People Are Not Getting Relief Goods

Heard through the grapevine.

==========
Those who have also been severely affected - the "working" (employed), as far as I heard are not getting didly squat from their barangays! Most of the relief goods are being distributed to squatters area who would be needing relief goods - with or without Ondoy.

Of course mas lalo ngayon - it seems daw na doon lang nakafocus ngayon - IN OTHER WORDS, KUNG HINDI KA CONSIDERED SQUATER KAHIT WALA KANG MAKAIN WALA KANG MAKUKUHA!
==========

Hay...politics. Election season na talaga.

Bagyong Pepeng

Bagyong Pepeng is reported to hit Metro Manila this weekend. Please make necessary preparations.

Here are some survival guides

1. Prepare first aid kit
2. Store some bottled water
3. Prepare some canned goods or dry food
4. Put some clean clothes in a resealable bag like underwear, shirt and pants
5. Teach everyone in the household what to do in case of an emergency like where to meet and who to look out for (buddy system).
6. Prepare an emergency bag/kit
   

Things to put in an emergency kit

• Flashlight
• Batteries
• Portable radio
• Matches
• Candles (small)
• Water canister
• Spare cellphone (battery fully charged)
• Small towel
• T-shirt
• Small mirror
  
• Whistle

Be safe!

Donations From Abroad Deposited Into Special Account Controlled By Arroyo?

Just reposting this. I have no sources to confirm this but I hope it's not true.

=============
Repost, from a confirmed and reliable source: donations from abroad coursed through embaassies were directed by (p)gma to be deposited into a "special" account opened for Ondoy victims. Said account is under the control of Luli Arroyo.
=============

If this is true, may God have mercy on their souls. No, wait scratch that. If that is true, people like these deserves to be in hell.

The foreign donations coming to the Philippines is huge. We are talking millions of dollars here.

Here are some details http://balita.ph/2009/09/29/foreign-donations-pour-in-for-ondoy-victims/.

So a reminder just to be safe. Don't send your donations through the embassies. Direct them straight to the charities instead.

Check my previous post for details of various charities.

New Typhoon Alert

PAGASA (11:30am): Typhoon Pepeng now a significant typhoon, slowly becoming a Super typhoon with wind speeds up to 175 kph with gustiness of about 210kph. Entering Northern Luzon by Sat morning. But expect heavy rainfall by tomorrow.

Given the current status of some cities, only 1/4 of the Ondoy rain is needed to raise flood waters to dangerous levels.

Prepare for flood just in case.

Please repost.

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/guam/guamloops/guamvs.html

High Resolution Photos of the Flood In Metro Manila

Here are some high resolution photos taken of the massive flooding in Metro Manila caused by Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana). Includes photos of floods in Vietnam.

See all 36 photos at Boston.com

New Storm - Pepeng (Parma)

There is a new storm that is expected to enter the Philippines. Called Pepeng (international name Parma).

PAGASA says it is monitoring the storm and it could still change direction. But just a warning for people to be prepared.

Richard Gutierrez Heroism on Typhoon Ondoy

I saw this on Youtube about Richard Gutierrez saving Cristine Reyes who was on the roof of her house due to the flood caused by Typhoon Ondoy the hit Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009.

Here's the photo of Cristine Reyes.

I'm not sure how much of a hero he is, but from what I gather, he was using a borrowed speedboat to save Cristine and her family and left the other victims. So he was basically a hero...only to Cristine Reyes.

Also going around is that he's the only one doing an interview of his heroism while no other artist who helped save people did. Artists like Jericho Rosales and Gerald Anderson has no interview of their heroism and in fact were avoiding any interviews about it.

Then again, if you're an artist, any publicity is good publicity.

Some Reactions to Mikey Arroyo's Response to Have Facebook Regulated

After Mikey Arroyo responded to the media to have Facebook and the Internet regulated and was posted in several blogs. Several readers had very harsh comment about it.

The problem with Mikey is that he can't keep his mouth shut. We have a saying in Filipino. "Ang pikon talo".

