The real fabric of a leader is said to be found in the moments of massive crisis. Peru’s president, Alan Garcia, has apparently shined in a moment of great difficulty — or at least that’s how some in the Latin American media are presenting it — with a hands-on approach to the recent devastating earthquake his country suffered.

García traveled quickly to Pisco after the earthquake on August 15th, and remained in the streets until after midnight, assigning tasks to the ministers of his government, supervising the distribution of water and food, and coordinating refuge for thousands of victims.

He met with foreign rescue teams and thanked them for their help. He urged survivors to be patient and reassured them: “No one is going to die of thirst and no one is going to die of hunger.” He witnessed the birth of a baby in a tent hospital and proclaimed: “This is a message of hope in the middle of death and pain.”

And the Peruvian people have taken notice. According to Venezuelan daily El Universal, Garcia’s approval rating had fallen from 63% to 35% in this first year of his presidency. But that was before the tragedy; since the earthquake Garcia is enjoying a 76% approval rating, attributed to how he handled the event.

Meanwhile, the BBC reports that protesters in Pisco were “berating” the president because they had not received aid.

One can’t help but be reminded of the then unpopular Rudy Giuliani who walked through the ruins of the Trade Center towers with a hard hat and a surgical mask, and gave press conferences of hope to carry on to the people of New York. So I wonder if Garcia’s legacy will go the way of Rudy‘s who is now being taken down by the very people he claimed to work arm in arm with in the days following 9/11.

Via / El Universal

Images via BBC News/AFP