Inutile!!

[staind]

Inutile in Lebanon

INQ7.net
Last updated 03:58am (Mla time) 07/20/2006


AS AN overseas Filipino worker (OFW), I am horrified by the slow and unclear response of the Philippine government to the plight of 30,000 Filipino workers who are helplessly trapped in Lebanon.

The government, as expected, has again made the excuse of lack of funds. Without even first instituting its own assistance mechanisms, it has already resorted to outside support, such as that of the Vatican to assist OFWs in Lebanon. The government's so-called "innovative" ways to secure the lives of its citizens in Lebanon include seeking refuge in Catholic churches, as if those infrastructures are immune from bombings.

Other governments, even before the war broke, have had clear evacuation plans for their citizens. The Philippines, which has the second-highest population of citizens in Lebanon (Canada has the highest at 40,000 citizens), did not even have foresight for possible evacuation as the war was looming.

Estrelita Hizon, who is president of a recruiters' group and who sits comfortably on the board of trustees of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), even declared, irresponsibly, that what was happening in Lebanon was not that bad and scary, even if the emergency alert level was already at No. 3.

OFWs provide billions of dollars in remittances to the Philippines ($11.5 billion last year, according to an Inquirer report on July 17, 2006) -- and there is not a single cent allocated for overseas Filipinos in a crisis? Where is the emergency repatriation fund of P100 million that should have been allotted for such cases as directed by the Magna Carta
for OFWs? Where are the billions of pesos in OWWA funds?

Remittances from OFWs keep the Philippine economy afloat and the least that this inutile government can do is to ensure that its "milking cows" are out of danger so the inflows of remittances won't be disrupted. According to Presidential Spokesman Mike Defensor and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, it would cost $300-$400 to ferry each person out by ship, or $12 million for all the 30,000 Filipinos in Lebanon. What is $12 million compared with the billions of dollars that we OFWs bring into the country? What is $12 million if that is the cost of our lives?

With the help of their responsible governments, most foreign nationals have fled Lebanon already, in one of the biggest mass evacuations since World War II. Meanwhile, the Philippine government is still debating how to repatriate OFWs, some of whom were abandoned by their employers who fled Lebanon.

There have been reports of Filipino evacuees in one church in Lebanon who are packed like sardines. Meanwhile, Defensor and Gonzalez said the "current situation showed that the Filipinos were still safe."

What a talent for inutility.

-- GILBERT SAPE, 12-2 Block B Greenlane Heights, Penang, Malaysia (via e-mail)

[uls]

Gagastos ng 12 million dollars and philippine govt para i-rescue ang mga OFW sa Lebanon?

Ya right... mag hitch nalang daw: http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerhea...ticle_id=10737

[wren]

inutility...i like that word . i hope and pray they all get back home safely.

[mazdamazda]

That's because we don't have a fleet of C5s, warships and the like the other "responsible" countries out there.

Plus, not all of the estimated 35,000 Filipinos in Lebanon want to be evacuated. Only a thousand or so have expressed desire to return to the Philippines.

Plans for a chartered ship to take in the evacuees is already in the works. An initial $500,000 has already been allotted for this.

The author should first know of the facts before complaining to evacuate all Filipinos working there in Lebanon.

[1D4LV]

hehehehehe.

[mikmik316]

That's because we don't have a fleet of C5s, warships and the like the other "responsible" countries out there.

Plus, not all of the estimated 35,000 Filipinos in Lebanon want to be evacuated. Only a thousand or so have expressed desire to return to the Philippines.

Plans for a chartered ship to take in the evacuees is already in the works. An initial $500,000 has already been allotted for this.

The author should first know of the facts before complaining to evacuate all Filipinos working there in Lebanon.

Wow bigla akong nabad-trip dito sa sagot ni Mazda mazda.

First, are you an OFW? The one telling the story is an OFW. Kaya don't compare your situation with their misery.

