typhoon Ondoy – ellen tordesillas

Sampal sa mukha ni Gloria Arroyo

Published by Ellen on October 19, 2009

Sampal sa mukha ni Gloria Arroyo ang ginawa ni Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalila ng Bahrain na sa ABS-CBN Foundation binigay ang kanilang P25 milyon na donasyon para sa biktima ng bagyong Ondoy.

Nagmukhang tanga ang pamahalaan ni Arroyo sa turnover ng donasyon noong Biyernes. Biruin nyo sinamahan ni Amable Aguiluz V, Aguiluz, ang special envoy ni Arroyo sa Gulf Cooperation Council, ang sugo ng Bahrain Prime Minister na si Ambassador Yousif Adel Sater sa pagturn-over ng donasyun kay Gina Lopez, managing director ng ABS-CBN Foundation.

Kung matino ang pamahalaan ni Arroyo, dapat sa Malacañang ang turn-over ng donasyun.

Panawagan ng taga Gemsville

Published by Ellen on October 14, 2009

Magta-tatlong linggo na mula ng hinagupit ni Ondoy ang Metro Manila ngunit marami pa rin ang mga lugar na lubog sa baha.

May natanggap kaming sulat galing kay Cornelio G. Padua, presidente ng Gemsville Homeowners Association sa Barangay Bucal Calamba, Laguna.

Sabi ni Ginoong Padua, “Karamihan sa amin ay mahigit sampung taon ng naninirahan dito sa Gemsville. Sa mahigit sampung taon na iyon ay hindi namin naranasan ang matinding pagbaha sa aming subdivision Subalit itong taon na ito kami po ay nakaranas ng matinding pagbaha na ang tubig ay putik na me kasamang mga bato.

Reconstruction commission formed

Published by Ellen on October 14, 2009

by Regina Bengco, Gerard Naval and JP Lopez
Malaya

Dagupan City — President Arroyo on Monday created a Special National Public-Private Sector Reconstruction Commission that will study the causes, costs and actions to be undertaken following the devastation by storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng”.

Arroyo made the announcement at the Cabinet meeting here where the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) was also convened.

She said the Commission will undertake the rehabilitation plan, raise funds for reconstruction and oversee its implementation, serve as a clearing house for international assistance, and request the United Nations and the World Bank to coordinate an international pledging session.

Dapat managot ang nagpabaya

Published by Ellen on October 12, 2009

Nagpaplano ang mga tao at mga kumpanya na nasalanta ng bagyong “Ondoy” at “Pepeng” nitong mga nakaraang linggo na magsampa ng kaso sa mga opisyal ng pamahalaan at mga operator ng dam sa kanilang kapabayaan na nagdulot ng malaking hirap sa libo-libong mga mamamayan.

Sobra kasi ang dami ng tubig na ipinalabas ng Pantabangan at San Roque dam noong isang araw na siyang dahilan ng matinding baha sa Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija at karatig lalawigan.

Napakinggan ko ang interview ni Anthony Taberna kay Sen. Chiz Escudero sa DZMM. Taga Nueva Ecija si Anthony at si Chiz naman ay nasa Pangasinan noong linggo kasama si Grace Poe at tumulong sila sa mga nasalanta ng bagyong “Pepeng”. (Si Fernando Poe Jr ay taga-Pangasinan).

A semi-permanent state of emergency?

Published by Ellen on October 8, 2009

Malaya editorial:

Gloria Arroyo appears to have turned truly insane as she counts the days to her exit on June 30. Is the declared policy of prolonging the nationwide state of emergency in the wake of the devastation of typhoon “Ondoy” her perverse way of exacting retribution on the people for hating and distrusting her?

A deliberate policy of prolonging an emergency does not make sense. After the initial declaration, national and local government units have been freed to release their calamity and contingency funds. Relief and rehabilitation work can now be bidded out without going through stringent requirements for the duration of the emergency. Assessment of damage and drawing up of appropriate rehabilitation programs can be done within 60 days, the duration of an emergency unless otherwise extended.

