Rappler Newscast | November 13, 2013

Story 1: AQUINO: DEATH TOLL AT 2,000-2,500
President Benigno Aquino downplays local officials’ casualty estimates of 10,000 people killed.
In an interview with CNN, Aquino says the actual death toll is lower: about 2,000 to 2,500 people killed.
Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Aquino says, “10,000 is too much…There’s emotional trauma involved with that particular estimate.”
Typhoon Yolanda, the strongest typhoon ever recorded to hit land, decimated large areas of the Visayas.
Its worst effects were seen in Eastern Visayas, where powerful winds and storm surges of up to 5 meters high leveled entire communities to the ground.
Aquino says the local officials who gave the 10,000 death toll figure –quote– “did not have basis.”
He adds, “They were too close to the center.”
The President also blames climate change for the disaster.
He says richer nations have a “moral responsibility” in the climate change debate.
On Monday, world nations began talks in Warsaw, Poland to pave the way for a 2015 deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Aquino says developed countries who are the biggest contributors to global warming should be more conscious of their decisions that impact the planet.
He adds, “There has to be a sense of moral responsibility that what they wreak is playing havoc on the lives of so many others incapable of defending themselves.”
Responding to questions on the government’s disaster response, Aquino says local governments were “simply overwhelmed” by the force of the typhoon.
Aquino adds the collapse of basic services led to the security vacuum that prompted desperate survivors to loot for food.
He says the national government is speeding up efforts to deliver aid to victims.
On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin says the government is now in full control of the security situation in Tacloban.
He also says the delivery of relief goods is –quote– “always been good.”

VOLTAIRE GAZMIN, DEFENSE SECRETARY: [Q: Delivery of relief goods, when will it get better?] What do you mean? It’s not getting worse, it has always been good. The delivery of food and relief came in D plus 1, remember the event took place Friday morning up to about one o’clock, the following day Saturday in the afternoon we had flight from the Philippine Air Force already bringing in relief goods…We have not gotten into all areas but the plan was for us, we agreed, Sec Mar and Sec Dinky Soliman agreed that we will cover everything, all the 40 municipalities of Leyte tomorrow and it started this afternoon with the arrival of nine more trucks from the Philippine army tomorrow morning, that will augment the existing transportation assets we have in Tacloban.

Story 2: SURVIVORS FLEE TACLOBAN NIGHTMARE
The United Nations says more than 11.3 million people are affected by the super typhoon, with 673,000 people homeless.
In the province of Leyte, the government still has no actual figures of the number of the dead, injured and missing.
In Tacloban City, the stench of death fills the air.
There is little food and water, and thousands of people fight for seats for flights out of the city.
On Tuesday, 8 people were crushed to death after a huge crowd rushed a government rice warehouse in Alangalang town, 17 kilometers from Tacloban.
Residents ask the Department of Health or DOH to collect the dead, they say,  to prevent the spread of disease.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona admits authorities are struggling to deal with the sheer numbers of the bodies that need to be collected.
Speaking to radio station DZMM, he says health workers –quote– “delayed” the retrieval of bodies because they ran out of body bags.
He adds, “We hope to speed it up when we get more body bags.”
In an interview posted on the website of international group Doctors Without Borders, Philippine emergency coordinator Dr Natashya Reyes describes the medical situation in the city: Injuries are relatively minor – cuts, broken bones, head wounds – but after strong winds destroyed most houses and buildings in the city, significant injuries are expected.
Injured people converged at the airport, where the military provides medical care.
Medical facilities are destroyed or damaged – much of the regional hospital’s equipment were washed away.
Many among the health staff are also missing.
Health Undersecretary Ted Herbosa says Eastern Visayas Medical Center is the only functioning hospital in the city.
It is running out of supplies while the hospital staff are near exhaustion.
Reyes warns one of the major hazards is tetanus infection.
He also says “mental health needs are going to be huge” with reports of people –quote– “walking around aimlessly, completely desperate.”
Herbosa tells Rappler the DOH is sending anti-tetanus vials in small amounts to be administered immediately.
The department also asks the National Center for Mental Health and the Philippine Psychiatric Association to provide psychosocial services for survivors.
In a statement, Ona says several cargoes of medicines, supplies, and equipment have already reached Tacloban via Cebu and Catbalogan, Samar.

