00:00We can't just go back to where we were before the earthquake.
00:04The trips that journalists from El Espectador have made to the areas most affected by the earthquake,
00:10in particular municipalities and districts of Chocó,
00:13They have heard variations of the same idea on many occasions.
00:18Reconstruction cannot be about going back to how things were before.
00:23but it must be promoted as an opportunity to improve once and for all in historical terms,
00:30who made this tragedy worse.
00:32Both the national government and the various local governments have said they are aligned with that purpose.
00:40Can we realize such ambition in a Colombia with so many challenges and scarce resources?
00:47Telling the story of the earthquake cannot yet be done because it is an ongoing process.
00:54Individual and collective duels in the affected areas
00:57This adds to the widespread frustration felt by Colombians.
01:02by recognizing the fragility of human life and the failures that for decades led
01:07that we lost so many lives under the rubble.
01:11That grief is still happening and will continue to happen.
01:14The emergency is not over and will not be over soon.
01:18The wounds are open, and there are even others that continue to open.
01:23as impatience and frustration increase
01:26among those who do not feel they have received the necessary support.
01:30We knew it beforehand.
01:32Even when the Colombian state has good intentions,
01:36Its capacity for action is slow and it faces multiple challenges.
01:41This does not mean that the efforts have been in vain.
01:46On the contrary, both the presidency of the Republic
01:49as the various mayoral offices and governorships have made their presence felt where needed,
01:54while the private sector has made contributions in financial and human resources
01:59who recognize the magnitude of what happened.
02:02These days, at El Espectador, we revisit the story of so many rescuers
02:07who were not content with just helping in the first few weeks,
02:11but they continue to look for ways to provide ongoing support.
02:15Colombia did not only mobilize because of the current situation,
02:19but it has continued to move, create, and build alliances.
02:23Citizen initiatives, from the largest to the most localized,
02:29They took seriously the idea that the only thing that saves us from so much pain
02:34It is the connection with the other, the weaving of networks of listening.
02:39The main problem, however, is time.
02:43We have documented people who still have nowhere to live,
02:47who have no way to rebuild,
02:49who feel abandoned after the initial announcements.
02:53The emergency decrees signed this week are a necessary step that we welcome.
02:58But details are lacking on how we are going to deliver on the promises that have been made.
03:04Also, despite the government's advocacy for decentralization,
03:08the lack of institutional capacity in the most vulnerable territories
03:13has meant that the Presidency has had to assume functions that would correspond to the local level.
03:19Amidst all the bureaucracy that announces managers to administer the resources
03:25and to ensure that no cases of corruption occur,
03:28How can we use all that momentum to strengthen local institutions?
03:34Without a strong, present, capable and supported State,
03:38This opportunity will fall short for us.
03:41There are local elections next year,
03:43which means we have a long time before the campaigns,
03:47with its populism and manipulation,
03:50They steal the agenda and also instrumentalize the earthquake response.
03:55First, we need to give the victims tangible answers.
04:01and a short and medium-term emergency plan,
04:03with details and achievable objectives.
04:06What is clear is that we cannot go back to how things were before.
04:12If you agree with this editorial,
04:14Send your 500-word counter-editorial to elespectadoropinion.gmail.com
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