Here are some that I saw.

==========

Depressing
September 30, 2009 at 11:11 am
“My picture posted at Facebook with a caption saying I was busy shopping for wine at the height of Typhoon Ondoy is another malicious attack at my personality. It is so depressing,” he said.
Mikey Arroyo you sanctimonious twat–you know what’s depressing? What’s depressing is that you have a million-dollar house in California that was funded by obviously stolen taxpayer funds.
What’s depressing is that I fork over 30 pesos out of every 100 pesos I make TO YOU and all your friends in Congress like you who use my hard-earned money to buy houses and get range rovers with police escorts and sirens who push me off EDSA in traffic.

What’s depressing is that because of YOU, I probably won’t stay in this country where I was born for very much longer. I will not raise children in this godforsaken place where people like YOU take advantage of the corruption endemic in the system to steal and abuse hardworking, taxpaying, law-abiding private citizens who simply want a quiet life.

If there is a hell, I hope you, and your corrupt fat piggy lying thieving shameless police-escorted friends burn in it.
That is all.


LC
September 30, 2009 at 11:21 am
You know what? Even if the guy in the picture is not him, it doesn’t matter. Mikey you pig: you and your piggy family have stolen EVERYTHING from the Filipino people. Yes, environmental abuse is one of the causes of the Ondoy disaster, but your utter and shameless corruption has robbed everyone of a chance at survival. Funds did not go where they were supposed to.
Burn in hell, Arroyos, burn in hell.

Oh. And Gibo Teodoro is a douche. With a face and demeanor like that, how are we supposed to believe he CARES???


KR
September 30, 2009 at 11:33 am
Pikon si Cong. Mikey. Walang ganyanan ‘tol, baka umiyak siya at maglupasay. Lasing pa yata.
==========

Those are just three examples. Read more comments at http://www.spot.ph

A Worth Of Sacrifice

Signs - Love Without Talking

One of the 2009 Cannes Lions winners.

A simple short film about communication.
Created by Publicis Mojo and @RadicalMedia
Director: Patrick Hughes

Mikey Arroyo Wants Facebook and Blogging To Be Regulated

Mikey Arroyo reacted to a photo of him that circulated on the Internet showing at Rustan's at the height of Typhoon Ondoy. The photo describes him as being callous shopping for alcoholic drinks while his countrymen were suffering. He lashed out and said that Facebook and other mediums should be regulated and that it was impossible for him to be at Rustan's at Katipunan since it was impassable at the time.

Here is the photo.

I haven't seen a lot of photos of Mikey Arroyo and the picture is blurry. There was also no time stamp on the photo so I can't really say if this photo is real or not so you be the judge. You can't believe everything to see or read on the Internet.

Here's the article from the Daily Tribune.

==============

09/30/2009

Presidential son and Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo yesterday lashed out at bloggers of a popular Web site who posted his picture describing him as a callous public official busy shopping for alcoholic drinks even at the height of Typhoon "Ondoy’s" wrath last Saturday.

In a text message, the young Arroyo, though not denying it was him on the picture posted at Facebook, said it was rather impossible for him to stop by at Rustan’s Supermarket on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City last Saturday to pick up some wines as the bloggers suggest as the street was rendered impassable by the floods. "My picture posted at Facebook with a caption saying I was busy shopping for wine at the height of Typhoon Ondoy is another malicious attack at my personality. It is so depressing," Arroyo said. "How could that be possible that I was at Rustan’s on Katipunan Avenue at the height of Typhoon Ondoy when Katipunan Avenue was impassable at that time?"

The presidential son claimed at the height of the typhoon, he was at Malacañang Saturday with all members of his families helping mobilize rescue and relief operations for areas affected by the storm.

"On record, I was in Malacañang at that time with all my family trying to mobilize rescue and relief operations for people of Metro Manila and for my constituents in my district in Pampanga," Arroyo said.

"It’s so unfortunate that while we were so busy then trying to help ease the sufferings of our kababayan, some people had the guts and the temerity to peddle malicious innuendos at the expense of others," he added.

