Haiti is now on everyone’s lips since a devastating earthquake on January 12 laid waste a huge part of the capital Port au Prince. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas (PCI USD 790). Decades of poor governance, dictators, hurricanes have all contributed to the country’s desperate status. The country is at the same latitude as northern Luzon. And like the Philippines is in the path of tropical cyclones and is earthquake prone.
If the Philippines, is Asia’s first republic, Haiti is the first independent republic in the Caribbean declaring its freedom from France in 1802 as a result of a successful slave rebellion. However republican ideals inspired by the French Revolution died quickly when the republic’s leaders proclaimed themselves emperor or dictators for life. Since then the country has been subject to political instability with 32 coup d’ etats. The US occupied the country from 1915 to 1934. French and American intervention in the past remains in the nation’s consciousness. The UN keeps the peace in the country. There is a battalion sized Philippine contingent here.
Haiti’s dictator Jean Claude “baby doc” Duvalier was kicked out at about the same time as the Philippines’ Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. In 1992 the first democratic elections were held putting the former Catholic priest Jean Bertrand Aristide into power.
Ninety-five percent of Haitians are of African descent, most the descendants of freed slaves. The original Taino inhabitants have largely been extirpated by colonial policy and the diseases the Europeans brought. The population is around 11 million. The population density is 306 per sq km. (the Philippines has 361 per sq km). Thus this disaster prone country is 44th in terms of population density. The Philippines is at 31st
Widespread poverty has contributed to widespread deforestation. In the 1920s Haiti had 60% forest cover. In 2010 it had >2%. It is mountainous in the interior. Loss of precious topsoil reduced crop productivity, worsening the chronic food security problem. This also is the major factor in the recent devastating floods that hit the country in the last 2 years. Haiti’s environment has been so degraded that large tracts of land have been made unsuitable for productive agriculture. Haiti’s food requirements is largely dependent on foreign aid.
Haiti is a textbook example of how a modern nation state can collapse due to a degraded environment which breeds further political instability. Geographers are trying to make sense why the country is in such dire straits while across the border, the Dominican Republic, the country that shares with Haiti the island of Hispaniola, is relatively prosperous with a PCI of USD 8672, more than 10 times that of Haiti. The Dominican Republic is classified by the US State Department as a middle income developing economy, the largest in the Caribbean.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic are compared in Jared Diamond’s “Collapse“. Both Haiti and the Dominican Republic had oppressive dictatorial and corrupt regimes. Diamond explores the consequences of the two countries’ shared histories.
While the Philippines is not as poor as Haiti (we have a PCI of USD 3515), the environmental determinants of the Philippines are similar to that for Haiti. The Philippines is showing some signs of environmental collapse. The signs are a recurring lack of water, an increasing population, soil loss and declining agricultural productivity. The socio-political conditions remain largely unchanged with notable income disparity and corrupt governance . How the Philippine constitutional system of government can deal with these problems will dominate the political stage for the next Presidency. The Ondoy disaster last September gave as a preview of how functional or dysfunctional our government units are. Some LGUs are to be lauded and some are to be shamed. It also showed how non-governmental groups can be more effective in disaster response.
And now comes the deadly Jan 12, 2010 earthquake. The buildings and houses in Haiti look so much like what Filipinos have in the provinces. A similar temblor would result in the same or if not, worse damage to the Philippines.
And the official line of the Philippine government says such cannot happen in the Philippines. The Philippines in a lot of ways is Haiti. On the environmental side, each and every earthquake prone Philippine island is a Haiti.
We have to take a close look at Haiti as we send our assistance for we may be gazing into our future.
Popularity: 1% [?]
???? “And the official line of the Philippine government says such cannot happen in the Philippines.” You mean Gloria Arroyo, right?
Inquirer has a news article which quotes PhilVocs people saying a Haiti quake can happen in Pilipinas.
MANILA, Philippines — The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti a few days ago can happen in Metro Manila, according to seismologists and geologists.
Solidum and Narag of PhilVocs referred to the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS) conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
A 7.2-magnitude quake could damage 38 percent of residential buildings, 38 percent of buildings between 10 and 30 stories, 14 percent of buildings between 30 and 60 stories, and 30 to 35 percent of all public buildings.
The study also said the earthquake could cause 33,500 deaths, an additional 18,000 deaths from fire, and 114,000 injuries.
In addition, the temblor could damage nine bridges, cut 30 kilometers of electrical cables and 95 kilometers of communication cables.
PhiVolcs had to say otherwise since some politicians criticized their initial statement (Jan 13) on DZMM that an earthquake like what Haiti experienced won’t happen.
for now, no one can predict.
Predicting earthquake is a science much the same as prediction of Madam Auring and Seba (wondering why a news network would give credence to those quacks)
The complacent attitude of the outgoing regime is not at all surprising given its record of governance by expediency.
All it’s likely hoping for is that no repeat of the 1990 Luzon killer quake will happen in the next 4 months!
