Today on Rappler.
- Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) leaves a trail of destruction, with survivors growing desperate for help.
- President Aquino declares a state of national calamity.
- 14 senators want their pork barrel deleted from the budget – four others want the funds realigned.
Story 1: YOLANDA SURVIVORS DESPERATE FOR AID
Days before Typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines, experts warn it was a category 5 storm – and is the most powerful to hit land ever recorded.
Local officials braced for the storm, evacuating about 800,000 people. President Aquino addressed the nation the night before it hit.
But despite the preparations, it left behind apocalyptic scenes.
When the monster winds left and the water receded, it became clear what the world’s strongest storm left behind.
Typhoon Yolanda — international name Haiyan — was 3 and a half times more powerful than Katrina and cut through the Central Philippines on Friday, November 8.
For nearly 24 hours, no news came from the Visayas.
The typhoon plunged entire provinces into darkness and cut communication lines, making it difficult to confirm how many died and how many are fighting to survive.
On Saturday, the situation from the ground started filtering in.
Photos and video clips paint a picture of massive devastation.
Homes along the typhoon’s path are reduced to rubble.
Overturned cars and parts of buildings litter the streets, next to bodies, some covered with blankets.
In Eastern Samar, the towns of Giporlos and Guiuan are in ruins.
With an estimated 95 percent of the towns damaged, there are no clear estimates of casualties or survivors.
MARK BIONG, MAYOR OF GIPORLOS, EASTERN SAMAR: I could definitely say 95-98% ng mga household, destroyed literally destroyed and everything for our LGU to operate is destroyed.
DAVID SANTOS, REPORTER – SOLAR NEWS: Lahat ng daanan, nakakaharang na ‘yung mga puno, mga poste ng kuryente, walang nag-clearing, except for some towns. But Guiuan itself, total chaos. Walang sense of authority, walang gobyerno, sabi ng mga local officials dun sila rin biktima so di na rin nila matulungan mga ibang tao. Ang daming sugatan, patay, ang daming mga structure na gumuho, may mga lugar na hindi pa na-veverify na may patay rin. (All the roads are blocked by fallen trees and electric posts. There was no clearing operation except for some towns. But Guiuan itself, total chaos. There’s no sense of authority, no governments. Local officials say they are also victims so they can’t help other people. Many died and left wounded. Several structures collapsed. Some places have yet to be verified, there’s also some who died there.)
In the province of Leyte alone, provincial officials say they fear up to 10,000 people are killed.
Many drowned from the massive storm surges that flooded the city.
With no food and little water, survivors are pushed to their limits.
On the streets, it’s every man for himself.
Dazed survivors dig under the debris, hunting for food among the bodies of the dead.
This once-serene coastal city descends into anarchy.
Mobs break into shops and homes, looting and fighting for supplies.
Government officials look just as dazed and confused as the residents.
They don’t know where – or how – to begin.
With some communication lines restored, survivors ask aid workers to pass on their messages: Tell our relatives we are alive. Tell the government we need help.
Days after the disaster, aid is trickling in slowly.
It’s not enough for people in need of food, water, and medicine.
There’s not enough medicine to treat the wounded.
One nurse says the pharmacy was either swept away by storm surges or ransacked by looters in the city.
In Ormoc, the main highway leading to the city is still not passable.
Relief goods can only be brought by helicopter or boat.
Residents say the damage is worse than the 1991 flashflood in the city that killed at least 8,000.
Some communication lines are restored but remain unreliable.
In the province of Samar, a local official says 300 people are confirmed dead in the small town of Basey.
At least 2,000 others are missing there and in other Samar towns.
Survivors hand out letters to passers-by and reporters, asking them to tell their families they are alive.
Worried Filipinos also turn to social media to get news about their relatives’ fate.
On Saturday, the social welfare department offered free satellite Internet service in Tacloban..
Free calling stations in some areas are open for public use.
Telecommunication companies Globe and Smart say they need two to three days before they could reconnect the heavily devastated areas in Visayas.
