WE NEED A NEW PDAF Before anyone gets mad and shoot this poor guy writing this post, let me clarify that the PDAF Juan Mapag-isip Alaskador is proposing is not the Priority Development Assistance Fund that has been declared unconstitutional by the Philippine Supreme Court. No, that personal ATM-of-sorts of our lawmakers is history. This new PDAF Juan and I have in mind means Post Disaster Action Force. Now were not elected officials, nor government employees. Im just an ordinary Filipino, 1 year shy of 50, a grandfather, and a domesticated husband. Mang Juan M. Alaskador is ageless, timeless, never married but always in love, and a real pain in the butt. That said, this new PDAF we are proposing may never see the light of day, but as my lawyer-grandpa once said, speak out your mind boy... you never know who is listening. Juans own grandfather on the other hand, is said to have told Juan, dont make small talk... go on out and say whats on your mind, even if many say never mind! So, here goes something as close to nothing as never mind, but well say it anyway... Our new PDAF will be under the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Council (NDRRMC). It will be headed by a person with extensive disaster management experience. While the NDRRMC will focus on preventing & mitigating disasters, and in reducing the risks to our countrymen from any disaster that may come our way, the PDAF will be on the front line after a calamity has happened. They are the Marines, or Navy SEALS, Green Berets or the SWAT, Delta Force, etc. of the NDRRMC. The PDAF member ideally must be athletic and a multitasker. He must know how to drive heavy machineries, rig a generator to power a building, have extensive EMS background, and most important of all, must be a survival expert. In addition, he will be trained later on to rappel down a helicopter and parachute from a plane. A PDAF Team, like the US Navy SEALS, will be trained as small, independent groups, with each group re-positioning itself to work with other groups that will arrive later. Like Marines, our PDAF fellows will soften the area for the NDRRMC, DSWD, DOH & other groups that will arrive later. They will secure airports & piers, make these areas functional, clear the immediate roads of debris, locate uncontaminated fuel sources, put up & maintain a comlink with the main task force, organize what remains of the local DRRMC, among other things. Once the main cavalry has arrived, they must have already identified additional problems that the bigger group will encounter, suggest possible solutions to the problems, solve the problems that they can before the arrival of the mother group, and, would have alerted the main group of how much of a particular item is needed and what personnel must be beefed up. They then move on to another area, repeating the process. This way, there will be no going in with eyes half-closed for the other, less experienced members of the main group of rescuers. Our PDAF men, of course, will be issued the latest search & rescue gizmos -- from powerful & waterproof headlamps to survival knives to waterproof boots, etc. Properly trained and properly equipped, they are our first men on the ground. Once our countrymen have come to know them and what they can do, the victims of a calamity who see them will know that help is not far behind. To get things moving ASAP, the first 3 PDAF Teams will come from the various branches of the military. Since they have undergone most of the training already, they could function almost immediately, granting that the equipment they need could be given at once. Other team members (lets say a total of 12 teams, each team composed of a maximum of 10 PDAF men or women) will be picked from the populace with the other skills the Teams need as main consideration (communication specialist, doctors, nurses, structural engineer, waste management expert, etc.). The trick is to refine the master plan as we go along --solar powered satellite phones, unmanned aerial planes with video capability for extended look-see, mountaineering courses, regular disaster scenario games to keep the members of the PDAF sharp, etc. Much later, with budget allowing, a C-130, three or more Sea King choppers, a hovercraft or two, a Humvee for each team, etc. We have SWAT Teams for law & order purposes, so why not a special action team for Disaster Management purposes, right? Yolandas visit taught us that the plans we have in place are sorely inadequate. We need teams that are ready to go anytime, anywhere. No bullshit, just immediate action after a disaster. But what of the name? PDAF... and why not? With the original PDAF (a.k.a Pork Barrel) dead, we can use the familiar acronym for something positive. It would be nice to hear our kababayan welcoming PDAF with cheers, instead of jeers! PDAF! PDAF! PDAF! That is, if our politicians dont turn this new PDAF business into another money-making scheme! The worst of it is, if this new PDAF --after our politicians mess it up-- is also declared as unconstitutional by the SC! SANAMAGAN! If that happens, then oras na talaga para PDAFAHIN ang mga lintek at paluin ng barbwire, sabay pigaan ng kalamansi! Now then, if this plan of ours is ever implemented (and a Disaster Management Czar is appointed as mentioned in an earlier post), Mang Juan and I will graciously settle for a wee bit as our royalty fee/intellectual property rights fee for this idea. Okey na sa amin ang tig- 3% sa P10-Billion na ninakaw ni Janet Napoles & Company sa orihinal na PDAF. Thats P300-Million for me and P300-Million for you Juan!! SANAMAGAN, Juan! You can finally retire to your bahay kubo on top of Mt. Bwakangina and resume knitting as a hobby! Expect to get an order for a knitted sweater from Janet Napoles, Jinggoy and your namesake Juan Ponce Enrile! Hehehe :D :D :D
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 17:26:28 +0000
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