Pinoys-in-Pinas who don’t want “bahala na” can do research on how to earthquake-fortify their houses with safety steps. Adding posts made with concrete-and-rebars is difficult. Easier steps include:
- are hazardous material properly stored, are fuel tanks securely anchored (e.g. the LPG tank);
- heavy tall furniture away from high risk areas; (you don’t want
a tocador falling on you while you sleep); anchored to wall studs?
- are computers, TV, stereo equipment properly secured?
- do people know to duck under a dining table or that the bathroom (if the walls are stronger because of the pipes) is safer than the kitchen?
– Identify danger-zones like walls without rebars that can collapse.
Home evacuation drill (also used for fires); where members are to congregate;
In a tropical and balmy country like the old homeland, living outdoors does have its plus side. Amid very dire penurious situations, we here in the provinces see many of our dispossessed already living and sleeping in open plazas or public places, outside doorways, close to any standing flimsy structures, etc. For many, their makeshift covers are so threadbare and light already, precluding any damage to them should they tumble and fall in a disaster.
We understand that the destructive effects of natural disasters approximates bringing communities back to ages more crude and elemental like the stone age or the pastoral economy.
But it is disheartening to note that many are already back to those elemental stages.
Important perspective. For the life of me, I don’t understand why there is no national preparedness effort linking science and engineering and urban planning to better prepare the country for impacts of intense storms, rising seas, and changing micro-climates. Which is more important as infrastructure development, that or concrete strips through the rice paddies, many of which may be under water 50 years from now.
Joe
the strips thru ricefields are built by foreign-money and paid back by pinas tolls or tax-collections. Pinas very poor country has no money, no money for more policemen and definitely no money to internally fund “rising seas” projects. Pinas waiting for foreign money hopefully to be paid when there is approval of monetization of REDD schemes (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation)
I believe it is 15 or 25 years payback period for those strips concrete thru ricefields, and then they become like the Pennsylvania or New Jersey Turnpikes with states still collecting tolls on concrete paid off decades ago. {“For maintenance!!”, the states say.}
UP n,
The tollroads like the Clark-Subic expressway are indeed valuable infrastructure investments, even though that road is mostly empty because it is way ahead of growth and not attached to any master plan that would mandate growth there rather than, say, flood-prone Manila.
The concrete I have problems with are “Farm to Market” roads that are poured for the re-election of the local congressman and are lightly traveled, other than by karabao, judging from the enormous piles I must dodge whilst biking along those roads.
They are quite elegant bike paths, though, I must confess . . .
Joe
The Holy Freaking Pope is pissed off by the environmental message of the movie Avatar.
The movie’s slant towards being in harmony with nature and taking reverence to it seems to be a threat to the worship of the Catholic God who, for some mysterious reasons, has taken a hands off in the Haiti disaster.
Catholic fiction vs. Hollywood fiction.
At least the Pope will pray for Haiti. Now Cameron should match it appropriately :-)
At least the Hollywood fiction is entertaining. The Catholic fiction on the other hand, gives you mental virus. It peddles fiction as the truth, it makes outrageous claims with nary a shred of evidence.
And the Pope praying for Haiti now? You mean his previous prayers has not been heard? What an egregious pretense!
“Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer”
What the hell can a prayer do?
“What the hell can a prayer do?”
Nothing…but a lot of gullible fools still believe it could do wonders.
I can’t criticize His Holiness on the nature of his job. His terms of reference includes lots of prayer! And the job HAS NO RETIREMENT privileges!
The Vatican Pope has his job even should he reach age 102, but should the Vatican Pope get “inspired” to retire in July 2010, you say that he doesn’t get a villa, a security detachment, a car with driver, housing allowance, food allowance, a travel allowance nor health insurance. You sure about that, mr blackshama?
Cameron is investing his money and got lucky with “Avatar’, so better he give some to Haiti, not pray. The Pope’s job is mainly praying especially when people got killed already but that’s ok since the Pope’s concern more with the spirit than the body. I wonder what’s the monthly salary of the Pope for such a boring job as praying, anyone know?
Nike has pledged to match every dollar of the next $25,000 donated to
our Haiti Earthquake Fund through their special challenge page: http://www.mercycorps.org/nike4haiti
movement of underground structure is not caused by corruption – very poor analogy.
Destructive earthquakes rocked Manila in 1601, 1610, 1645, 1658, 1675, 1699, 1796, 1824, 1852, 1863, 1901, 1911, 1968 and 1990. In 1610, it is said that “mountains pushed against each other, threw down many buildings and buried a great number of people.” In 1645, 3,000 perished or buried in ruins. In 1863, “the cathedral, the government-house, the barracks, and all the public buildings of Manila were entirely destroyed, and that the few private houses which remained standing threatened to fall in. Later accounts speak of four hundred killed and two thousand injured, and estimate the loss at not less than eight million dollars. Forty-six public and five hundred and seventy private buildings were thrown down; twenty-eight public and five hundred twenty-eight private buildings were nearly destroyed, and all the houses left standing were more or less injured.” In August 2, 1968, intensity 7 earthquake brought the Ruby Tower in Binondo down, killing 270 people and injuring 261. The Luzon magnitude 7.9 earthquake of July 16, 1990 brought down many buildings in Baguio City.
