The aftermaths of Ondoy and Pepeng are far from over. In the streets of Pinagbuhatan, a friend describes chaos. In the subdivisions of Marikina, a friend describes desolation. From wherever I was those nights, I could hear the plastic bags making those scrunching sounds as people packed up donations and relief goods for those affected by the typhoons.
Any aftermath, however, begins with the first person who raises a finger to accuse. Way before the first plastic bag of relief goods was handed over to the first person who needed it, the first accusations already hit hard. Practically everyone has been blamed on this disaster; from that guy who threw a candy wrapper into the storm drain 3 hours before the waters started rising, to the highest echelons of the Government itself. After all, strong rains may be an act of God, but a flood is a calamity of man.