Blogger Ellaganda Ignites Internet Storm over International Relief Goods at DSWD

Thanks to blogger Ellaganda now we have a glimpse of what goes on at DSWD warehouse where international donations are hoarded errrr I meant stored. Supposedly teeming with activities if we go by DSWD Secretary Dr. Esperanza I. Cabtal’s praise ooops press releases, but on the day a handful of 8 volunteers including Ellaganda are able to have the “privilege” to help out in repacking relief goods from 8 am to mid-afternoon she sees a different picture. A boring picture to say the least as in activities are most likely to be of spiders busily weaving cobwebs and dust gathering on relief goods especially those coming from international donors. Why it remains untouched and only local relief goods comes out in trickle on that day will of course make people wonder what is going on.
Paul Farol a supporter of Dick Gordon likens the incident to that of Martin Cervantes’ account at Facebook on being made to wait 4 hours to distribute relief goods due to claims of a photo-op that awaits the top honcho of the Philippine National Red Cross. Never mind that Cervantes was reprimanded and pressured by Ayala Land Inc. to issue a written apology. Never mind that his life was threatened, so for issuing an apology even under such circumstance, it should fall under gossip? The blogosphere indeed is a cuckoo tale errr cocktail of divergent views and how reality is perceived. Paul opened his post with this admonition below:

The case of Bambee Dela Paz blog account of the Valley Golf Brawl should have taught the Filipino blogging community a lesson. Otherwise, the Philippine blogosphere will be nothing more than a gossip mill.

Exactly what kind of lesson, I have no clue unless you believe that Filipinos and private citizens at that have the cajones to bully and physically attack political warlords with bodyguards armed to the teeth with powerful long firearm. Now, I believe before we judge the Filipino blogging community as nothing more than a gossip mill it was DSWD Sec. Dr. Esperanza I. Cabral and some liepapers errrr madaya ooops I meant media who brought up the issue of spreading the rumor to counter the controversy which is not exactly accurate instead of addressing the questions and issues raised.

We should be fair and present both sides of the story; on the other hand there are risk involved when dealing with praise releases coming from a government so used to twisting and justifying outright anomalous activities. We are not wasting valuable space on garbage and if you want to read Cabral’s side then go to Manuel Quezon III and read his excellent updated account of the bruha errr brouhaha or the comment section of Ellaganda where Beting Dolor of US based Philippine News also posted his version of the incident on lack of volunteers.

When Gloria Arroyo issued a directive that has the effect of centralizing all international donations to the DSWD it comes with or it is a must that accountability, responsibility and most of all transparency is exercised diligently. It’s not like the people are sighing in relief at this directive coming from La Gloria de Napoleona y Le Cirque Arroyo who just went broke squandering her presidential calamity fund and more on extravagant jet setting, food and alcoholic binges. It is highly unlikely that Gloria Arroyo will be seen as a mother Teresa, don’t even go there. But more of a Queen Marie Antoinette so transparency is the key word here. Without which no amount of press releases will erase the doubts that lingers on people’s mind so used to seeing scandals after scandals in her administration.

In the past there were a proliferation of "imported goods" flooding the market whom some suspect came from international community's donation. It will be unfair to accuse DSWD of such anomalies and Manuel Quezon III is on target when he stress that no one is accusing Cabral and her DSWD of pilferage or corruption, it is clearly their failure to act in a timely manner. People ought to know better that the use of the term "rotting" relief goods as MLQ stressed is a figure of speech and to take it literally as how Cabral and others took it should be given a racket sayangtist award for their "brilliance."

Of course there will be those who see this incident as a black eye to our governance exposing it to the whole world they fear will affect the flow of international relief goodies at the expense of the suffering flood and landslide victims of Typhoon Ondoy and Parma. For that they chide and poke fun at the noisemakers as “Einstein” like but really, do they think foreign donors are clueless and unaware of the risk that the donations may fall into the dirty hands of politicians due to endemic corruption? Well, corruption and corrupt to the bones Philippine politicians and bureaucrats are not exactly a state secret, this has always been a concern of the donors and contrary to a racket sayangtist mindset the vigilance shown by netizens will be more appreciated because it only shows that concerned Filipinos are out there to ensure that their donations reach its intended destination and beneficiary.

Acts of vigilance in a nation so corrupt attracts unnecessary personal risk and dangers, to say it was about malicious spreading of rumor and the Filipino blogging community reduced as a gossip mill is missing the point. Docility encourages apathy and because of the noise created by Ellaganda, and follow up of Gang Baduy and her Rocked group would not have been able to encourage and help recruit volunteers for DSWD to get those international relief goods to reach the suffering victims of natures wrath. Instead of attacking the noisemakers should we not focus on why people are complaining and perhaps better understand and focus more on the problem than the messenger? Kudos to Ellaganda and Gang Baduys, we need more of them than our secretive racket sayangtist who delude themselves that corruption is a state secret……

Thanks to Ariel Roda for calling my attention on this incident and Rapi Castillo for sharing the pictures taken by Ellaganda at Facebook.

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