The Pampanag solon suggested instead of resorting to grandstanding gimmickry at his expense, the bloggers should also busy themselves helping their countrymen who are still reeling from the effects of the worst natural calamity the country had experienced in decades.

"Kahit ang anak ko namimigay ng relief goods. Sana sila din may nagawa para makatulong sa ating mga kababayan na naging biktima ng kalamidad. Diyos na ang bahala sa kanila," Arroyo said. "Basta ako, I still have so many things to do to help our poor countrymen who were severely affected by Typhoon Ondoy. This is not the time to deal with people who are peddling half-truths and half-lies para lang sumikat."

While acknowledging that blogging, the latest craze to hit the Internet, is an exercise of freedom of expression, Arroyo said he believes it should still be regulated as it has become more susceptible to abuses by unscrupulous people.

"Nonetheless, I hope that Facebook and other like mediums be regulated so they can never be subjected to abuse by some scrupulous people. Facebook is easily susceptible to abuses as people can easily hide their identities," he stressed. "Masahol pa sila sa kwentong barbero." Charlie V. Manalo

==============

These politicians always want these things to be regulated just like the right to reply law they proposed. If they had their way, censorship would be the norm. Martial law anyone?

He said said that "instead of resorting to grandstanding gimmickry at his expense, the bloggers should also busy themselves helping their countrymen who are still reeling from the effects of the worst natural calamity the country had experienced in decades."

Excuse me? Grandstanding? Without bloggers, nobody would have known what's been happening to Metro Manila and the flood victims. A lot of people lost their cellphone signal and resorted to the Internet to get word out. Without Facebook, nothing would have been mobilized as most people only really found out what happened through sites like these.

Facebook and bloggers were also the first to respond with calls for donations and relief. Wall post on Facebook was also very effective in finding which areas needs relief and finding people who can help trapped relatives.

Facebook and blog sites became a more effective way of being updated than news sites. Everyone was getting snippets of information and the exchange of information made it more relevant to readers than watching major news organizations. Instant information made it great for everyone to quickly react to the situation instead of waiting for news sites to post an update.

The slow government reaction did not help either since the government was hardly a source for any relevant information.

Mikey also said that, "Facebook is easily susceptible to abuses as people can easily hide their identities". I wonder why?

In any case, I'm not trying to rip apart Mikey here. Just ignorant answers from someone who obviously is not Internet savvy.

Like I said, you can't believe everything you see on the Internet. The photo may have been taken at another time. It just happened to be posted during Typhoon Ondoy. So you be the judge on whether you believe the photo or not.

An Inspiring Commercial

A deaf girl learns to play the violin.

While You Were Drowning

Repost from fullman.com.ph

While some were still drowning, while some families were still stuck on roofs, while those who were not badly hit were sacrificing their lives to save those who need rescuing and while others were volunteering their energy to provide relief to those who lost almost everything, some of our honorable congressmen and women were busy saving Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, protector of Big Boss Mike Arroyo.

Today, the impeachment complaint against the Ombudsman was dismissed by the House justice committee with a vote of ‘absolute majority’. It was a surreal hearing. After being delayed for several weeks because of lack of quorum, the House committee was suddenly able to force its members to attend the hearing, disaster and all.

SHAME!!!!!

No Classes Until Friday Oct 2

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Tuesday ordered the suspension of classes covering as many as four regions to pave the way for a massive, government-led cleanup of areas devastated by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana).

Reports of Profiteering and Looting

Summarized from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The lack of coordination and leadership by government has thrown the relief efforts to shambles.

===========
Until now, the government has not clarified whether it will dispense with the red tape that normally accompanies donations in kind: the last thing the country needs is a scandal associated with donated relief goods being impounded by the Bureau of Customs or taxed upon arrival.

