So I shared my heart and mind in this gathering called “The 11th Hour” — an interfaith dialogue about the plight of the Haiyan/Yolanda survivors, eleven months after the disaster.”
What I said:
:: The government disaster response was politicized
:: The government was not there in the first few days after the super-typhoon
:: I saw “imperialistic attitudes” in the behavior of many international aid workers
:: A number of international NGOs tried to implement programs and systems that are out of context — culturally, socially, politically, economically
:: I experienced sectarianism among some faith-based aid organizations
Some responses by fellow ground workers:
:: “You shared what our community has been shouting about.”
:: “Thank you for sharing what’s in your heart.”
:: “You were too soft in describing what really happens out there.”
:: “You were too harsh on our public servants.”
:: “The government officials were there, as victims, not as functioning government.”
Some responses by government officials:
:: “We were there, maybe not well-functioning, but we did our best.”
:: “Our laws and government systems slow us down, but we have to follow them as we try to fill in the gaps.”
:: “That was unfair! You don’t know how hard we have been working out there.”
:: “Even other countries have to wait this long for rehabilitation.”
:: “Too many criticism… We should, instead, synergize our efforts.”
