Pala-isip

"Nothing is fast enough in a situation like this. The situation is under control." -- DILG Secretary Mar Roxas to CNN Andrew Stevens on Super Typhoon Yolanda's Preparedness & Organized Relief Operations Video from: CNN Philippine secretary: We need medicine Philippine Interior Secretary Mar Roxas tells CNN that what is needed most in Haiyan's wake are medicine and supplies. Philippine official: Nothing fast enough Andrew Stevens speaks with Philippines Interior Minister Mar Roxas about what is being done to get aid to his people.

Workers pumping water out of Lagusnilad after Typhoon Maring.

Typhoon Gener dumped a ton of rain in Manila Bay causing flooding in some parts of Metro Manila. Due to the amount of rain, Roxas Blvd was submerged as a result. Here are some photos from GMA News and ANC .

No classes in some parts of Manila on Monday, July 30, 2012 due to heavy rains. Here are the list from various sources. From DepEd's Twitter account . Here is PAGASA's flood monitor map. As usual, classes for college level students are not suspended, or at least not yet. I think they believe college students are waterproof.

The recent torrential rains in Manila had parents angry again at the slow response of school and local officials to declare whether there are classes or not. The schools finally declared that there will be no classes by noon... when the children are already in school! Every single year it's like this since what? The 1970s? I don't get it. Parents, please also think, if you think there's too much rain and it would put your child in danger of either being stranded or be like what happened with Ondoy, stay home. Missing one class is not going to affect your child. Of course, because of that, these memes came out. Here's the message from the Department of Education. Department of Education reiterates suspension of classes now lies with LGUs (Local Government Units) especially this rainy season. AUTOMATIC cancellation of classes during typhoons will still be based on the storm signal sent out by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Admi...

Video of flash flood survivors rescued by M/V YANG A, chartered by Holcim Cement. There are 8 of them (3 adults and 5 children including 2 year old daughter). This was 12 km away from the nearest land of Iligan. I can't believe how bad the flooding was that was caused by Typhoon Sendong. I almost cried watching this. I'm Glad these people survived.

Even before Ateneo de Manila University officially launched its own relief drive on Monday for the victims and survivors of Tropical Storm “Sendong,” one of its security guards had already come forward, carrying a small bag containing two tins of canned goods, instant noodles and some rice. “He said it was the (Christmas) gift he got from his office and that he was giving it to the relief drive,” said Harvey Keh, a program director at the Ateneo School of Government. Organizers didn’t have to wait long for warm bodies to man the processing area, Keh also noted. Two Ateneo scholars, who come from low-income families, immediately volunteered to help. “You can see that poverty is not something that paralyzes people. The response has been tremendous,” said Keh, also a convenor of Kaya Natin!, an advocacy group for good governance which partnered with Ateneo for the relief drive. Keh’s observations seem to validate a 2006 study which showed that Filipinos, Christmastime or not, are ...

This is how bad it was the flooding caused by Typhoon Sendong. A flash flood that badly hit Negros Oriental. Scenes at Colon Extension, Dumaguete City, around 9:30 am. Currently, ALL OPEN MCDONALD’S OUTLETS are accepting relief goods such as clothes, shoes, blankets, medicines, imperishable foods (water, canned goods, instant noodles, etc.) Please organize your donations into sealed and labeled boxes for efficient distribution.

Video of the tragic effects of Typhoon Sendong at Iligan. Not suitable for young audiences. McDonald’s stores in Metro Manila are accepting relief goods and donations to help Typhoon Sendong victims partnered with ABS CBN's Sagip Kapamilya. Local disaster officials and soldiers placed the number of dead to 927, with 4000 displaced. The death count makes Sendong the deadliest typhoon to hit the country in three years; and has surpassed that of Ondoy and Pepeng. Currently, ALL OPEN MCDONALD’S OUTLETS are accepting relief goods such as clothes, shoes, blankets, medicines, imperishable foods (water, canned goods, instant noodles, etc.) Please organize your donations into sealed and labeled boxes for efficient distribution.

Here are some videos of Typhoon Pedring. This was in Roxas Blvd. Mabini

Metro Manila was hit hard by another typhoon known as Typhoon Pedring. Due to the massive amount of rain, several dams had to be opened to release the potential overflows. As expected, the typhoon brought massive flooding similar to what happened to Typhoon Ondoy. Strong winds and rain also brought power outages. SM Mall of Asia was also reported to be waist deep in water at one point. Here are some photos I found online. Roxas Blvd Makati City Bulacan Pedro Gil SM Mall of Asia US Embassy Photos credits to their respective owners.