Second, E kahit na may initial allotment of money e... ang tanong... may progress na ba yan? Ni wala nga akong nababasa na may barko na nasa Lebanon na e... Sabi nga ng author... SLOW ang reaction... baka SUPER SLOW pa nga e.

Third, kahit na 1 thousand lang ang gusto umalis, evacuation plans should expect the worst... which means they should have plans to evacuate the 30k pinoys there...

Pag pasensyahan na ang violent reaction ko dahil hindi ako PRO-GMA at sana nga matanggal na sa pwesto yang inutile president na yan.

[1D4LV]

Wow bigla akong nabad-trip dito sa sagot ni Mazda mazda.

First, are you an OFW? The one telling the story is an OFW. Kaya don't compare your situation with their misery.

Second, E kahit na may initial allotment of money e... ang tanong... may progress na ba yan? Ni wala nga akong nababasa na may barko na nasa Lebanon na e... Sabi nga ng author... SLOW ang reaction... baka SUPER SLOW pa nga e.

Third, kahit na 1 thousand lang ang gusto umalis, evacuation plans should expect the worst... which means they should have plans to evacuate the 30k pinoys there...

Pag pasensyahan na ang violent reaction ko dahil hindi ako PRO-GMA at sana nga matanggal na sa pwesto yang inutile president na yan.

bro... teka. parang may halong pulitika yung sagot mo. parang di ka nag-stick dun sa topic. pro-impeachment ka siguro no? ;)

imho. money triggers everything. kung may pera and resources ang pilipinas, madali lang yan. i am not blaming the ofw who wrote this, but again, imho, the preparations and plans for the evacuation process has been made even after the initial rockets have been fired. in fact, i've read that cimatu was there during that time to assess the situation. kung may resources lang sana pilipinas, it could have been easier by just sending a cargo plane there for just to ferry out those trapped to the nearest country, which i think is turkey, pero wala. what happened is that since wala tayong ganung gamit, we can only rely on charity on other countries or the private sector just to do it (like Philippine Airlines chartering a flight out for free, carrying these passengers back to Manila). what was being done is coordination from DFA to the Philippine Embassy in Beirut to just coordinate everything, which includes bus transfer to Syria. While other countries like the US directly went down to pick-up their citizens by military cargo planes and ships, our citizens, unless it gets help from the private sector or from other countries, will just have to while their time in a neutral country (as refugees) until hostilities cease.

yes, i agree with you the evacuation plans should have been prepared. in fact, evacuation plans should have been prepared, not just for the Lebanon crisis, but for other middle east countries which are also vulnerable to these situations (like Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, etc.) but in reality, plans are plans. implementation of these plans are different from what you see in paper. and plans, if they are not backed-up with the proper resources, are bound to just stay as plans.

yung barkong sinasabi mo? saan mangagaling yun? may barko ba tayo na ganung kabilis tumakbo from manila to lebanon? kaya ba ng super ferry yan? kung kaya ng super ferry yan, private sector yan and the best thing that the private sector can do is just to offer their facilities and equipment. pero on the point of view of the private sector, walang profit dyan. so the government will just have to rely on diplomacy and its relations with the countries who have resources, which is the best thing that can be done on tense situations like that. kung ngayon pa lang tayo maghahanap ng private sector donors, malamang tapos na ang giyera dyan, wala pa ring nag-vovolunteer dyan.


i am not a pro-gma too, nor i am a supporter or desciple of mazda2, but you have to have facts first before saying as such items as you've posted. not to offend you, but you have to look also at the other side before you react to something. another piece of advise.... hwag mong masyadong i-seryoso ang buhay... life is too short for you for you not to enjoy it.

peace bro....

