Gordon’s flash

2005-10-11 21:05:09-->
Breakfast Table: Adrian Cristobal

THROUGHOUT his career, Sen. Richard Gordon has been known for a certain flashiness as embodied in the slogan that he used as tourism secretary – "Wow Philippines!’’ This came to mind with the famous black London cabs displaying the slogan beside Harrod’s.

Not everyone was enthusiastic about his being a cheerleader for Ateneo and a tourist-hungry country. But now a lot of people should take a second look. Gordon has finally shown a less cheery, "darker’’ side.

Obviously inspired by the series of calamities occurring all over the world, the kinetic senator said that the Philippines is unprepared for natural and man-made disasters, as the country ranks number four among the "disastrous’’ countries in the world, trailing China, the US, Indonesia, and above Japan, Turkey, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Thailand, and Russia.

As chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross (and having led several rescue operations), Gordon knows what he’s talking about. That’s why he wants people to be conscious of what they should do in times of natural disaster. As he also referred to man-made disasters, he obviously meant those brought about by commercial assaults on the environment.

These man-made disasters are theoretically preventable, but it’s clear that greed for power and profit is no more preventable than the wrath of nature.

What, for example, can people do about an "emergency draft’’ for the government takeover of public utilities ostensibly to ward off rising prices? Is this a threat? There’s nothing basically wrong about "nationalized’’ electricity, water, transport, etc. except for the government’s unexceptionable record in running any kind of enterprise.

But the government is superb on advertising, as it’s money well-spent on those "outstanding this and that’’ calling for the "rule of law’’ and support for the administration. Undoubtedly, it’s also money well-spent for propagating Charter change, since it’s "the last hope’’ for the country which has a long record of "last hopes.’’

Meanwhile, a business organization is calling on the President and her opponents to stop bickering and work together for the country’s "salvation,’’ as if it’s only politics and not profit-seeking that hurts the common people.
Have we prepared for that?