonesian archipelago. In 1976, Cotabato was hit by tsunamis from an undersea earthquake in the waters between Mindanao and Sulawesi., killing some 8,000 people. An early warning system here would have been also useless because of the short distances (and therefore short lead time) involved. Instead of an early warning system, the Philippines would be spending its money better by forming at least four floating disaster mitigation centers, one each based in Davao City or Gen. Santos City (for southern Mindanao), Cebu City (for the Visayas and northern Mindanao), Subic (for Western Luzon) and Polillo Island or Baler (for Eastern Luzon and Bicol). In almost any disaster situation, the first priority is the immediate presence of government relief agencies and instant communications with central command. I propose that each of these four floating stations be centered around an LST-type, shallow-draught vessel able to land on or approach any beach. It should have at least two helicopters on its deck (for ferrying supplies and personnel), and a bulldozer or backhoe excavator in its hold (for clearing clogged roads or digging mass graves). It must also carry equipment for digging artesian wells and for purifying water. It must be able to serve as an emergency floating ambulance or hospital. And it must also have electronic equipment that will allow it to send and receive email and faxes, as well as GPS connections. If it were also wired to receive satellite photos, it can help in the campaign against illegal logging, smuggling, illegal fishing and other seaborne criminal activities, or to help fight raging fires with giant scoops of helicopter-borne seawater. The LSTs can also serve as home bases for pilot-less aircraft equipped with video cams to extend their reach. Their work should be complemented on land with modular lengths of Bailey bridges on stand-by in military bases and easily transported by helicopter to temporarily replace washed-out bridges. The Philippine military should also develop amphibious vehicles (similar to the Schwimwagen of the German Wehrmacht in WWII) for use during floods, to tow rafts of rescued survivors. With global warming, we can expect our lowlands to be vulnerable to more frequent floods during the coming rainy seasons. But there is no need to create another department or agency, as the Arroyo Government seems to be contemplating, that will just mean another bureaucracy. These four floating stations and the activities that they will engage in can easily be incorporated into the existing Navy or Coast Guard command, to be subsumed to the existing National Disaster Coordinating Council whenever disaster strikes. Defensor�s Keystone Kops And while we�re on the subject of disasters, have we already forgotten the landslides and the cut logs that demolished large areas of Infanta, Real and Gen Nakar towns in Quezon Province and the town of Dingalan in Aurora Province and killed hundreds of people last November? Media, media of the notoriously short memory, seem to have done so. And have we forgotten how DENR Secretary Mike Defensor tried to deal with it in one comic incident, in full view of thousands of television viewers? Defensor and a TV news crew from Channel 7 were chasing a truck loaded with sawn timber, all the way from a sawmill in Mauban (Quezon) to somewhere in C-5, where they lost their quarry. Sure, it was dark and it was raining, but the TV crew was able to video the fugitive truck as it sped with its contraband cargo past several of those inutile PNP checkpoints. What puzzled me is why neither Defensor nor the TV crew thought of using their cell phones to call someone in Malacanang or DENR or Camp Crame or GMA-7 head office, or even their wives and mothers to call someone in Malacanang or Camp Crame or DENR, to set up a roadblock or several roadblocks along the 150 kms length of the chase, to intercept the truck, instead of chasing it (and losing it) into the night. Is the government run by the Keystone Kops? Reactions to [email protected] or fax 824-7642. Other articles at www.tapatt.org. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Coping with Disaster� I am wondering how much the Arroyo couple spent for the pray over on Gloria conducted by the so-called evangelists? The words uttered could never have come from pious people. Clearly it was part of their psychological propaganda of a war between good and evil portraying anyone who is against Gloria Arroyo as evil. What a way to govern! Also, the announcement Gloria Arroyo made thanking God for sparing the Philippines from that devastating tsunami just showed how insensitive and stupid this usurper and cheater who sits in that stinking palace along the murky Pasig river is. I hope the people of those countries would not feel that God has punished them. Anyway, did the Indonesian, Sri Lankan, Thai and Indian heads of state thank God that they were spared from the typhoons that caused havoc to Luzon lately? The epicenter of that earthquake was on the ocean floor northwest of Sumatra and if Gloria Arroyo knows her