Category: Health Issues

DATA A DAY: Disaster Dos and Don’ts

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

THE TRAGEDIES brought about by the earthquake and the supertyphoon have shown us just how little we know about what is allowed and disallowed by law when it comes to disasters and crises.

Since the Philippines is such a disaster-prone country (and here we just talk about natural disasters), we already have a long list of prohibited acts during such emergencies – everything from dereliction of duty, to buying and selling relief goods, to diverting aid, to misrepresenting the source of the goods.

At the same time, we also have a long list of to-dos when a crisis erupts.

For today’s Data a Day:

Which of the following is prohibited during disaster and crisis situations under Republic Act No. 10121?

  1. Imposition of price ceilings on basic necessities and prime commodities by the President.
  2. Preventing the entry and distribution of relief goods in disaster-stricken areas.
  3. Government financing institutions granting no-interest loans to the affected victims.
  4. Reprogramming of funds for the repair and upgrading of public infrastructure and facilities.

For the answer to that question, and for a comprehensive list of dos and don’ts, just click this direct link, or visit the PCIJ’s MoneyPolitics Online website here.

 

 

Walk, run for Yolanda victims: Buhay at Bahay, Itindig Muli!

mcmangahas Leave a comment

yolanda_run1

YOLANDA RUN: Buhay at Bahay, Itindig Muli!

A partnership of government and non-government organizations, this fund-raising event is a first step to rolling out a project to help rebuild lives and reconstruct homes and communities in the provinces that Yolanda had devastated.

The three-kilometer run/walk for a cause around the Quezon Memorial Circle will be held on Sunday, Nov. 24, starting 5:30 am.

After the massive relief and rescue operations for those who suffered the wrath of super typhoon Yolanda, the more massive and more difficult tasks of rebuilding lives and communities beckon, a project that will require all citizens and civil servants to stay with the story of Yolanda’s victims.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) is supporting this worthy project in part to help focus attention on the plight of journalists, media workers, and media agencies that had also been displaced by Yolanda.

Members of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) have verified that at least four media workers had died; at least six others are still unaccounted for or remain missing, and a number of media agencies had been rendered inoperable in the affected provinces.

The co-organizers of this project are:

* The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) whose mandate in law is to encourage people’s participation and empowerment;

* The Alliance of Seven, which is composed of local government units in Metro Manila cities/towns that had been ravaged by typhoon Ondoy (Marikina, Quezon City, Pasig, Antipolo, San Mateo, Montalban, and Cainta);

* Habitat for Humanity, a non-government agency with a track record of rebuilding homes and communities with vigor and expertise;

* Operation Compassion Philippines, a non-government agency that attends to orphans and communities displaced by calamities and disasters; and

* Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

Join YOLANDA RUN!

To register:

* Visit #YolandaRun #YolandaPH #RebuildPH

* Call National Anti-Poverty Commission
3rd Floor ATI Bldg, Elliptical Road,
Quezon City Tel: 4265028
9 am to 6 pm (November 18-23, 2013)

* Call Operation Compassion – Philippines
88 Maningning St., Teachers’ Village, Quezon City
Contact: Susan Cucio Tel: 4331818
Room-M6 Yrreverre Square.
888 Mindanao Ave, Quezon City, Philippines
Contact: Ronald Cucio | Tel: 483-5589

Participants are strongly encouraged to register before 24 November 2013.

yolanda_run2

DATA A DAY: Tapping funds in calamities

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS are the primary drivers in the event a calamity strikes a community. But for an LGU to move quickly and efficiently, it needs a ready source of funds.

Recently passed laws are supposed to have made it easier for LGUs to tap funding sources in the event of calamities. In a disaster-prone country like the Philippines, some LGUs have honed this disaster response mechanism to a an efficient procedure. However, some calamities are simply too great that they overwhelm the capabilities of LGUs.

For today’s DATA A DAY:

Which of the following fund/s may Local Government Units (LGUs) tap to support disaster relief and management activities and programs?

  1. Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund

  2. Quick Response Fund

  3. Calamity Fund

  4. All of the above

 

Click this link for the answer to that question, or visit the PCIJ’s MoneyPolitics Online database here.

 

 

 

Yolanda: More sad, bad numbers

mcmangahas Leave a comment

THE NUMBERS of the dead and the missing keep rising, yet the scale and severity of the catastrophe that super typhoon Yolanda exacted in 41 or over half of the Philippines’ 80 provinces have yet to unravel.

Official sources on ground are counting casualty figures by the tens of thousands, even as relief and rescue teams have yet to reach many villages that to this day are without power, water, and communication lines. The absolute figures — incomparably dreadful for sure — are hard to come by, and yet the disaster and emergency assistance that must be addressed posthaste is sure to be incredibly massive and difficult.

In its latest situational report as of Sunday, Nov. 10, 7 pm, the National Disaster Relief and Risk Management Council (NDRRMC) revealed more devastating numbers from the aftermath of Yolanda:

• Casualty toll, official count as of Nov. 10, 7 pm: 229 dead, 45 injured, 28 missing.

