We never saw the mayor, vice mayor or any of the town councilors among the earthquake victims at the town plaza.
Neither did we see any of them at the town’s public hospital, where doctors from St. Luke’s Hospital found patients being treated under the trees.
I also didn’t see uniformed policemen at the town plaza, where victims gathered, until I called up Camp Crame to report their absence.
In contrast with the absence of town officials, strangers like us and others from Manila were all over the town plaza.
Volunteers of the medical and relief mission of the Tzu Chi Buddhists Association, who were with us on the plane from Manila to Tagbilaran, were also at the town plaza.
One of them told me they would set up a consultation clinic and makeshift kitchen at the plaza the following day, Sunday.
Red Cross volunteers from Tagbilaran assisted my staff in giving away medicines prescribed by St. Luke’s doctors to patients who lined up at the makeshift clinic.
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