geography, she would see that all the countries hit by the tsunami are facing the Indian Ocean. The Philippines which is blocked by Sumatra, the Malay peninsula and the island of Borneo would have never been affected by the tsunami. However, if the predicted magnitude 9+ temblor will strike New Guinea this year and the epicenter will be on the ocean floor then the residents of coastal areas facing the Pacific should brace themselves up for a tsunami. The question is, are we ready? Do we have the early warning system? Do we have rescue, evacuation and relief plans in place? Has there been a dry run conducted? Do we have the money and resources? Narciso Limsiaco Ner, [email protected] January 05, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Was the tsunami that hit and killed tens of thousands in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Maldives, Myanmar, and other nations an act of God? The Archbishop of Canterbury a few days ago said in a statement published in The Guardian that people should ask the question but, to my disappointment, he did not give any answer. Imams in Indonesia were quoted in the local papers yesterday that the tsunami was a "wake up call" from God who was "displeased because the people were not faithful to their duties as set forth in the Quoran? Another Imam said that it was God's punishment because Muslims were killing Muslims in Aceh. If that is so, why were non-Muslims also drowned? Why were tourists - who we assume had not killed anyone, fellow Christians or not - in Phuket massacred by the tsunami? The better view, in my opinion, was that made by Jonathan Sachs, the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, based in the United States. He said in a Los Angeles Times article (January 5) that the tsunami is but a natural calamity that is a consequence of our having been placed in a physical world citing the 12th century philosopher, Moises Maimonides. I have yet to read our CBCP theologians speak out on the matter. Bishop Ted Bacani had, indeed, written a challenging piece "O God, how could you?" in his column of January 4 in Today. He called the tsunami, "a carino brutal" (brutal caress) from God. I think that the thrust of his article is that in the end, God wills that people's love as is now manifested by the outpouring of support from all over the world will triumph over the tragedy. But in the scheme of things, was a catastrophe in the magnitude that the tsunami wrought necessary just so love could surface and triumph in the end? I suppose that cosmic necessities are epochal events that only God decides. But that is only a supposition from a layman whose knowledge of things divine is mainly sourced from basic catechetical levels. Unless explained more sensibly, the tragedy could be deemed a mass murder along the lines of the Nazi or Khmer Rouge killing frenzies in the not too distant past but with no Hitler or Polpot to blame. A criminal-less crime, then? In a predominantly Christian country such as ours, I guess the question acquires transcendental importance that our spiritual leaders should speak out on, at least, for the edification of their flocks. It won't do for religious fundamentalists to mouth the trite and facile dicta that God has punished the sinners in those countries. I am sure there are worse sinners in this country and elsewhere in the world that the tsunami spared. Moreover, in 1755 an earthquake devastated Lisbon where over 100,000 died and the disaster apparently did not distinguish between the sinners and the saints in that holy Catholic land! We probably cannot expect an answer that will satisfy all our doubts. That is why faith plays a heavy role in our religion so that what cannot be answered with facts and figures, we take by faith. It is our hope, though, that the elders of the many religious faiths in this country would enlighten us with their thoughts on this issue that has shaken the world only literally but also figuratively. Sen. Nene Pimentel, [email protected] January 06, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The observations you made are right on the bullseye. Known for her grandstanding and for media mileage to earn pogi points. Gloria Arroyo who is in Jakarta has offered the services of Filipino medical personnel and forensic "experts" for the victims of the tsunamis. If indeed there was a sincere desire on her part to help, why wait for this time to make the offer. She could have followed the action of Israel who immediately sent rescue teams without fanfare and publicity. Gloria Arroyo could have ordered the DOH the day after the tsunamis struck to organize medical teams in coordination with PNRC and civic organizations at same time ordered the DFA to make the necessary arrangements and co-ordinations with the governments of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India. If I am not mistaken, we have organizations involved in medical missions like the Maharlika of Davao City and Operation Brotherhood which the government could have immediately tapped. However, I still believe that charity