On Monday, the airports in Roxas, Caticlan, Legazpi, Iloilo, Romblon, Surigao, Kalibo, Masbate, Dumaguete and Busuanga resume operations.
But the airport in Tacloban is only partially opened because of the severe damage.
Story 2: LOCAL AND INT’L COMMUNITIES COME TO AID FOR #RELIEFPH
Dealing with the aftermath is turning out to be nearly as tough as dealing with the typhoon itself.
Survivors are desperate for aid as authorities struggle to cope in the aftermath of the disaster.
The government says it will tap savings and the President’s Social Fund for the relief and rehabilitation efforts in provinces battered by the typhoon.
The social welfare department says more than 2.1 million families or more than 9 million people are affected.
The department extends P10.6 million worth of relief assistance to the affected regions.
More than 96,000 families are also forced to leave their homes.
With news of the widespread devastation, international communities pledge to help look for survivors and provide relief goods.
The US military sends troops for rescue and relief efforts.
This is on top of the initial $100,000 fund provided by the US Embassy in Manila.
United Nations leader Ban Ki-moon also says humanitarian agencies would “respond rapidly to help people in need” while the European Commission says it would give three million euros or $4 million for relief efforts.
British Prime Minister David Cameron extends a message of support, and offers an emergency package worth six million pounds or $9.6 million.
People in the typhoon-ravaged areas need items like rice, mineral water, canned goods, noodles, and biscuits.
They also need clothes, blankets, toiletries, and medicines.
Rappler is compiling a list of relief efforts for the typhoon victims.
Take a look at Rappler’s list for more details on how to donate cash and other supplies.
Story 3: AQUINO DECLARES STATE OF NATIONAL CALAMITY
Four days since the supertyphoon hit, President Benigno Aquino declares a state of national calamity.
In a nationwide address Monday, Aquino also appeals to survivors in the hardest-hit areas to cooperate with rescue workers.
BENIGNO AQUINO III, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT: Ang panawagan ko lang po pagiging kalmado, pagdarasal, pakikisama, at pakikipagtulungan. Siya ang magpapabangon sa atin mula sa sakunang ito.
In his speech, Aquino also says the government approved P1.1 billion for the quick response funds of the social welfare department and the public works department.
The declaration of a state of calamity allows the government to control the prices of basic goods and commodities for affected areas.
The government can also access funds for rescue, recovery, relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Story 4: DISASTER EXPERTS WARN ON AVOIDING 2004 MISTAKES IN PH
With relief efforts under way, disaster experts warn Philippine authorities: don’t repeat the same mistakes after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
The tsunami left some 275,000 people dead and wreaked havoc across Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The humanitarian response to the tsunami sparked debate about the size, form and deployment of assistance.
Some observers complained about rivalries between agencies, delivery of inappropriate aid and difficulty in managing donated money.
Paul Arbon of South Australia’s Torrens Resilience Institute says more thought must be put into the relief effort.
He adds, “The well-meaning efforts of communities around the world result in an unmanageable influx of [goods]…that disables more targeted disaster relief.”
Story 5: SENATE EYES P10B REHAB FUND FOR YOLANDA VICTIMS
The Senate is studying the creation of a P10-billion special fund for the victims of the super typhoon and the earthquake in Visayas last month.
Sen Chiz Escudero says there will be safeguards to ensure the fund won’t be misused.
He is referring to the P900-million Malampaya fund intended for typhoon victims in 2009 that was allegedly plundered in a series of scams.
The planned safeguards include limitations on expenditures and realignment, reportorial requirements, and the participation of the Commission on Audit.
Senate President Franklin Drilon says he will ask Budget Secretary Butch Abad to submit a new budget proposal that will be turned into an amendment when the Senate tackles the budget.
Besides the special fund, Escudero says Congress will also augment the P7.5-billion calamity fund of the Office of the President in 2014.
Escudero says the Senate is studying a measure to ask financial institutions to declare a moratorium on payables of the victims in disaster-hit areas.
