Shoeless in RP's shoe capital
by Carmela Fonbuena, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak | 10/01/2009 6:56 PM
Printer-friendly version | 
Send to friend | 
Share your views
 |
| Many areas in Metro Manila, like this evacuation center in Marikina, are still covered in mud left behind after flood waters receded. |
MANILA - Many residents of Marikina City, the shoe capital of the Philippines, are now shoeless following Ondoy's near-perfect storm. They walk through the muddy streets barefoot, exposing them to water-borne diseases.
Gone with the epic floods are the shoes and slippers the city is known for. Some of former First Lady Imelda Marcos' infamous shoes are housed in the city's shoe museum.
Gone, too, are the orders that local shoemakers were hoping to fill in time for for the Christmas season.
Relief and rebuilding are now the city's priorities. But one of the city's representatives in Congress, Rep. Marcelino Teodoro, said they also lack basic things--like shoes and slippers.
"Kailangan namin ng sapatos, sapin sa paa. Madaming naglalakad walang tsinelas," said Teodoro, noting the irony of their situation.
Among the relief goods that have been brought to the city are slippers, including the expensive brand, Croc, but Teodoro said they need more.
Teodoro's district includes Provident Village, where floodwaters reached the second floor of houses, leaving at least 9 dead.
The congressman said he himself had to borrow a pair of shoes from a college friend on Tuesday so he could report to the House of Representatives in Quezon City and deliver a privilege speech on how Ondoy paralyzed the local government.
The first floor of Teodoro's century-old residence in barangay San Roque was submerged in floodwaters last Saturday. He, his family, and his neighbors who took refuge in his house, were trapped in the second floor until the waters subsided.
Shoe industry endangered
The future of the Marikina shoe industry is one of the city's big problems.
Prior to the floods caused by storm Ondoy, the city's shoe industry was already in crisis, brought about by the entry of cheap, possibly even smuggled shoes, from China.
China is now the world's largest producer of shoes, mostly low-cost ones that have killed many shoe industries around the world, including the Philippines'.
Up until Ondoy dumped a month's volume of rain in less than a day, Marikina's shoe industry was still a significant cottage industry contributing about 10 percent to the city's economy.
Teodoro fears that the industry may shrink even more because of what Ondoy has destroyed.
"They will need capital before they could restart. They will miss the opportunity this Christmas period when the industry is upbeat. There were a lot of orders coming in. They were already preparing for delivery [before Ondoy]. Where will they get capital to produce for deliveries," Teodoro said.
"There is no industry to speak of because of the flood," he added.
The local government has yet to assess the total damage fom tropical storm Ondoy, but Teodoro said the damage to the shoe industry may be worth "hundreds of millions."
The warehouse and the manufacturing plant of Rusty Lopez, which accounts for around 50 percent of Marikina's shoe industry, were spared. But it's production capacity may be affected because it is dependent on the cottage industry for some supplies.
Teodoro said the city needs more than just housing and calamity loan assistance; it needs the help of the Department of Trade and Industry. "We need microfinancing to recover. We have to normalize the economy," he said.
He said the local government will also discuss ways of providing the industry with incentives to help it recover.
'There is no government'
 |
| Barefoot children with food rations at a Marikina City evacuation center, where they are seeking temporary shelter after Typhoon Ondoy. |
Teodoro, a member of the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD party, lamented the poor response of the national government. He said Marikina City has suddenly become dependent on aid coming from private groups.
"There is no government," said Teodoro, shaking his head. "There is no government."
"I could not fault the national government on the first day. But you can blame the government on the second day and the succeeding days," he said.
Teodoro believes private television networks are even doing a better job helping their community.
Tropical storm Ondoy submerged in floodwaters the entire first floor of the Marikina City Hall. Teodoro said the local government was totally paralyzed.
Teodoro said Marikina City's rescue capability was said to be top rate, having been "benchmarked with the U.S.'s 911." But it proved inutile in the face of Ondoy's massive downpour. Even the city's firetrucks floated in floodwaters.
'Everyone was a victim'
City officials and employees are victims themselves, so they have to attend to their families and properties.
"Ako nga, two hours nakatulala. Nakatitig lang ako sa aming sala set, refrigerator, and the aquarium," he said, recalling the trauma.
He said he had expected the national government to step in.
"Pag debilitated na ang local government, the national government should step in. Kung government, wala ngayon, kelan mo pa pwede asahan?" Teodoro added.
While the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) sent "two or three junior officials who were helpful," Teodoro said he expected DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral to oversee the relief operations herself.
Teodoro also called Health Secretary Francisco Duque, but the latter supposedly told him to use local resources.
"[But] The local resources are not sufficient," Teodoro said.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) only gave 50 sacks of rice.
Teodoro said there are still fatalities whose bodies have not yet been retrieved or found.
When asked how the local government is preparing for typhoon Pepeng, all he could say was: "We are paralyzed."
However, Teodoro believes the city will be able to rebuild and recover. "Ang faith ko lang nasa resiliency ng Pilipino." Report by Carmela Fonbuena, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak. Photos from ABS-CBN News.
Comments