Story 3: YOLANDA – THIS BOXER’S FINAL NEMESIS
As the death toll from super typhoon Yolanda rises, more stories emerge from isolated areas.
Paterno Esmaquel reports.

In Hernani, Eastern Samar, 67-year-old Antonio Baful wrestled with super typhoon Yolanda.
This boxer died fighting, but not in the ring.
His final enemy: the strongest typhoon in history.
His wife, Macrina, says he died helping people flee Yolanda’s fury.
MACRINA BAFUL, HERNANI RESIDENT: A boulder crushed him. There was a boulder, then strong winds, then waters that came rushing in. He fell. He lost consciousness because his head was hit.
Macrina pays tribute to the fallen fighter.
Antonio is among thousands killed by super typhoon.
NDRRMC says 2,275 people died, but estimates are much higher.

PATERNO ESMAQUEL, REPORTING: Residents say over a century ago, waves triggered by a typhoon destroyed this church in Hernani, Eastern Samar. Now this has become a mass grave for victims of super typhoon Yolanda.

In this mass grave, Gregorio Collarga buries his cousin, Silvano, and Silvano’s two grandchildren.
The three died at the height of Yolanda early Friday.
He says his cousin Dominador is missing, but accepts he is probably dead.
He says their family in Manila knew nothing as of Saturday.

GREGORIO COLLARGA, HERNANI RESIDENT: Hindi pa alam ng mga kapatid no’n, mga kamag anak don, at saka magulang ng mga bata, hindi pa alam sa Maynila ‘yon, na ganito ang nangyari. Walang komunikasyon… Kung pupuwede lang, ipakalat ninyo sa Internet. (His siblings and other relatives, as well as the children’s parents, don’t know in Manila that this happened. We don’t have communication… If it’s possible, I hope you can spread the news on the Internet.)

On Sunday, Borongan resident Norma Abucay rushes to Hernani after hearing about the tragedy.
She wanted to check on her parents.

NORMA ABUCAY, BORONGAN RESIDENT: Paghinto namin doon sa bahay ng mga magulang ko, wala na ‘yung bahay. Ang ginawa ko, umiyak na lang ako. Sabi ko, nandoon na ‘yung mga magulang ko siguro, nagkandamatay na yan. Wala na akong magagawa. Trahedya yan. (When we stopped by my parents’ house, the house was gone. I just cried. I said, my parents probably died there. I can’t do anything anymore. That’s tragedy.)

Her mother is found dead while her father is missing.
Super typhoon Yolanda buries real faces, real stories, real dreams.
After taking care of their dead, they now face the struggle of living.
Paterno Esmaquel, Rappler, Eastern Samar.

Story 4: EASTERN SAMAR ACCESSIBLE BY BUS
The super typhoon shut down the airport in Tacloban City, paralyzing the quickest way for aid workers to reach the hard-hit province of Eastern Samar.
But the province is still accessible by land and sea.
Buses travel to and from Borongan, Eastern Samar for those who want to visit or leave areas hit by the typhoon.
These buses cross the sea from the Visayas to Luzon through the Matnog port in Sorsogon.
The trip takes more than 24 hours.
But oil shortage, bad roads, and the lack of cellphone signals prevent relief workers from reaching survivors.
Five days after the typhoon hit, details remain sketchy.
Provincial data as of Monday show at least 160 people died in Eastern Samar. The province says 44 remain missing while 2,476 are injured.