But all of 365 days and counting to get these things done? Truly it is the hopelessly incompetent who cannot the job fast enough. We have been saying for a long time that Gloria, for all her self-proclaimed expertise as a manager, is at core an incompetent. Many were dazzled in her early years by the image she projected of being a modernizing politician cum technocrat. We were among the few who saw through her posturing early on. And proven right later on.

Rock the vote!

Published by Ellen on October 8, 2009

Reminder to first-time voters and those who will be transferring voting places: please don’t wait until Oct. 31, last day of registration.

The Commission on Elections said they will not be extending the deadline because they have to finalize the voters’ list. Remember that the 2010 elections will be the first supposedly nationwide automated elections.

The Smartmatic/TIM computers that Comelec will be using (Precinct Count Optical Scan or PCOS) are precinct-specific so it’s important that the voters list is finalized early.

After you have voted, pray that the PCOS that contains your name does not get misdelivered to a wrong precinct, just like what happened to many bunches of ballots and ballot boxes in the past elections.

The Samahang Magdalo, Taguig chapter, will stage “Rock the Vote” tomorrow Saturday, with a core message of encouraging first-time voters to register. “If we desire genuine changes and reforms from crooked governance, we must begin these steps at making sure we are legitimate voters before the Comelec,” said Lt. (s.g.) James Layug, head of the Samahang Magdalo in the city that organized the concert.

Finding missing loved ones

Published by Ellen on October 6, 2009

One of the heart-rending surviving- Ondoy stories I’ve read was Agence France Presse’s account of Rojanie Asuncion and her Alzheimer’s stricken mother, Flora Geronimo.

The story tells of Flora, only 69- years old, who went missing on Sept. 26 amid floods that swamped 80 percent of Metro Manila. Since Because of her condition, she was unable to tell rescuers her name, where she was from and how she got to the center in Marikina City.

For three days Rojanie, 37, her family members and friends searched for her mother “across the disaster zone, trudging through mud, climbing over debris and checking mud-streaked faces of survivors.”

Iba na ang maganda

Published by Ellen on October 5, 2009

Ay naku, balik na nga tayo sa normal pagkatapos ng hagupit ng bagyong “Ondoy”. At balik intriga na naman tayo.

May kumakalat ngayon sa text at Facebook yung sinabi ni Kris Aquino noong Sabado na, “Aminin natin. Mas masarap tumanggap ng relief goods pag maganda ang nagbibigay sa iyo.”

Sabi nga ng isa sa Facebook, “Kaya mga panget exempted sa volunteer relief work.”

Sinabi kasi ito ni Kris bilang reaksyun sa mga kumalat na batikos sa kanila na minsan daw matagal naghihintay ang mga bao sa evacuation centers kahit na nadun na ang mga relief goods dahil hinihintay daw ang mga artista na siyang mamimigay habang kinukunan ng TV.

Bantayan ang Ukay-ukay

Published by Ellen on October 3, 2009

Pinayagan na ulit ng pamahalaan ang donasyon ng mga lumang damit galing sa ibang bansa. Ito ay para mapadali ang tulong para sa mga biktima ng bagyong “Ondoy”. Walang taripa ngunit kailangan naka-address sa Department of Social Welfare and Development ( DSWD).

Kailangan kasi ma-inspeksyun ng husto ng DSWD at mapausukan (fumigate) dahil hindi naman alam kung anong bakterya ang nandyan sa mga lumang damit.

At gustong siguraduhin ng pamahalaan na hindi maabuso ang pagpasok dito ng mga lumang damit, katulad ng nangyari dati. Baka kasi ang bagsak niyan ay sa ukay-ukay ulit. Sa halip na ang ang mga nasalanta ng bagyo ang makinabang, ang mga mapagsamantalang tao ang magsasaya.

One-stop shop processing for foreign donations for ‘Ondoy’ victims

Published by Ellen on October 2, 2009

The Bureau of Customs sought Friday to allay public distrust arising from the directive of Gloria Arroyo to course all foreign donations through the Department…

Tag: typhoon Ondoy