[mikmik316]

bro... teka. parang may halong pulitika yung sagot mo.
imho. money triggers everything. kung may pera and resources ang pilipinas, madali lang yan. i am not blaming the ofw who wrote this, but again, imho, the preparations and plans for the evacuation process has been made even after the initial rockets have been fired. in fact, i've read that cimatu was there during that time to assess the situation. kung may resources lang sana pilipinas, it could have been easier by just sending a cargo plane there for just to ferry out those trapped to the nearest country, which i think is turkey, pero wala. what happened is that since wala tayong ganung gamit, we can only rely on charity on other countries or the private sector just to do it (like Philippine Airlines chartering a flight out for free, carrying these passengers back to Manila). what was being done is coordination from DFA to the Philippine Embassy in Beirut to just coordinate everything, which includes bus transfer to Syria. While other countries like the US directly went down to pick-up their citizens by military cargo planes and ships, our citizens, unless it gets help from the private sector or from other countries, will just have to while their time in a neutral country (as refugees) until hostilities cease.

yes, i agree with you the evacuation plans should have been prepared. in fact, evacuation plans should have been prepared, not just for the Lebanon crisis, but for other middle east countries which are also vulnerable to these situations (like Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, etc.) but in reality, plans are plans. implementation of these plans are different from what you see in paper.

i am not a pro-gma too, but you have to have facts first before saying as such items as you've posted. but not to offend you, but you have to look also at the other side before you react to something.

peace bro....

We have the money? Yes we have the money. In fact kung babasahin mo ang article, Labor Law and other Laws allot specific amounts of money to OFW assistance. Meron tayong Disaster Coordination Funds na direcho galing sa Office of the President. Emergency Funds na pwedeng gamitin in cases of emergency problems. Ang problem? Where is the governments commitment to disburse the fund right away? Walang pera? E kakalabas pa lang ng funds for the quarter ending June e sigurado ako may pera yan.

And even money should not be the problem. If GMA is a good American Ally, e di ba dapat ginamit nya ang kanyang diplomatic powers para humingi ng tulong? Na humiram ng US vessels to save Pinoys???

What the OFW said is true abouth the Government - SLOW & INDECISIVE. Check Gloria's reputation as a leader... Nagrereflect sa sistema ng gobyerno natin ngaun ang pagiging indecisive ng presidente.

[1D4LV]

We have the money? Yes we have the money. In fact kung babasahin mo ang article, Labor Law and other Laws allot specific amounts of money to OFW assistance. Meron tayong Disaster Coordination Funds na direcho galing sa Office of the President. Emergency Funds na pwedeng gamitin in cases of emergency problems. Ang problem? Where is the governments commitment to disburse the fund right away? Walang pera? E kakalabas pa lang ng funds for the quarter ending June e sigurado ako may pera yan.

And even money should not be the problem. If GMA is a good American Ally, e di ba dapat ginamit nya ang kanyang diplomatic powers para humingi ng tulong? Na humiram ng US vessels to save Pinoys???

What the OFW said is true abouth the Government - SLOW & INDECISIVE. Check Gloria's reputation as a leader... Nagrereflect sa sistema ng gobyerno natin ngaun ang pagiging indecisive ng presidente.

yes, we do have the money... but disbursement of funds require a process. its the same as your departmental budget wherein you have the money, but you can't use it right away but has to go through a process before being disbursed.

on your borrowing of US vessels to save pinoys, i really don't think the united states can do that immediately too. ang alam ko, usage of their equipments outside of their original purpose should be first approved by the US congress. ika nga, may proseso pa din.

although again, i agree with you that GMA had demonstrated indecisiveness, her being slow this time, dictates that some of the reasons why she acted slowly (which i think is not, but is still reasonable) is because of the processes involved in acting immediately.

again, your reply is a little bit out of topic. halata na yung galit mo kay GMA bro.... easy ka lang.... file ka na lang ng impeachment complaint as a private citizen...
this will be my last reply to your ideas. i really don't want to be a part of this thread being an out-of-topic thread. if you want, you can open siguro another thread to bash GMA. siguro there, we can have a healthy discussion on how she works, her attitues, her personal financial status, and maybe siguro even her *** life.... hehehehehe.

[erict]

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ang daming naka-abang dito..pero konti pa ang nagpopost