by Don Gil K. Carreon
Despite three typhoons’ leaving hundreds dead and billions of pesos in property and crop damage, the press has yet to report how the government plans to prepare for the 20 more the weather bureau says will be coming before the year ends.
A PJR Reports monitor of several media organization’s coverage of the three typhoons that hit the country found that their focus was mainly on the extent of damage and the subsequent government response.
The monitor period was from May 6 to 18 and included the newspapers Philippine Daily Inquirer and The Philippine Star, thenews programs TV Patrol World and 24 Oras, and online news sites of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and Newsbreak.
More misses than hits
The sinking of Sulpicio Lines’ M/V Princess of the Stars was the most reported of the devastation wrought by Typhoon Frank, so far the deadliest among the typhoons that have visited the country.
The press did not just focus on the government’s search and retrieval effort for the victims’ bodies. The reports also explained how the worst sea tragedies we have had to endure are largely attributable to the inefficiency of the agencies charged with ensuring the safety of maritime vessels.
The reportage on the government’s disaster mitigation and preparedness policies was not as thorough, however. For example, the press barely discussed Senator Rodolfo Biazon’s proposal to pass a law for the mapping of the earthquake-and typhoon-prone areas in the Philippines. The disaster map would provide the government with data so it can prepare a calamity contingency plan specific to different provinces.
Most of the reports on this were unsatisfactory. The Star’s May 28 article “RP not ready for natural disasters” did not explain how the proposal will be implemented if passed while 24 Oras’s May 27 report may have spooked some of its viewers with its treatment of the issue.
24 Oras cited Philippine Volcanology and Seismology Institute chief Renato Solidum who said the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Sichuan, China last May could also hit the Philippines. Nathaniel Cruz, chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, was also interviewed. Cruz said the agency expects 20 more typhoons to enter the country and that some could be as destructive as Cyclone Nargis. Nargis ravaged Burma also last May.
The Star report however did not say how the government expects to cope with such a calamity, while declaring that it did not mean to alarm people.
Intrusive
Some reports were too intrusive on the grief of the victims.
Last May 19, TV Patrol reported the drowning of three siblings in Dagupan after they were swept away by floods caused by Typhoon Cosme. The report included footage of the boys’ mother wailing and crumpled on the ground while clutching a relative’s leg. The boys’ father, who was still obviously distraught over his loss, was also made to recount how his children were swept away by the flood. Footage of the grieving relatives of the passengers of the sunken ferry were also included in the TV Patrol reports of June 23 and 24.
Bright spots
The press ably covered the aftermath of the typhoons by providing daily updates on property and crop damage, the death toll, and the adequacy of the government’s search, rescue, and relief efforts.
There were also some notable follow-up reports on the government’s rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. 24 Oras reported last May 22 the education department’s decision to take over the reconstruction of some schools in Zambales having found that the destruction of infrastructure there by Typhoon Cosme was aided by the use of substandard materials.
Two reports by the Inquirer (“Central Luzon typhoon victims seek urgent help” and “Sta. Cruz town gets back on its feet after ‘Cosme’”) last May 22 and 24 focused on how one of the hardest hit towns by Typhoon Cosme was not getting enough aid, with the provincial government overwhelmed by the magnitude of the damage and local politics further complicating reconstruction efforts.
Only the Inquirer was the only one that explained fully how the government’s disaster mapping project is expected to work. In a May 8 report “Now, ready to get out of harm’s way,” the Inquirer identified the participating agencies and their tasks, the provinces where the project is being implemented and the other areas where the government plans to implement it.
On the other hand, Newsbreak reported last May 18 how government should also prepare for climate change, which can cause deadlier weather disturbances and raise sea levels that will endanger people living near coastal areas. The report suggested what government must do to mitigate the impact of climate change and identified the areas most vulnerable to its effects. |