By all means let’s be ready and prepared always. Not only when a calamity striked somewhere.
I’m scared to admit it, but besides environmental degradation, one big similarity RP has with Haiti is in terms of religion.
Pat Robertson called Haiti’s spirituality as “voodoo religion.”
Hmmm, reminds me of what we have here in the Philippines: Sinulog, Ati-Atihan, Nazareno, Manaoag, etc.
I was writing the other day that divorce is different than annulment because divorce as done in the US is respectful of individual liberties whereas annulment as done in the Philippines is respectful of a common morality, that set by the Catholic Church. This goes a long way toward explaining why the people of the Philippines do not exert much individual authority over society’s structures. The Philippines is not a nation of individual liberties as is the United States. Philippine imposed morality supersedes individual freedom. So people go with the flow, subsist, and don’t rock the boat.
One can certainly argue that strong moral foundations are important. But eyebrows rise when one looks about and sees the vast shortcomings in security, health, and well-being that exist in the Philippines, versus the United States. If one judged on the basis of result, one would heartily condemn the wisdom of bowing to moral forces that constrain progressive thought and action rather than encourage it. Point blank, the powerful Church has failed to promote a vibrant, productive, safe society. The Church would argue that the problem is not with them, but with poor government. A rational person would look at a birth rate that far outstrips the economy’s ability to create jobs, listen to the Church railing against proposals to do something about it, and say that is a pretty blatant whitewashing of responsibility.
When the Church accepts accountability for the outcomes of their moral suasion and works for a better Philippines, it deserves a front row seat at the President’s speeches. Until then, it should get out of the auditorium and free the Philippines to become progressive, a nation of laws, not faith. Individual “can do” capability is needed, not moral “thou shalt not” barriers.
Let me say that again. A nation of laws, not faith; action, not excuses, blessings, and barriers. Satan has nothing to do with it, nor does God. We do.
It is called free will, the will to do that which is right, and productive.
Joe
But we don’t do Zombies! There are no zombies in Sinulog or Dinagyang, although not a few revelers are close to being one!
Thanks Blackshama. Good article, very informative. The Philippines
and Haiti have disturbing parallels. Environmental degradations, misgovernance and corruptions. Massive poverty is also the one both
countries share.
Thank you. I never had the chance to visit Haiti. But when I was working for an international agency on aquatic resources (during FVR’s time), they were planning to send us to assess the country’s degraded marine resources and we had to read up on the country. Unfortunately, Aristide was kicked out in a coup and it was deemed to dangerous to send us. They sent us to Panama, Costa Rica and Belize instead. In these countries, immigration thought all Filipinos were seafarers!
Folks in USA will notice two themes as USA faces Haiti. The first one is immediate — how to bring in personnel and resources for search-and-rescue, medical and food relief, peace-and-order and restore basic services (water, electricity, telephone).
The second theme is long-term — Marshall Plan also intended to guide Haiti away from its society’s self-destructive ways, especially because Haiti is less than 1,100 kilometers from Miami — too close to ignore. Haiti currently is so poor that 55% of its citizens live on less than a dollar a day. Within 5 years improving the ratio from 55% to 25% should be a minimum target. Within 5 years doubling Haiti’s per-capita-income should be a manageable objective.
Haiti also needs more public schoolsl — buildings and teachers. NOTE: Haiti standard is 13 years schooling before its youth can enter college — 10 years of elementary school and 3 years of high school.
Comparatively speaking if the statement below is to be believed:
Eighty percent of the Philippine population earns less than two dollars per day.
Then with or without disasters, the old homeland is in no better situation than devastated Haiti, don’t you think?
Why will Marshall Plan work for Haiti and not for the Philippines?
Goodwill and good relations with central and south American countries is essential for US interest in order to leverage the billion strong Chinese market.
And then there’s Cuba. About time to heal the rift and embrace the world.
If the Philippines with 90 million plus people were just 70 miles from Key West, I wonder how the USA would treat us?
Just like France treats England??? Or Mindanao the Visayas?
Ooops I forgot. Key West has seceded from the United States of America and now is part of the Conch Republic..
Las Islas Filipinas would probably join with the Conchs!
If pilipinas were 70 miles from USA, maybe Pilipinas would be ruled by a Fidel Castro. Or maybe Pilipinas will be as well-run as the Bermudas. How would Filipinos behave about Pilipinas if the country were only 70 miles away from USA? What about if the country were 70 miles away from Indonesia?
If the Philippines is just 70 miles from Florida, maybe the RH Bill was approved long ago already.
Miami would be a Pinoy city!
The Philippines should take note to what had happen to Haiti. So that when it happens here in our country we know what to do most especially like that kind of earth quake.In politic democracy is always there when something goes wrong here in phil.