The Department of Foreign Affairs also needs to facilitate documentation requirements as there are many Filipinos overseas who can help by means of collecting goods rather than giving cash. There have been too many reports of our embassies and consulates telling concerned individuals just to give cash because they don’t want to deal with relief goods. We believe our foreign posts are as concerned as ordinary citizens, but are hampered by lack of guidance from their bosses.

The Department of Trade and Industry has established a hotline (751-3330) to report profiteering. Government in emergencies such as this can and has imposed price controls on basic goods. The price of medicine, too, needs to be monitored, with Doxyxyxline, recommended for one-time prophylaxis for exposure to floodwater, going from P2 to as high as P60, according to some reports. The Department of Health has to step in. In any case, citizens reporting profiteering need to save receipts as evidence to help the authorities prosecute offenders.

Miriam Quiambao on Tuesday reported that officials in Marikina City weren’t distributing relief goods because they were waiting for media coverage to show the officials in action. There was even a report that the Department of Social Welfare and Development office in Pasig City was repacking already packed relief bags, reducing their contents. This is another kind of profiteering.
===========

What's wrong with these people!? It's more important for them to be shown providing relief than actually helping people?

Operation Sagip Kababayan Mula Sa Taiwan

Our fellow kababayans in Taiwan started a relief drive to help victims of Typhoon Ondoy that caused massive flooding in Metro Manila that killed 246 people and displaced over 1.9 million people.

If you are from Taiwan, here's how you can help.

Share Your Info

If you have any information you'd like to share like photos, donation location/drive/info or would like to report any anomalies happening (i.e. looting, campaigning by politicians by providing T-shirts with their names, etc.). Please leave a comment and I will post them on my blog.

For photos, please post them to flickr or any other photo sharing service and send me the link.

Ketsana Relief - Gawad Kalinga

Here is a link to Gawad Kalinga for their Ketsana Relief drive to help the casualties of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) that caused massive flooding in Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009.

Here is the link to Gawad Kalinga's Ketsana Relief website.

Ondoy Manila Map Update Form

Here is a link to a mapping service to help victims of Typhoon Ondoy that flooded Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009.

The link takes you to a Google Map service to report help or rescue needed, news updated, report missing persons and location services for donation stations.

Here is the link.

http://sites.google.com/site/ondoymanila/map-update-form

Hilarious Dance

Let's stop with the depressing news for a while. Like all Filipinos, we can smile even in the most dire of situations.

Here's something to make you smile.

Ondoy Tragedy : Help Donate

Any help to the victims of Typhoon Ondoy that caused massive flooding in Metro Manila will help a lot. Please share this video or send your donations to the following:

Click here for online donations to the Philippine National Red Cross

The following are donation information for the Philippine National Red Cross

Banking info was copied from their website. Click the following link for confirmation.

http://www.redcross.org.ph/Site/PNRC/wtd.aspx

Monetary Donations

1. CASH or CHECK
Please send cash or check donations to the PNRC National Headquarters in Manila. Checks should be made payable to The Philippine National Red Cross. We can also arrange for donation pick-up.

2. BANK DEPOSIT
Account Name: The Phil. Nat’l. Red Cross

PNRC PESO ACCOUNT

ALLIED BANK
Intramuros Branch
PESO ACCOUNT : 1941-01347-1
Type of Account : CURRENT
SWIFT CODE : ABC MPH MM


BANCO DE ORO
Port Area Branch
PESO ACCOUNT : 453-0018647
Type of Account : SAVINGS
SWIFT CODE : BNOR PH MM


BANK OF PHILIPPINE ISLAND
Port Area Branch
PESO ACCOUNT : 4991-0010-99
Type of Account : CURRENT
SWIFT CODE : BOPI PH MM


METRO BANK
Anda Circle Port Area Branch
PESO ACCOUNT : 151-3-04163122-8
Type of Account : SAVINGS
SWIFT CODE : MBTC PH MM


PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK
Sta. Cruz Branch
PESO ACCOUNT : 3623-3680-0011
Type of Account : SAVINGS
SWIFT CODE : PNB MPH MM


