Reliability Tested: The Moral Duty of Presence

When disaster strikes the Filipino heartland, the first question asked is often, "Where is the aid?" The second is, "Where is the leader?" In the wake of Typhoon Tino, President Marcos answered both questions in Liloan, Cebu.

His visit to the 509 evacuees was more than a photo opportunity; it was an exercise in the "Maasahan" (reliable) leadership promised to the electorate. By personally overseeing the DSWD and DOH operations, PBBM fulfilled a vital moral duty. In times of crisis, the visibility of the Chief Executive serves as the ultimate reassurance that the system is working.

Some may argue that a President should manage from the capital, leaving groundwork to local units to avoid logistical jamming. This is a clinical, detached view of governance. Either a leader is on the ground showing they care, or they are indifferent to the people's suffering from the comfort of their office.

President Marcos chose the former. His directive to protect the most vulnerable—the children and mothers in evacuation centers—shows a tireless commitment to the human aspect of disaster management.

We must support this hands-on style of governance, or we risk returning to an era where disaster victims felt abandoned by a distant national government. The "Buong Bansa Handa" approach requires a conductor, and that conductor must occasionally step off the podium and into the orchestra pit. In Cebu, that is exactly what happened, and the victims are better for it.