It seems unthinkable – or almost – that while those seriously affected by “Ondoy’s” fury were trying to shake off its ugly and flashpoint jolts, a warning was being issued on an approaching low pressure area that could develop into another typhoon within the week.

The fact is, until Wednesday, rescuers were discovering and still looking for missing persons in the aftermath of “Ondoy’s” wrath. About 246 people have been reported to have perished in last Saturday’s “Ondoy” rampage.

Already, the government has sought assistance from the international community for aid to cope with the problems caused by the unprecedented climate situation in the country.

“We are appealing to the international humanitarian community for relief from the effects of tropical storm Ketsana,” Defense Secretary Gilberto A. Teodoro announced in a televised briefing.

Ketsana is the international code name of “Ondoy.”

In making the announcement, Teodoro was anticipating what he described as “a more serious situation that we cannot wait for to happen.”

To Teodoro’s earnestness in moving ahead with the developing problem is coming through loud and clear in view of the surge of critical comments on what some people felt were the slow and inadequate responses of the government in the face of “Ondoy’s”  rage.

As chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council, he is a vulnerable government leader in time of national emergencies and rendered weaker still because of his declared presidential ambition.

In response, Teodoro could only restate the government’s concern over the plight of the flood victims but confessed to the physical impossibility of reaching everyone at the same time.

“But we always help as soon as we can,” he pointed out.

In fact, the NDCC has already established advanced committee centers that serve as drop off points for the distribution of relief goods.

It appears, however, that the disaster coordinating council’s initiatives are not enough as complaints against it continue to swell charging it with “plain incompetence, and devoid of any action plan” in time of emergencies.

The government’s disaster response and rescue strategies are ridiculously slow and poor, critics of the Arroyo administration said.

The criticisms are well taken, of course, but the trouble really is that some over-zealous fault finders who are known political oppositionists are pinning down Sec. Teodoro as a presidential wannabe.

Even if Gilberto Teodoro were to make good as head of the NDCC and the OCD, just the same, they will malign him for playing politics in the midst of national disaster.

It’s thoroughly bad politics when one is doing his best to help ease the pains of people while others are endlessly finding faults to harass him with ill-will and obnoxious intentions.

But that is precisely what is happening now amid the ongoing crisis.

While true that because of the wide spread cases of emergencies prompt responses that people expect from government are at times disappointing, this should not be cause to denigrate the entire effort of those in charge of the public assistance program of the government.

Let us prod them to exert more effort and initiatives but it is decidedly unfair to insult them while they try to comply with their humanitarian responsibilities

And no politics, please.

(zhern_218@yahoo.com)