PNRC DOLLAR ACCOUNT


BANCO DE ORO
Port Area Branch
DOLLAR ACCOUNT : 453-0039482
Type of Account : SAVINGS
SWIFT CODE : BNOR PH MM


BANK OF PHILIPPINE ISLAND
United Nation Branch
DOLLAR ACCOUNT : 8114-0030-94
Type of Account : SAVINGS
SWIFT CODE : BOPI PH MM


METRO BANK
Anda Circle Port Area Branch
DOLLAR ACCOUNT : 151-2-151002182
Type of Account : SAVINGS
SWIFT CODE : MBTC PH MM


PHILIPPINE NATIONAL BANK
Sta. Cruz Branch
DOLLAR ACCOUNT : 375-283500026
Type of Account : SAVINGS
SWIFT CODE : PNB MPH MM


UNION BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES
Sta. Cruz Branch
DOLLAR ACCOUNT : 132-070001012
Type of Account : SAVINGS
SWIFT CODE : UBPH PH MM


PNRC OTHER ACCOUNT


METRO BANK
Binondo Branch
EURO ACCOUNT : 016-201650005-9
Type of Account : SAVINGS
SWIFT CODE : MBTC PH MM


METRO BANK
Anda Circle Port Area Branch
YEN ACCOUNT : 151-2-15130001-9
Type of Account : SAVINGS
SWIFT CODE : MBTC PH MM

For your donations to be properly acknowledged, please fax the bank transaction slip at nos. +63.2.527.0575 or +63.2.404.0979 with your name, address and contact number.



Credit Card

Please fax the following info to +632.404.09.79 and +632.527.0575:

Name of card member, billing address, contact nos. (phone & mobile), credit card no., expiration date, CCV2/ CVC2 (last three digits at the back of the credit card), billing address, amount to be donated.

Click here for ONLINE DONATION



In-Kind Donations

LOCAL
Please send in-kind local donations to The Philippine National Red Cross – National Headquarters in Manila. We could also arrange for donation pick-up.

INTERNATIONAL

1. Send a letter of intent to donate to the PNRC
2. A letter of acceptance from PNRC shall be sent back to the donor
3. Immediately after shipping the goods, please send the (a) original Deed of Donation, (b) copy of packing list and (c) original Airway Bill for air shipments or Bill of Lading for sea shipments to The Philippine National Red Cross–National Headquarters c/o Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila 2803, Philippines.


The PNRC does not accept rotten, damaged, expired or decayed goods. Though we appreciate your generosity, the PNRC also discourages donations of old clothes as we have more than enough to go around.



SMS and G-CASH (Globe)

SMS
text REDAMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart)

G-CASH
text DONATEAMOUNT4-digit M-PINREDCROSS to 2882


Most urgent needs

Food items: Rice, noodles, canned goods, sugar, iodized salt, cooking oil, monggo beans and portable water

Medicines: Paracetamol, antibiotics, analgesic, oral rehydration salts, multivitamins and medications to treat diarrheal diseases

Non-food items: Bath soaps, face towels, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, plastic mats, blankets, mosquito nets, jerry cans, water containers, water purification tablets, plastic sheetings, and Laundry soap

Rehabilitation Programs: Shelter materials for house repair



Call Hotline 143 or (+63-2) 527.0000

THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RED CROSS
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
Bonifacio Drive, Port Area,
Manila 2803, Philippines

News Updates

Here are some news updates related to Typhoon Ondoy.

• Smart co-founder killed from wall collapse
• Storm forces Arroyo to leave Malacanang
• Typhoon Ketsana kills 31 in Vietnam and displacing 170,000
• World pours aid to the Philippines
  

Interview With Typhoon Ondoy Survivor

Willie Revillame of Wowowee interviews Eric, the Marikina River survivor which overflowed making Marikina one of the worst hit cities during the flooding caused by Typhoon Ondoy that hit Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009.



Here are some info on how you can help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy that caused a massive flood in Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009.

Jacque Bermejo's Official Statement

This was circulating on the Facebook and a ton of people reacted.