• Affected population: 2,055,630 families or 9,497,847 persons in 7,027 barangays in 41 provinces of Regions IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, X, XI, and CARAGA.

• Damaged houses: A total of 19,551, including 13,191 totally damaged and 6,360 partially damaged.

• Roads and bridges: Three roads remain impassable in Regions VI and VIII.

• Cost of damage: P138,552,546.55 worth of damage to infrastructure (P13,797,500) and agriculture (P124,755,046.55)

• Power outage: The following areas are sill without electricity – Cardona, Rizal; Naujan, Calapan City, Pinamalayan, Bulalacao, Victoria, and Bansud in Oriental Mindoro; Coron, Roxas, Busuanga, Magsaysay, and Cuyo in Palawan; San Jose, Magsaysay, Rizal, and Calintaan in Occidental Mindoro; some towns of Albay and Camarines Sur; portions of Antique and Iloilo; 24 towns of northern Cebu, including San Francisco, Camotes, Tuburan and parts of Danao City; Guihuingan City and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental; and the entire provinces of Romblon, Masbate, Marinduque, Capiz, Aklan, Bohol, Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur.

Power supply had been restored earlier in the provinces of Quezon and Camiguin, the towns of Angono and Binangonan in Rizal; Pagsanjan, Paete, Pakil, Pangil, Cavinti, Victoria, Rizal, and Mabitac in Laguna; Paluan, Sta. Cruz, Sablayan, and Abra de Ilog in Occidental Mindoro; Sibulan and Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental; and Siquijor, Siquijor.

• Communication lines: As of Sunday evening, Globe Telecom has restored its signal in Tacloban City, but also in only 20 percent of the affected sites in the Visayas, and only 30 percent of the affected sites in Luzon and Mindanao.

• Cost of assistance: A total of P21,365,510.21 worth of relief assistance has been provided to the affected families, including P10,536,477.60 from the Department of Social Welfare and development, P6,565,051.69 from local government units, and P4,262,980.92 from the Department of Health.

Yolanda’s devastating numbers: A call for all to help, volunteer

mcmangahas Leave a comment

THE STRONGEST thus far in the world’s recent history, super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ exacted horrendously tragic numbers of death and destruction across 36 provinces (39 cities, 343 towns, 1,741 barangays) – or more than a third of the 80 provinces of Philippines.

The latest situational report that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) released today, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, is a clarion call for all Filipinos to help out, any way we can.

As of 6 am, Nov, 10, the NDRRMC reported:

• Casualty toll: 151 persons reported dead, and 5 persons reported missing. The numbers of the dead and the missing are seen to rise further still, pending receipt of more field reports.

• Affected communities: 982,252 families or 4,459,468 persons. They include 101,762 families that had been displaced and are now being assisted inside and outside 1,426 evacuation centers.

• Affected areas: 1,741 barangays in 343 municipalities and 38 cities in 36 provinces of Regions IV-A, IV-B , V, VI, VII, VIII, X, XI, and CARAGA.

• Damaged houses: 2,380, including 2,071 homes totally destroyed, and 1,409 partially damaged.

• Affected infrastructure: 18 roads and one bridge in Regions IV-A, IV-B, V, and VII.

• Stranded: 501 passengers, 3 vessels, 67 rolling cargoes, and 1 motorized banca in Regions IV-B (Puerto Princesa), V (Albay and Sorsogon), and VIII (Maasin City and Catbalogan City).

• Suspended operations: airports of Busuanga, Roxas, Kalibo, and Aklan.

• Power situation: Since Nov. 7, 2013, a number of towns and entire provinces have experienced extended blackouts. Power has been restored in Sibulan and Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, Siquijor; Pakil, Pete, and Pagsanjan in Laguna; Angono in Rizal; and the provinces of Quezon and Camiguin.

Network outage continues in Aklan, Antique, Capiz in Region VI; towns of northern Cebu and Bogo City in Region VII; Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Sanmar, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar in Region VIII; and Surigao del Norte in Region XIII.

• Estimated cost of assistance: A total of P10,636,254 worth of relief assistance has been provided to families in Regions IV-B, V, VI, VII, X and XI.

The amount came from the Department of Social Welfare and development augmentation support, P9,648,554, and Local Government Units, P987,700.

• Cost of damage: P7,215,831.75 worth of damage to infrastructure and agriculture.

Here are useful contact/hotline numbers:

National Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)
(02) 911-1406, (02) 912-2665, (02) 912-5668, (02) 911-1873,
(02) 912-3046, Trunkline: 911-5061 to 64

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
Trunkline: (632)931-81-01 to 07, local 426 or 425
(Disaster Response Unit); (02) 951-7119; Pasay Office
Hotline: 851-2681, 511-1259

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
(02) 304-3713, (02) 304-3904

Philippine National Red Cross
Hotline -143, (02) 527-0000, (02) 527-8385 to 95

Philippine National Police (PNP)
Hotline Patrol – 117 or send TXT PNP to 2920

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
Dial 136, 882-0925 (flood control)
Trunkline: (02) 882-4150-77 loc. 337 (rescue),
255 (Metrobase) Metrobase: 882-0860