MANILA, Philippines – It was 3:30 pm. Evacuees in Barangay Commonwealth, Quezon City received news that President Benigno Aquino III will visit them and distribute relief goods.

Immediately, families buzzed with excitement. Some rushed to the door of their evacuation facility – a single-room daycare center – eager to meet Aquino in the afternoon of Wednesday, August 8.

It was, after all, their second day there, after continuous monsoon rain led to a landslide in Barangay Commonwealth. Families, while not directly affected, didn’t want to return to their houses after the landslide left 9 of their neighbors dead.

One of the evacuees, Juanita Murillo, told Rappler she wanted Aquino to hear their concerns regarding housing.

“Masaya ako na parating siya para makita niya ang sitwasyon diyan sa landslide, kung paano niya magawan ng paraan na tulungan ang mga tao, kung paano niya magawan ng paraan na mailipat ng bahay kasi iyong iba ayaw nang bumalik ng bahay dahil natatakot… Kung may awa siya na tumulong, puwede niyang gawan ng paraan na matulungan kami,” Murillo said.

(I am glad that he is coming so he can see the situation in the landslide area, how he can make a way to help the people, how he can help us relocate our homes because many don’t want to return to their houses because of fear… If he has enough sympathy to help us, he can make a way to give us assistance.)

Like Murillo, evacuee Nancy de Lima said she wants Aquino to help relocate her family. But it was not as if the landslide came as a surprise. A decade ago, a landslide already claimed lives in the area, and the government had offered housing to affected residents.

De Lima’s family was already relocated but returned to the landslide-prone area in Commonwealth. She would not disclose why her family did so. Nevertheless, De Lima said her family now needs assistance from the government.

“Ang buhay, mas mahalaga,” De Lima said, pointing to her two youngest children. “Sayang naman itong dalawang bata kung mawawala, di ba, halimbawa dahil lang sa wala kang matulugan, wala kang matirhan. Isasakripisyo mo pa ba ang buhay mo?”

(Life is more important. We cannot risk the lives of these two children just because we don’t have a place to sleep in, to live in. Will you sacrifice your life for this?)

‘Hold them accountable’

Despite the evacuees’ anticipation, however, the President changed his schedule over an hour later. That was after he distributed relief goods in flood-stricken Muntinlupa City.

With torrential rain starting to pour again, he held an emergency briefing with disaster officials at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. There, he berated a member of the state weather bureau over uncertainty in weather forecasting.

In an interview with reporters, Aquino also addressed the tragedy in Barangay Commonwealth. He said people shouldn’t be living there in the first place. Citing government reports, Aquino explained a landslide already occurred in the area and resulted in deaths in 2002.

“So may nagkulang diyan, at pagkatapos natin nito, siyempre kailangang imbestigahan. Alam mo nang may trahedyang nangyari diyan, pinabayaan mo pang magkaroon ng pagkakataong maulit ang trahedya. Mali ‘yon. May kailangang managot dito,” Aquino said.

(Someone committed shortcomings, and eventually we will have to investigate this. He knew a tragedy already took place there, he allowed the tragedy to repeat itself. That’s wrong. Someone needs to be held accountable.)

It was already around 5 p.m., and the President decided to cancel his trip to Barangay Commonwealth and other evacuation centers on Wednesday. The Palace said Aquino will continue making his rounds Thursday, August 9.

In the Philippines, the President needs to do this. Evacuees, rightly or wrongly, demand direct intervention from their chief executive for local tragedies. – Rappler.com