Just Another Repost- Recall petition vs Cagayan de Oro mayor gains ground, says proponent

It is the 40th day since Sendong happened and let’s take a moment of our time to say a little prayer to those who perished and who are still missing. The article below is just apt and hopefully the victims will find some peace in knowing this….

from the Inquirer.net (original article can be found here).

By Bobby Lagsa
Inquirer Mindanao

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines—The recall petition against Mayor Vicente Emano is gaining ground and a proponent of the move said he and his colleagues expected to gather 30,000 signatures by the end of the month.

At least 45,000 signatures are needed before the Commission on Elections acts on the petition for recall election, a process under which the elected official concerned must submit to a new election.

Tito Mora, vice chair of the Save CDO Now, said his group has gathered some 25,000 signatures since the drive was launched on January 13. He added they were aiming to have gathered 30,000 signatures by January 30.

“We aim to complete it before V-Day,” he said, referring to the day when the petition would be submitted to the Comelec.

As this developed, the Save CDO Now movement announced also that it has filed complaints for gross negligence and dereliction of duty against Emano at the regional office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in Northern Mindanao. A copy of the complaint was sent to Malacañang, according to Mora.

Emano maintained that the recall move and the charges against him were baseless.

The recall petition and the complaints against Emano were prompted by the heavy toll taken by flash floods triggered last December 17 by the passage of Tropical Storm Sendong. Cagayan de Oro officials were allegedly remiss in taking measures to mitigate the effects of the storm, such as issuing warnings to affected population and ordering evacuation of threatened places.

At least 700 people were killed in Cagayan de Oro and dozens more remain missing to this day.

Lawyer James Judith, who filed the complaints at the DILG regional office here, said Emano’s inaction and defiance despite warnings from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geographical Services Administration resulted in the unprecedented death toll and destruction.

Judith said the death toll would have not been as high had the city government not abetted the settlement and illegal construction of houses on sandbars and delta in the Cagayan de Oro River.

Neric Acosta, presidential adviser on environmental protection, told a recent forum held at the Xavier University here that “it is wrong to give land titles on sandbars, where signs of danger are present.”

The complainants also alleged that when President Aquino came to the city and convened a meeting of the National Disaster Risks Reduction and Management Council, Emano did not brief the President on the coordinated efforts to help the victims.

The complaint also alleged that Emano did not convene the Local Disaster Risks Reduction and Management Council as required by Repubic Act 10121.

Judith said the complainants believed that had Emano performed his duties as mayor, the city could have prepared for and mitigated the effects of the disaster.

Emano downplayed the recall petition and the complaints filed against him, saying it was the work of “elitists.”

He said he found this out when he sent spies during the January 13 launching of the recall move.

“They are elitists and not poor thus they do not represent the city’s masses,” he said.

Mora said Emano was now trying to sow discord among the people by painting the movement as anti-poor.

“First he (Emano) said we were politicking. Now he says we’re elitists. The fact is, we only want Emano and the political principles he represents out of the office he has dishonored and degraded for 13 long years,” he said.

Why We Are All Afraid Of A Little Rain

It has been raining for several days already but the slow yet incessant raining has caused more than one person to worry and panic. Who can blame them? Before Sendong, we never worried about rains or how floods could wreck havoc to our beloved homes. Because of Sendong, we know that it is never wise to dismiss whatever apprehensions we might have of the rain.

About a month ago, I was so excited to go home to CDO for the Christmas vacation. While I was busy packing for the trip, I heard that there was a typhoon in Mindanao but having lived in Cagayan de Oro for most of my life, I was not worried because my house never got flooded. It was raining in Manila but I did not mind that as it always rain in Manila. However, around 8 that night I received a text message from my mother that my flight might be cancelled because of the rain. My only thought at that time was to ask my mother to look for alternatives as I was bringing with me the clothes that Dylan and Dion will wear for their Christmas Party plus their gifts for their kringle and teachers. For the life of me, I never imagined the devastation that would greet me a day later.

My flight was cancelled…grumbling because I know there is nothing I can do about it, I went back to Makati and got some sleep. I just thought it weird that my mother has not replied to my text messages and did not answer my phone calls. When I woke around lunch time, my concern escalated because my mother has not replied still. SO I texted both my kids and the helpers as well. But still not a single reply arrived. It was only when I opened Facebook when I got my answer. I was not prepared to see the devastation. I could not help but cry when I read the stories about people missing and homes destroyed by the flash flood.

To make a long story short,- my kids (aged 10, 7 and 3 mos), my mother and two helpers had to evacuate the house in the middle of the night due to the sudden rising of waters. Yes, we were one of the lucky ones because no one died. A lot of our things were damaged though. Shallow as it may seem, I mourned the loss of my pocketbook collection. I could not help but get teary eyed when I remembered all the precious pictures and videos of my kids that are forever lost because my computer’s HD has been damaged beyond repair. I could not help but feel bad that a lot of our things were destroyed.

Now the rain is here again…my kids could not help but wonder if there ever would be a repeat performance of what happened. I sincerely hope not.  It is almost a month since the tragedy happened and let us take a moment of our time to say a little prayer to the lives that Sendong took.