the man that can't be moved

No. This is not about the song written by The Script. This is about the government executives that should have done something but did not and now is being vilified in all forms of press, the old school and the networked.

My heart cries out for my Filipino brothers and sisters who have suffered so much loss. So much loss that their intelligently designed bodies may switch itself to numbness soon. I can say that because that's what happened to me when my younger brother died more than eight years ago.

I pray for them.

Ormoc, though it is almost 20 years ago, is still vivid in my memory. The Cagayan de Oro images is eerily similar. As Randy David succinctly wrote, "Disasters in search of causes, victims in search of villains, and benevolence in search of recognition."

But though my reaction to Ormoc were limited to disgust and to finger-pointing, I have acquired curiousity this time and asks, "They know that this is bound to happen since 2003, why did they not move?"

The press will offer the sniding remark veiled in dry humour that the government executives must know first how much they can earn before they will move. Though that gets some smirks and whimpering 'applause', it is dangerous because it shows that our local press, knowingly or unknowingly, pre-conditions our minds to the limiting "let's move on" mentality when these government executives must be held accountable, jailed.

But before they can be held accountable, did these government executives truly believe that they have the power to solve it? Did they have the resources to truly tackle this situation?

Climate change is revealing its ugly head, the Brother Cain that was nourished by the Industrial Revolution and first version of Capitalism. Will we suffer the same fate like Abel?

I ask - do we have the right leadership and the apt government structure to deal with this new normal? Or are we stuck in so many oversight committees and ad-hoc teams that we are spread too thinly? So thin that we are as effective as not being there? That our presence only exists in reports and not on the ground?

And more importantly, do we already have enough 'long-view' citizenry that will elect 'long-view' leaders over the 'short-view' ones?

The technical experts showed us where the danger lurks. But since we are here in the Philippines, in a time it is learning to become a nation, logic and PhDs that are enough in highly matured societies and economies, will not cut it for us. The demand we hurl at our technical experts is that they must be able to acquire storytelling prowess equal to their technical know-how.

But even if that is solved, we still have 'short-view' government executives to contend with. An executive who only responds to how fat his pockets get. (Hmmmm, what if these government executives 'owns' construction companies? Do the pockets of these officials get fatter when the national government approves the 'now-obviously-needed' and media demanded infrastructure projects? Interesting.)

But somehow, we already have the structure, the Ombudsman in particular, to process those greedy ones. Strengthening these 'making them accountable' processes is what the current P-Noy Administration is nourishing with the impeachment of a Chief Justice as a sign.

But what if we have done and showed to the world that in the Philippines, the guilty, finally, is held accountable but still this 'educated' man in government excutive clothing still manages to stand still and do nothing in the face of what is now wrongfully described as "alarmist" report.

How can we explain that?

Is it simply for psychological reasons?

What if he did not move because he was simply scared. And he could not accept it that he bit more than he can chew now that he is elected leader and was shown these 'end-of-days' scenarios?

Maybe he dismissed it. Downplayed it. Now, we all suffer because nature made us accept the truth and because the government leader did not have the wits and the heart to move.

The hard part now comes. After acceptance, what do we do now?

Elect the same 'short-view' leaders? Still think that being a leader is simply about power and doors opening? All perks and no sweat? A man that can't be moved? :- )

"... why think like mere men?"