Jacque Bermejo's insensitive post about the victims of Typhoon Ondoy obviously drew a lot of ire.

She posted an official statement in The Gossiper and apparently her account was hacked by someone who had something against her.

This e-mail was sent to The Gossiper by one of her sister's friend.

I can understand the anger of people especially those who've been affected directly by the flood. But let's give her the benefit of the doubt. Let's leave her alone and just get on with our lives. If she didn't do it, would you be able to live with yourself knowing you destroyed a person's reputation for something they didn't do?

If she did say that, so what? Some people are just idiots. Whatever you say, it won't help anyway.

News Summary On Typhoon Ondoy

Here is a summary of some news I gathered regarding Typhoon Ondoy that flooded Metro Manila for your information.

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

• Marikina needs P1B to rebuild
• Health officials warn of disease outbreaks
• 'Ondoy' a preview of more disasters to come -- Atienza
• 132,000 Meralco customers still without power
• PDI relief drive: We need food, water, clothes…

From The Philippine Star:

• Relief efforts overwhelmed
• STAR's 'Ondoy' fund drive on
• Tomorrow's (Sept 30) classes suspended
• PAGASA spots new disturbance
• DTI imposes price ceiling on basic goods
• Road tax eyed for 'Ondoy' fund
  

Stories of Bravery and Tragedy

Summarized from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

During the massive flooding caused by Typhoon Ondoy that wrecked havoc to Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009. We're heard stories of our fellowmen doing acts of heroism and bravery with little thoughts about their own safety.

Just like the story about a Judge Ralph Lee of Regional Trial Court Branch 83.

“I heard that so many families were already stranded on their rooftops because water from the Tullahan River was already overflowing,” Lee, 49, told the Inquirer.

Lee drove from his Fairview home for the stricken community 30 minutes away with his personal water craft, life vests and two rubber boats he used on weekend wakeboarding sorties and mobilized a rescue effort that saved 100 lives.

Because of Judge Lee's efforts, people were calling him "Superman".

There were other super heroes, like Muelmar Magallanes, a powerful swimmer who braved rampaging floods to save more than 30 people, but ended up sacrificing his life in a last trip to rescue a baby girl who was being swept away on a styrofoam box.

Family members and people whom Magallanes saved hailed on Monday the 18-year-old construction worker a hero, as his body lay in a coffin at a makeshift evacuation center near their destroyed riverside village in Quezon City.

For the 18 year old Magallanes and his family, once they realized the river 800 meters away has burst its banks, they decided to evacuate. First he tied ropes around his waist and attached it to his three other siblings. Once they were safe, he went back for his parents.

After making sure his family was safe, Magallanes who was a strong swimmer decided to go back and help his neighbors and eventually saved 30 people.

Tired and shivering, Magallanes was back on higher ground with his family when he heard Peñalosa, mother of a six month old baby screaming as she and her baby were being swept away on the styrofoam box they were using in an attempt to cross the swift currents.

He dived back in after the mother and daughter, who were already a few meters away and bobbing precariously among the debris floating on the brown water.

“I didn’t know that the current was so strong. In an instant, I was under water. We were going to die,” Peñalosa said, her eyes welling with tears and voice choking with emotion.

“Then this man came from nowhere and grabbed us. He took us to where the other neighbors were, and then he was gone,” Peñalosa said.

She and other witnesses said an exhausted Magallanes was simply washed away amid the torrent of water.

Neighbors found his body on Sunday, along with 28 others who perished in the flooding.

Standing next to his coffin, Magallanes’ parents paid tribute to their son.

“He always had a good heart,” said his father, Samuel.

His mother, Maria Luz, wept as she described her son as incredibly brave.

“He saved so many people, but ended up not being able to save himself.”

Our prayers to the Magallanes family.

Relief Info On Typhoon Ondoy

Please help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. Here are some info on how you can help.

Senators OK resolution for P1M each from PDAF

I couldn't believe this when I read it.