From the Philstar. MANILA, Philippines - A powerful typhoon that could intensify into the highest hurricane category is barreling toward the Philippines, international storm trackers reported yesterday. Typhoon “Megi,” which will be called “Juan” when it enters the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), is expected to make landfall in Northern Luzon in two to four days. Megi was last spotted 1,200 kilometers east of Southern Tagalog, heading toward the Philippines at 20 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph and gustiness reaching up to 150 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said. The US Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center on its website said Megi is forecast to reach Northern Luzon within four days. Let's hope this doesn't turn into another Ondoy.

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer . ====================== MANILA, Philippines—Presiding over his first disaster management briefing, President Benigno Aquino III Wednesday took to task the weather bureau for its failure to notify the public that Typhoon “Basyang” (international codename: Conson) would directly hit Metro Manila. Officials from various agencies reported to Mr. Aquino the extent of the typhoon’s damage and the steps taken to normalize the situation at the emergency meeting of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Camp Aguinaldo. After listening to an update by weather bureau chief Prisco Nilo, Mr. Aquino wondered aloud why the bureau failed to update its bulletin on the typhoon’s track. The President said that contrary to the last bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Tuesday that Basyang would make land fall in Aurora, it struck the metropolis, toppling power lines and trees. Significant ...

I just love the Internet, don't you? The power of instant communication has led to immediate action and fact checking my individuals instead of waiting for the news organization to report on it. Take the issue of Ella's blog titled Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo ? (A special report from a volunteer). Then the Dr. Esperanza Cabral of the DSWD immediately issued a statement . Then some volunteers went to DSWD to check on the matter and volunteer and wasn't let in by the guard even though the DSWD said there was a lack of volunteers and were told that repacking operations can last up to 11pm. None of that is happening. I'm not saying they're stealing the goods, but the lack of coordination and expediency of the relief operation is pretty disturbing to the donors. Here is Manuel L. Quezon III's blog about the whole incident. Here is the Bayanihan Online's timeline of events . Again, the issue is not whether the goods are being stolen or r...

With regards to the blog post of Ella that I reposted . Here is a statement from Dr. Esperaza Cabral of the DSWD. I may be cynical about the Philippine government, but I believe in fair and balanced news. I just hope that what Dr. Esperanza Cabral said is true. ===================== Statement of Dr. Esperanza Cabral on the issue of relief goods in the DSWD Warehouse October 23, 2009 The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) manages the National Relief Operations Center (NROC) which is the facility for processing and storage of relief goods that are purchased by the Department or donated to us by generous individuals both here and abroad. The relief goods are released to our Regional Offices or directly to evacuation centers or to the local government units as they are needed and requested by these entities. They are delivered in trucks, many of which were lent to us by private companies or by military vehicles. Some of the goods are shipped by air from nearby Vil...

This is unconfirmed, but this is from Blog Ni Ella at http://www.ellaganda.com/ . Which is now down. I am reposting this from Jenniepperson.com who was able to copy Ella's blog before it went down. Again, this is unconfirmed. I am reposting in the hopes someone in the know can clarify the situation. ================ Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo? (A special report from a volunteer) Oct 21st, 2009 by ella Dear friends, I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos. Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mg...

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer . As of Friday evening, the third storm to threaten the country in three weeks was spotted 1,000 km east of Virac and moving west northwest at a fairly fast clip of 35 kph in the general direction of northern and Central Luzon, weather experts said. “We will not feel the effects yet. We will have good weather until Sunday,” Pagasa weather forecaster Robert Sawi said. Pagasa Deputy Administrator Nathaniel Cruz tried to ease fears among people living in low-lying areas that they would again be swamped by floods, saying Pagasa would recommend a slow release of water from dams in Luzon. “Hinay-hinay lang ang release (The release of water will be done gradually). It will not be significant enough to cause any flooding,” he told the Inquirer. Local officials have said the release of huge amounts of water from several dams worsened the floods in many areas in northern Luzon in the wake of Tropical Storms “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) and “Pepeng”...

Slideshow to explain Typhoon Ondoy that flooded Metro Manila on Sept 26, 2009.

I found a couple more photos of the flood of Metro Manila caused by Typhoon Ondoy on Sept 26, 2009. University of Santo Tomas, Espana Ave., Pasong Tamo, Makati The Fort, Bonifacio Blobal Katipunan Ave., QC (Ateneo) C-5 Road Araneta Ave., QC EDSA While I wasn't surprised about UST, it's always flooded there. I was surprised that even The Fort got flooded. Shows you how bad the situation is in Metro Manila that there wasn't even a way for the water to flow out.

You know, these politicians are so dense. If you're going to help, just help. You don't need to let everyone know who it's from. Why do they have to campaign to the Typhoon Ondoy victims? How can we even be sure it's his own money that's being used and not government money? Tsk tsk tsk...