The behaviour of some Tacloban residents continue to puzzle observers after reports surfaced of rampant looting in the city ravaged by Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

First, the emptied the Gaisano Mall, taking even appliances, electronic goods and branded clothes, putting in question their motives - is it for survival or simply for personal gain. Then they also looted gasoline.

On Tuesday, GMA News reported that warehouses in the city were also being robbed of cases of beer!

But Tacloban residents are not alone in their looting spree. CNN's Jack Cafferty observed that in almost every tragedy such as Haiti and Chile's earthquakes, floods in England in 2007 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, looting happened. He explained, "It happens when some people who've seen life as they know it get tossed out of the window feel that all morality has been tossed out too. It's survival of the fittest and whatever you can get your hands on is yours, no matter who it belongs to."

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However, he cited one exception to that law of the jungle application - Japan. Mr Cafferty pointed out that after the Magnitude 9 earthquake and the tsunami that hit Fukushima and other parts of Japan, no looting happened.

Instead, supermarkets reduced their prices in the days that followed the earthquake, while vending machine owners gave free drinks.

Readers reacted to Mr Cafferty's article, and among the outstanding responses were that of Kim who pointed out that Japanese culture is based primarily on honour and dignity, which also explains why the Japanese aviators committed hara-kiri when they failed their mission.

In contrast, Filipinos are exposed to so much corruption among their leaders, as exemplified by the pork barrel scandal, that given the opportunity to take advantage of others - even during tragic times, and most especially during catastrophes because it is a convenient excuse - they would.

Of course, amid these looting stories, there are more heart-warming accounts of people helping others, although it is jarring to hear of accusation that a local Philippine church, the Iglesia ni Cristo, particularly its temple in Tacloban, Leyte, which was spared by the storm, allegedly refused people seeking a shelter at the height of the calamity.

Reports said that the church turned down the request for temporary shelter because those seeking refuge were not its members.

Such accounts will surely bring tears of anger to one's eyes, but in the case of tough Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who visited Tacloban City, the damage to the city caused his voice to crack and brought tears to his eyes.

"God must have been somewhere else or he forgot that there is a planet called Earth," Rappler quoted Davao's so-called Dirty Harry.

However, retaining his known tough guy stance, the mayor order members of a medical and relief mission from Davao to Tacloban to shoot at the foot any looter who would attempt to prevent the team and the relief goods from reaching the intended beneficiaries.

He wants to avert a similar incident that happened to a Philippine Red Cross team.

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Filipinos could only wish his shoot order covers as well filching politicians who would attempt to dip their fingers at the billions of dollars now pouring into the country from donors overseas.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg, citing Kinetic Analysis, estimated the economic impact of the Category 5 Hurricane-equivalent to $14 billion. Of that amount of damage, only $2 billion is insured.

A big portion of the damage would be agricultural lands, primarily sugar and rice plantations whose entire crops were flattened by the 315 kph wind.

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