“Be it hereby resolved by the Philippine Senate, to enjoin all senators to allocate at least P1 million from their Priority Development Assistance Fund to aid victims of Ondoy,” according to Senate Resolution 1378 filed by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Monday.

P1 million!?! Multiplied by 24 senators that's only P24 million! Doesn't each senator get P200 million of PDAF each!?!

How generous of them...

More Anger On the Government's Slow Response To Flood Victims

Excerpts from an article on the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

============
“It’s plain incompetence of the leadership, and government was absent,” said Sen. Loren Legarda.

The National Disaster Coordinating Center (NDCC), she said, “clearly has no action plan.”

Legarda called for a review of NDCC activities.

“Can they say they don’t have money or power (to mitigate the) effects of disasters? Of course not,” the senator said, pointing out that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has an annual P2-billion “calamity fund.”

“What sticks out from the aftermath of Ondoy is that the Arroyo government is not prepared to handle such emergency situations. It is very clear that those who were stranded overwhelmingly outnumber available rubber boats and members of rescue teams,” said KMU chair Elmer Labog in a statement.

Labog said the television and radio ads by Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. on disaster preparedness proved a waste of taxpayers’ money.

“Clearly, the government is not putting where its mouth is. All those infomercials that supposedly project disaster preparedness, especially those by Mr. Teodoro, is only as good as on-camera scenes,” Labog said.

As the death toll from flash floods rose, analysts said the anger could damage the prospects of Secretary Teodoro, the administration’s candidate in the May presidential election.

“His 0.2 percent popularity could be zero by now,” political analyst and columnist Nelson Navarro said of Teodoro.

“There was a massive failure in government and the direction of management response,” said Mario Taguiwalo, president of the National Institute for Policy Studies think-tank.

“The root cause is you have a government whose predominant preoccupation is with graft and corruption—how to steal more money from the people,” Taguiwalo said.

“If your officials are not motivated to serve and just motivated to steal, then that’s the kind of response you get.”

Read the full article on the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Here's some more from Ramon Tulfo.

Flood Caught Government By Surprise

From an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

============
In her State of the Nation Address last July 27, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said: “As a country in the path of typhoons and the Pacific Rim of Fire, we must be prepared, as the latest technology permits, to anticipate natural calamities when that is possible; to extend immediate and effective relief when it is not.” She also asserted that the mapping of flood-and landslide-prone areas is “almost complete,” citing the improvement of “early warning, forecasting and monitoring systems” and the installation of flood-control infrastructure in areas of Luzon, including the Pasig and Marikina rivers.
============

So much for the preparation. If the money for the Le Cirque dinners and the ZTE-NBN deals were used to upgrade PAGASA's radars, upgrade the drainage system and buy disaster relief supplies. This calamity would never have happened.

They keep blaming that one month worth of rain fell in six hours. But in reality, it always rains in the Philippines and there's always flood even if only one day worth of rain fell. The problem has never been solved in the last 30 years, it's never gonna be solved in a hundred years unless government stops stealing money needed to upgrade infrastructure.

Dr. Prisco Nilo, head of PAGASA, says people should stop watching soap and start listening to news. As early as Thursday, he said, PAGASA was airing warnings of possible flooding and even raised storm signals the following day.

The problem is not the warning or watching soaps. The problem stems from the fact that PAGASA's forecast is always wrong.

Here was their forecast on Typhoon Ondoy.

===========
PAGASA chief weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz admitted that last Tuesday his agency was monitoring Ondoy as just a low-pressure area, while last Saturday’s Star quoted PAGASA Director Prisco Nilo as saying “the storm will not cross Metro Manila,” although the National Capital Region would experience “moderate to heavy rains” over the weekend. In this country where announcements of “low-pressure areas” come with boring regularity during the wet months, they are taken for granted. The “great flood” will change this attitude.
===========

"The storm will not cross Metro Manila:, "moderate to heavy rains". So you tell me, PAGASA itself said it will not cross Metro Manila. So what did people do? They went on their daily routines, not expecting to be caught in a massive flood or for some people, death.