Story 6: MOST SENATORS WANT ‘PORK’ DELETED, FEW OPT FOR DISASTER AID
At least 14 senators want their pork barrel allocation deleted from the 2014 budget, while four others want the funds realigned for their advocacies and aid for typhoon victims.
Senators submit letters to Finance Committee Chair Chiz Escudero, stating their position on their Priority Development Assistance Fund allocation for 2014.
Of 24 senators, at least 14 want to delete the P200 million allocated to each of them.
Other senators ask for the realignment or reallocation of their PDAF.
In a caucus last month, senators agreed to take an individual stand on their PDAF allocation.
Escudero says that for those who do not submit letters, the position of the House of Representatives will be adopted.
The House wants to realign the PDAF to 4 government agencies.
The senators who opted to delete their PDAF say they are responding to public outrage over the pork barrel scam.
In the scam, lawmakers allegedly channeled their funds to fake non-governmental organizations in exchange for kickbacks.
But some of those who favored realignment criticize the senators who opted for the total deletion of the PDAF.
Sen Sonny Trillanes says, “There’s nothing noble about deleting [the PDAF] from the budget. It just shows that they are more concerned about trying to please the media.”
Story 7: TROPICAL DEPRESSION ZORAIDA NEAR EAST MINDANAO
Just days after Typhoon Yolanda left a trail of destruction across Visayas, another weather disturbance enters the Philippine area of responsibility.
State weather bureau Pagasa says tropical depression Zoraida is located 634 km southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.
It’s forecast to move west northwest, closer to the eastern seaboard of Mindanao.
Storm signal number one is up over Dinagat, Siargao Island, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Siquijor, Southern Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Southern part of Antique, Iloilo, and Guimaras.
Story 8: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 6, Despite an intense 3-day diplomatic effort in Geneva, Iran and world powers fail to clinch a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Hopes for an agreement increased after world diplomats rushed to join the talks.
But France raised concerns the proposal did not go far enough to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Negotiations will resume on November 20.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says he’s not discouraged despite the failure of the talks.
At number 7, Twitter’s high-flying Wall Street debut drew attention to the growing power of social media.
But it also raises fears about a potential bubble in the sector.
Twitter shares surge some 73% on Thursday from the $26 opening price to close at $44.90.
The opening day gains are reminiscent of the dot-com boom and bust of the late 1990s.
Even some admirers of the popular microblogging site say outsized gains were unsustainable and investors should bail out.
And at number 8, The lucrative Asian black market for rhino horn and ivory drives a boom in poaching across Africa.
On November 9, at least 3 Chinese nationals are charged in Tanzania for possessing 706 tusks from poached elephants worth an estimated $3.1 million.
Police and wildlife officers crack down on suspected poachers after a surge of killings of elephant and rhino in the east African nation.
Dot-com bubble illustration image via Shutterstock
Story 9: ARIDA FINISHES 3RD IN MISS UNIVERSE 2013
Miss Philippines Ariella Arida finishes 3rd runner-up in the 2013 Miss Universe beauty pageant early Sunday.
Arida continues the winning performance of the last 3 representatives to the pageant.
In 2012, Janine Tugonon was first runner-up.
Shamcey Supsup also landed 3rd runner-up in 2011, while Venus Raj finished 4th runner-up in 2010.
25-year-old Venezuelan television presenter Gabriela Isler takes home the Miss Universe crown in a glittering ceremony in Moscow.
Story 10: DONAIRE’S LEFT HOOK SAVES HIM FROM DEFEAT
Coming off a loss back in April against Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire makes a successful return to the ring, beating Vic Darchinyan via technical knockout in the 9th round.
Facing Donaire for the 2nd time, Darchinyan was on his way to avenging his loss from their first match, with 2 judges scoring 78-76 in favor of the Armenian boxer.
But Donaire finally finds a way to land his deadly left hook in the 9th round, knocking down Darchinyan.
Darchinyan gets up, but Donaire makes sure he gets the win, finishing off the fight with a barrage of power shots.
After the fight, Donaire says he wants a rematch against Rigondeaux.
– Rappler.com
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