Story 5: #RELIEFPH: VICTIMS OF TYPHOON YOLANDA NEED YOUR HELP
Survivors of the typhoon need more food and supplies like rice, mineral water, canned goods, noodles, and biscuits.
They also need clothes, blankets, toiletries, and medicines.
Rappler is compiling and updating a list of relief efforts for the typhoon victims.
Take a look at Rappler’s list to see how you can help. Every little action counts.
If your community is organizing a relief drive, let us know by emailing move.ph@rappler.com.
Overseas, Filipino communities across the globe are also organizing fundraisers and other relief initiatives to help survivors.
Relief efforts are ongoing in places like the US, the UK, Spain, and Australia.

Story 6: MALACAÑANG VOWS TRANSPARENCY IN ACCOUNTING OF FOREIGN AID
As foreign aid pours into the country in bulk, the national government promises to account for all the donations.
Malacanang says it will monitor where the funds will go and ensure they will be used properly.
This comes after concerns aid and other supplies might not reach their intended recipients.
As of Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs or DFA reports 36 foreign governments and agencies informed them of their donations.
DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez says the total cash donations reached P3.8 billion or $89 million.
The DFA says most of the international aid will not pass through Philippine government agencies.
In a press briefing, Hernandez says most international donors “are coursing the money through their aid agencies, or through NGOs, charitable institutions, and foundations of their choice.”
Some donors distribute relief goods directly to the affected communities while others turn over donations to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the social welfare department.
Hernandez also explains why it takes time for monetary donations to be released.
He says international aid is — quote —  “subject to the rules and processes of the donating government agency.”

Story 7: UN OCHA: SOME INTERNATIONAL AID AGENCIES CAPACITY ‘OVERSTRETCHED’
International aid agencies are overstretched in responding to three crises in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda victims continue to wait for help.
In a situation report released Monday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the capacity and resources of some agencies are “overstretched” because they are responding to two other humanitarian crises: the Central Visayas earthquake last month and the Zamboanga City siege in September.
On Tuesday, the UN says $301 million is needed to help at least 9.8 million people who need help.
Since Sunday, UN partner agencies have been distributing relief assistance to areas hit by the typhoon.
Around 13.5 metric tons of high-energy biscuits have been brought to Tacloban to help address the food shortage.
With water supplies in many areas destroyed or contaminated, water system units are deployed to the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc.
Sanitation and hygiene resources are also prepared for several affected regions.

Story 8: YOLANDA LOSSES MAY REACH $15B – REPORT
Bloomberg says losses from Typhoon Yolanda could reach as much as $15 billion or around P650 billion, making it one of the most expensive disasters in Philippine history.
Citing an analyst, Bloomberg says the amount is about 5% of the Philippines’ gross domestic output.
In an Inquirer report, economist and Albay Gov Joey Salceda also says the damage from the typhoon is a “major punch” to the 4th quarter GDP.
Salceda adds the reconstruction costs from Typhoon Yolanda “overlaps” with the reconstruction demand from Typhoon Pablo, the Zamboanga siege, and Bohol earthquake earlier this year.
Officials earlier said the super typhoon wiped out entire towns in some of provinces, making it difficult for government to survey the extent of damage.
The Philippine economy, one of the fastest-growing in the region, grew 7.6% in the first half of the year.
Before Yolanda struck, officials were confident economic growth could surpass the government’s full-year target of 6% to 7%.

Story 9: THE wRap: YOUR WORLD IN ONE READ
At number 5, The US military will deploy amphibious ships to the Philippines to help victims of the super typhoon.
This will ferry hundreds of US Marines to the storm-ravaged provinces along with vehicles able to operate in flooded, debris strewn areas.
The USS Germantown and USS Ashland, amphibious warfare vessels designed to transport and launch landing craft and vehicles will depart for the Philippines from the southern Japanese port of Sasebo.

And at number 9, Iran blames friction among Western powers for the failure of the Geneva talks that came close to a landmark deal on Iran’s nuclear program.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismisses claims by US Secretary of State John Kerry that Iran balked at the deal in last week’s talks.
Zarif blames French objections to the draft thrashed out by Tehran and Washington.