begins at home and as you and Ms Ellen Tordesillas accurately observed, this administration of Gloria Arroyo has forgotten the victims of the landslides in Aurora and Quezon. The people there are still in need of medical and other health needs. Has our forensic "experts" identified the decomposing bodies if any? Narciso Limsiaco Ner, [email protected] December 07, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Allow me to comment on your article "Coping with Disaster" with something I wrote a friend who apparently regards the December 26 tsunami as "an act of God". Let's pretend for a moment that there is no religion as we view the four biggest events from 9-11 2003 to 26-12 2004, namely: the terrorist attack on mainland USA that led to the bombing of Afghanistan, the war on Sadam, and the tsunami disaster in SEA. Three of these events clearly show man's inhumanity to man. Stripped of religion-based labels, the responses to these events demonstrates the ability of man to cope in terms of survival of the fittest. While the tsunami is a natural phenomenon, the people themselves were the exponential factors in the magnitude of the effects. Brutally stated, the worst hit were the people who do not develop their societies and themselves to cope with disaster, as they ignore the most basic of natural law: any given area can hold only so much population. Using religion-based principles in a discussion is directly offensive, particularly when the discussants do not share the same belief. In fact this puts a big strain on friendship, in my case at least, when arguments on the teaching of a particularl church are offered as proof or evidence of truth. So, Carl, please spare me (us?) your references to the teachings of the prophets and dogma of your relgion. Instead, let us go back to first principles. Let's try the label "entertainer" as used in the Philippines since the invention of the dubious slogan "OFWs are the new economic heroes". Approximately 70,000 out of about 80,00 Filipino entertainers would be sent home due to Japan's new regulation on OFW qualifications. If you don't know it yet, "entertainer" is the euphemism for the 70,000 working as prostitutes--male and female. Arroyo begged Japan to make an exception for Filipinos. Japan denied the plea. Yet, Arroyo continues to plead for the 70,000 "entertainers" to be allowed to continue working in Japan. If these 70,000 men and women ply their trade in the Philippines, the label would be "prostitutes", not "economic heroes". What does this make of Arroyo then? Arroyo is a pimp, big time bugaw. But I don't hear anyone calling her this; instead Arroyo is praised for her compassion for the OFW. Now, tell me, Carl, how does this make the Philippines the only Catholic nation in Asia today? Rosalinda N. Olsen, [email protected] Norway, January 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Antonio Abaya, I am not an ordained evangelist, an Ismaili muslim, or a Falun Gong practitioner but what happened in South Asia, I believe, was an act of God, which carries a very serious warning to all mankind. What is happening in the world nowadays ( war-religious or political terrorism everywhere, corruption, crime, drugs etc.) especially to the most vulnerable sector of our society -our children, requires a divine intervention. The world is out of control! We can't blame God for losing his cool (sort of temporary insanity), because we have failed in complying with the Ten Commandments (same violations in the other religious doctrines) but at the same token became too pre-occupied and excelled exponentially in following his unwritten 11th Commandment: "Go Ye and Multiply." Please allow me let me explain further. Since the South Asian tsunami by your own account was not a direct or indirect result of man's inhumanity to man or man's abuse of the environment, makes it even clearer that the event was caused by God's power. But going back to God's 11th commandment, the commercialization of this commandment disguised and embedded in tourism by countries on both sides of the Indian Ocean, particularly Thailand where child prostitution is a very strong underground economy sought after by tourists from rich countries has become an accepted part of revenue generation beyond the control of the moralist institutions. The economic spin offs of this illegal trade is helping these countries support their infrastructure, second only to legalized Las Vegas style gambling found in industrialized countries. But there is one thing good that is unfolding from this cataclysmic event never seen in human history. Nations of the world whether catholic, protestants, muslim, Buddhists etc. are united in helping these countries affected by the tsunami by the unprecedented outpouring of donations in kind and money. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of all countries. I think this is what God wants to see happen: benevolence coming from the people of the world, regardless of religion and political background. We are united, at last! Emil Diaz, Jr., [email protected] January 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww All except the native Andamanians whose knowledge of the environment was transmitted uninterrupted for 60,000 years. Ross Tipon, [email protected] Baguio City, January 09, 2005 MY REPLY. But aren�t you idealizing the Andaman tribes? Their own king said on BBC that they had no advance warning of the tsunami. They just saw the water coming and ran to the hills. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi! Very intersting article. --On why God allowed the disater to happen, it is well to recall "Cognito Dei causativa rerum" -- On your recommendation to set up emergency relief stations, it is worth studying though I doubt this will merit our government's attention at this time nor in the foreseeable future, given the situation we are in and given our kind of governance. -- On DENR and Mike Defensor, you are so right, we have forgotten the causes of the mudslides which caused the deaths of so many of our countrymen. There must be a way of getting our people not to forget too easily and for us to have the resolve to punish those guilty of these crimes. We have to goad Mike Defensor to relentlessly go after those guilty of illegal logging. Heads must roll! Cesar Sarino, [email protected] January 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Re: Defensor�s Keystone Cops: Maybe lack of common sense or plain stupid. Alexander Carranceja, [email protected] Kuwait, January 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The "Flood" wiped out the whole world except for Noah's family. Catastrophes are now expected to occur more frequently as we near "endtimes". Our benevolent God is a God, not only of mercy and love, but also of JUSTICE. When innocent children die, we need not worry because they have God's grace to allow them to enter heaven. Re the rest, there are no "innocent" men and women above the age of reason! ("For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God!") Augusto Legasto, Jr., [email protected] January 09, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The Lord sayeth: "Thou shalt not kill!" Rey O Arcilla, [email protected] January 10, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, You have described God as benevolent and omnipotent. But you have forgotten to describe Him as infinitely wise and all-knowing. You cannot comprehend why the earthquake and tsunami had to happen or why God did not prevent it from happening precisely because your mind is finite. Just as a man born blind cannot fully appreciate the beauty of creation, so can our finite minds not fully appreciate the ways of God. You have also forgotten to describe God as our Creator and the author of all Life. And being our Creator, He has the right to do anything with His creation however He wants to. Just as the inventor can destroy his invention; just as an author can burn his book; just as a sculptor can throw away his statue then also can God, the Creator of heaven and earth do whatever he pleases with His creation. As Job in the Holy Bible says, "What God giveth, God taketh away." Like a person lending his property to another for free, God has the right to take back our wealth, our property and our life any time he wants. Instead of questioning the benevolence of God for allowing the disaster to happen, we should instead humble ourself and be thankful to His benevolence for every single day that He has given to us, every breath we take, every beat our heart makes, and every living cell in our body. In fact, we should be thankful to Him for creating us in the first place by choosing the sperm that produced us instead of the million other sperms. The disaster only served to remind us of this fact. It also reminded us that life is short, life is temporary and that we should always be prepared for death because we do not know when it will come. For in the end, there is only one thing that matters in life. It is not our wealth. It is not our loved ones. It is not even our life. It is only the salvation of our soul that matters for that will determine where we will be in the life hereafter which will last for eternity. Not for a hundred years. Not for a thousand years. Not for a million years. But for eternity. Have a nice day! Bobby Tordesillas, [email protected] January 09, 2005 MY REPLY. The description that �God is omnipotent and benevolent� is not my own but that of people who think he is omnipotent and benevolent. Personally, I do not think he is omnipotent or benevolent. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, You have good ideas, especially the floating stations and the immediate relief to the disaster victims. The President has good and well-intentioned plans,too. Why don't you join forces after all it is the Filipinos and our land we are all working for. I am sure you have staff that is assigned to the Malacangan Palace. We can make connections through your staff reporter and proceed from there and see what happens. >There is a saying "There is no atheist in a fox hole." Even great philosophers believe in God. All of us can use prayers now and then. Adelina P. Sampang, [email protected] January 11, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww |
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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Dear Tony, Further to my mail, let me try to explain to you how sufferings can find meaning and value in this world. 1. It arouses the compassionate heart of others by way of responding to the needs of the victims. And this can easily be evidenced by the billions of dollars in aid that are now finding its way to the devastated areas. I do not believe these countries would have donated these billions of dollars if the earthquake had not happened. 2. It strengthens the character of the victims who may actually end up in a better state as a result of the sufferings. We have seen many men, corporations and even nations becoming giant successes after experiencing failures, losses and devastations in their lives. 3. It has redemptive value. By offering the sufferings up to the Lord and uniting them with His own sufferings in calvary, we are able to make atonement for the sins of others and make up for what is wanting in the Mystical Body of Christ. People who are not Catholic, and even those who are, may find it hard to understand this last point. But if you are interested to discuss the same, let me know. Have a nice day! Bobby Tordesillas January 11, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww |
| We could not help expressing our appreciation to you for your article on Tsunami. As usual, it was well-written. You have scholarly dealt with various subjects. We, on our part, as readers, react but briefly and superficially. You might give a passing glance on the attached "TAX THE CHURCH" and "TOWARDS BARBARISM" which I have sent recently to some broadsheets. A piece "ULULATIONS ON TERRORISM" is likewise enclosed. How we wish - if you share with our views - that a writer of your caliber could expound on this subject, Philippine Stance on Terrorism, so that the public would be informed with solid facts and engaging style. More power to you. Nelson D. Lavina, [email protected] January 20, 2005 TOWARDS BARBARISM Your issue of 9th January caused some people to loss some sleep. In criticizing the appointment of Mr. Alberto Gonzales, Bush's legal counsel, as Attorney General of the United States, Mr. Mark Danner highlights the attitude, if not practice, of the United States on the matter of torture of prisoners of war. Hundred of accounts point out "Water-boarding" of prisoners, detainees "chained hand and foot in fetal position", detainees pulling their own hair (apparently in unbearable pain, and unable perhaps to effectively choke themselves) are example of present-day barbarism sanctioned by the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo. In another page of that issue, there is Gonzales who, as White House legal counsel, "rejects torture in war on terror". He is even "outraged" and "sickened" by the torture of detainees and vowed himself to the "rule of law" if confirmed as Attorney General, the country's top enforcement official. But as legal counsel, Gonzales maintains that the war on terror renders the Geneva Convention "obsolete". Perhaps he forgets that the Conventions have been made "part of the law of the land", an until and effective denunciation is allowed, the US cannot deny its application and validity. Declarations do not accord with action. And governments do lie. There was Vietnam before, there is Iraq now. And who knows, perhaps North Korea, Syria and Iran - the "Axis of Evil", according to Bush - are to come. Historically, occupation of a country by foreign troops would not endure. We have the lessons of Vietnam. Afghanistan kicked out the Russian invaders then; they would do it to the Americans now. America, even in a divided Iraq, would not prevail. To paraphrase Lord Chatham who gave the following warning to Britain posed to invade America during the American Revolution: "We cannot defeat America... If you are the aggressor, and I am America, I will never submit to your occupation. Never, never, never!" Vietnam proved it to France and America; Afghanistan proved it to Russia; Iraq is proving it. We used to look up to American Statue of Liberty, to her Revolution, to her Constitution. Her statesmen, thinkers, culture, values. While we grieved over 9/11, America's resort to torture, war on terror, pre-emptive strikes without casus belli, arbitrary denunciations of existing conventions have earned her legions of detractors. Even elite American societies of writers and artists have dissented: "Not in our names!" Not to mention Nagasaki and Hiroshima - Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantanamo - these are America's steps toward barbarism. NELSON D. LAVINA Ambassador (Ret.) Tel. 631-9810 [email protected] ULULATION ON TERRORISM It has been announced that the Philippines, as a member of the UN Security Council, is elected Chairman of a Special Committee against Terrorism. It is proudly claimed that we get that chairmanship partly