>> In addition to clearing roads, transporting relief supplies and evacuating the wounded, the military is responsible for helping the Philippine National Police maintain security during natural disasters. Here in Guiuan, one of the largest cities affected by Haiyan, military personnel have been left to fend for themselves, procuring meals from local residents who cook amid the rubble of their homes while the soldiers await orders that sometimes never arrive. Some of the same problems have plagued the Coast Guard. When asked why they had spent the past four days sitting in the mayor’s storm-battered offices, two Coast Guard sailors on Monday shrugged and pointed to their useless cellphones. “We’re waiting for instructions,” one of them, Cliff Turallo, said with apparent embarrassment. Analysts say the aftermath of the typhoon is a particularly jarring reminder of how badly Philippine forces have fared since the American military withdrew in the early 1990s, after negotiations over a new treaty faltered amid a passionate debate over national sovereignty. nytimes/2013/11/20/world/asia/typhoon-response-highlights-weaknesses-in-philippine-military.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20131120&_r=1&
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 17:59:47 +0000
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