Maybe PAGASA will be more accurate if somebody sues their ass off for gross negligence.

More Videos Of The Flood In Metro Manila : Katipunan

Here's another video of the flood caused by Typhoon Ondoy in Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009. This one is in Katipunan. Watch what happened to the car at 1:23.

Cebu Mobilizes To Help Metro Manila

Read this article on Yahoo! News Philippines about Cebu donating P10 million from their city's calamity fund to help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy that hit Metro Manila causing massive flooding.

The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, Samuel Chioson had circulated a memorandum requesting their members to give donations, cash or in-kind, to the victims of Ondoy.

Read the full details at Yahoo! News Philippines.

La Salle Greenhills Relief Operations

Here are photos of the relief operations at La Salle Greenhills to help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. Photos by Arianne Blanche Ramirez.

Slideshow Of The Flood Caused By Typhoon Ondoy : Quezon City

Found this slideshow showing how high the flood was in Sto. Domingo St., Quezon City caused by Typhoon Ondoy that flooded Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009.

Hagupit Ni Bagyong Ondoy

Report from ABS-CBN on Typhoon Ondoy.

Aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy : Marikina

Aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy that caused massive flooding in Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009. This is Marikina.

You Should Too

The Kutchers, Paris Hilton, Alyssa Milano. Concerned about the Philippines.

So mga Pinoy, tama na mga sumbatan at away...unite!

Tulong Tomasino

Donation drive for Ondoy victim by the UST Student Council.

Bayanihan

As with the previous post about Gerald Anderson and his brother helping their neighbors. Here is Jericho "Echo" Rosales on a surfboard helping out his neighbors during the flood in Metro Manila caused by Typhoon Ondoy.

Only In The Philippines

Relief Info On Typhoon Ondoy

Please help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. Here are some info on how you can help.

Help The Victims of Typhoon Ondoy

Here are some info on how you can help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy that caused a massive flood in Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009.

Aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy : Divisoria

Here are photos of the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy that caused massive flooding in Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009.

This is Divisoria at Sta. Elena going to Divisoria Mall.



And as usual, one of the main cause of the flood is garbage on the streets.

Photo credits Mattea Go.

Aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy : Quaipo Ilalim

Here are videos I found of the underpass of Quiapo or what most people call Quiapo ilalim. After the flood caused by Typhoon Ondoy in Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009. Quiapo ilalim turned into a virtual swimming pool.

Filipinos At Their Finest During Typhoon Ondoy

I saw this on Facebook and was touched by the bravery of some people during the massive flood caused by Typhoon Ondoy in Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009.

I'm reposting here for everyone to see.

Despite the neck high water which was at the time still rising, Gerald Anderson and his brother still managed to check on their neighbors. In times of crisis such as this our roles in society really doesn't matter as long as we try our best to help others. Teachers, bankers, drivers, CEO's, nurses, lawyers, actors, whatever. Kasi sa huli the only thing that matters is na PINOY tayong lahat.

Some More Photos Of the Aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy That Hit Metro Manila: Binondo

Here are some more photos of the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy the caused a major flood in Metro Manila.

Taken on Sept 27, 2009 at Ongpin.

Blackout at Ongpin (Chinatown).


Taken on Sept 28, 2009 in Binondo (Chinatown).

Alonzo corner Soler.Alonzo.
Soler
In front of Ling Nam restaurant at Alonzo.The thing with these photos is that those garbage was not caused by the flood that submerged Metro Manila during Typhoon Ondoy. These trash was largely the cause of the floods. Those garbage are always on the street waiting for garbage trucks to pick them up and they are always placed this way.

Those garbage clogs the sewers and leaves a stink all the time. And once people see these trash on the streets, more people throw trash on the streets.

Those garbage are thrown by the local businesses and residents. They include plastic bags, cartons, food stuff, etc. For over 20 years that I've seen Binondo (Chinatown), it's always been like this. Nobody has ever thought of bringing in large garbage bins for these. The plastic bags thrown with these trash are the main cause of clogged drains.

People never learn.