because of the country�s unrelenting fight against terrorism. That official stand is fatuous, to say the least. Our stance is beyond the nation's capacity to successfully meet the obligations. We do not have the resources. Our budget could hardly provide for the people's basic needs. And that is the reason that the Philippines cannot move without linking our efforts with the United States, whose interests on the matter are much deeper and different from ours. It appears all bravado. So superficial is our position that we are crowing to be in the forefront on the fight against terror even before we were formally asked to join the US-UK Coalition of the Willing. And yet those who are in the know, like Senators Biazon and Arroyo, have declared that we do not get any meaningful or substantial benefits from the United States by being a "Tonto" to the only Lone Ranger or "Constable of the World". Thus it has come to pass that, aside from our overwhelming economic mess, the country has been faced by concurrent forces of NPA, MILF, Abu Sayyaf, Al-Qaeda, Jeramiah Islamiyah! Our troops have just been attacked by the MILF alleged renegade forces in Maguindanao, as they have been ambushed left and right by NPA insurgents before Christmas. The internationally over-extended or illegal commitment against the war on terror, the continuous state of preparedness for alleged terroristic acts, and the propensity to overreact to rallies, bomb threats, alleged destabilization plots, not to mention a burial procession for a defeated candidate and a homecoming of a discredited politician - all entail awesome expenses and display an unmitigated paranoia. The silent majority could not help asking: Is our position on terrorism - which American authorities have acknowledged could not be defeated even if Osama bin Laden be killed or captured - realistic? Is it ultimately to our best interests as a weak or impoverished nation? The answer is obvious. NELSON D. LAVINA Ambassador (Ret.) Tel. 6319810 [email protected] TAX THE CHURCH! Upon her assumption of office, President Macapagal-Arroyo announced that he nation was in "fiscal crisis". As if to underscore the situation, the government, led by Speaker de Venecia, started to solicit donations, especially from businessmen. Indeed, the country is in a mess. Internationally, we are among the ten most corrupt governments; domestically, the military and the police are the most corrupt agencies. Unemployment is continually rising; population is steadily exploding! While the majority of the masses wallows in the morass of poverty, our national debt makes every one of them, including children still to be born, a certified debtor. To avert an Argentina-like meltdown, Malacanang and Congress have decided to tax almost everybody and everything - like passport fees to "sin" (alcohol, cigarettes) taxes. The President deemed it proper to personally make an appeal to cellphone companies, like Smart and Digitel, for franchise tax - to no avail. The population is restive. The Administration sees destabilization move at every turn. The Secretary of Justice even found it necessary to formally issue a chilling verbal warning to those who might foment unrest and commit seditious acts during the funeral of FPJ (Da King), the defeated Presidential candidate. What a bizarre charade! The people are honestly looking for urgent change. A famous columnist, analyzing the situation, suggests a "revolutionary" approach. Before him, a professor, a noted nationalist, had been urging one and all, not excluding the military, to prevent GMA from occupying Malacanang. Indeed, the mood of the people seems developing from agitation to action. Grave problems demand surgical solutions. Hence, we have had EDSA I and II. The poor staged EDSA III; the government denied its occurrence. Historically, a revolution topples the government and/or the existing religion. Thus the Sophists in ancient Greece, revolted against religion, but not the government. The barbarians sacked Rome, but respected the Catholic Church. The Reformers of the 16th century were against religion, but not the government. However, the French Revolution of 1780s was instructive; it was against both the government and religion, as was our own Revolution of 1896. But the stark reality is that whenever religion is the object of revolution, the people, especially those burdened by taxes, deeply resent the exemption of the Church from taxation. The Administration is scrounging for every centavo to help it run the machinery of government. For the first time, to repeat, it found appropriate to humbly solicit funds through donation, to be able to discharge its duty to its citizens. The Church, as beneficiary too of government services, has to help. It should not resist being taxed. After all, it has been pointed out that the Church, aside from owning lands, is engaged in business, banks and stocks - activities which are proper subjects of taxation. NELSON D. LAVINA Ambassador (Ret.) Tel 631-9810 [email protected] OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |