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CBCP: Yolanda, Magnitude-7.2 quake tests of faith

 News
Nov 232013
 
CBCP: Yolanda, Magnitude-7.2 quake tests of faith

The twin calamities that struck the country in the last two months may be considered severe tests of faith for Filipinos, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said Saturday. But the CBCP, in a pastoral statement signed by outgoing president and Cebu archbishop Jose Palma, said Filipinos should also learn the lessons from the Oct. 15 magnitude-7.2 quake in Central Visayas and Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). “Indeed the twin calamities have tested severely our faith. Yet, even now, we believe we shall emerge from their situations with more awareness of the pattern of nature and hopefully learn its lessons,” Palma said. “By strengthening the systems and institutions that mitigate the effects of these forces of nature, we can avoid the recurrence of the present tragedy,” he added. The statement came on the eve of the Solemnity of Christ the King on Sunday. Several were killed when the Oct. 15 quake struck Central Visayas while more than 5,000 were left dead in the wake of Yolanda, which battered Visayas and Southern Luzon. Palma said no words can describe the sorrow that many in Bohol, Cebu, Leyte and Samar have suffered. “The calamities have tested our spirit as a community,” he said. Exercising faith However, he said that with the Year of Faith coming to a close, “we have been called upon to exercise our faith by putting our trust in the Lord and reaching out to help each other.” “Once again we treasure the precious gift of faith. It will Read More …

Japan extends $500k rice in emergency aid for Yolanda victims

 General
Nov 222013
 
Japan extends $500k rice in emergency aid for Yolanda victims

Japan is extending additional emergency assistance to victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) with rice worth some $500,000. The Japanese Embassy in Manila said the Japanese government approved the delivery of the emergency rice using Japan’s contribution to the ASEAN Plus Three Rice Reserve (APTERR). “APTERR is a regional cooperation established in 2004 to ensure food security in an emergency caused by temporary and large scale calamities. Japan has funded so far $6.64 million in total since the start of APTERR,” the embassy said. It said this will be the second assistance to the Philippines using the framework of APTERR. Yolanda tore through Visayas and Southern Luzon last Nov. 8, leaving more than 5,000 dead as of Friday evening. The Japanese embassy cited the friendly relations between Japan and the Philippines, and the “dire needs” of the affected people for the emergency rice assistance. It also said past emergency assistance for the Philippines through APTERR included rice assistance worth $200,000 for the victims of typhoon Pablo in 2012. Japan earlier sent Japan Disaster Relief Medical Team and Japan’s Self-Defense Force Units for victims of Yolanda. It also provided: – Emergency grant aid worth $30 million– Emergency relief goods worth $600,000– Assistance through Japanese NGOs (JPF) worth $1.5 million– Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) of Asian Development Bank (ADB) worth $20 million — LBG, GMA News

World Bank doubles disaster aid to Philippines

 News
Nov 222013
 
World Bank doubles disaster aid to Philippines

WASHINGTON – The World Bank on Friday added $480 million in emergency aid to the Philippines, taking to nearly $1 billion its support as the death toll from super typhoon Haiyan passed 5,200. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim made the pledge, added to $500 million committed Monday, in a phone call with Philippine President Benigno Aquino, the development lender said. The new money will be provided through the bank’s existing Community Driven Development Project for the Philippines, which will allow localities to tap the funds for their own rebuilding projects. “The project will empower communities themselves to lead the reconstruction effort, by offering a transparent way for people to identify their own needs,” the Bank said in a statement. The Bank has already deployed disaster specialists to Manila to help the government assess the damages and identify rebuilding priorities in the wake of the storm, which blasted through the center of the country on November 8, flattening entire communities and leaving up to four million people displaced. Early estimates by analysts of the typhoon’s economic cost to the Philippines have been put at around $14 billion. “We have been encouraged by the resilience of the Filipino people and the determination shown by President Aquino and his team as they work to recover from a disaster of unprecedented scale,” Kim said in the statement. — Agence France– Presse

CHED promises to find funding to keep PDAF scholars in school

 News
Nov 222013
 
CHED promises to find funding to keep PDAF scholars in school

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) assured scholars dependent on lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund that they can stay in school despite the Supreme Court’s recent decision declaring the multibillion-peso fund unconstitutional. In a statement released Friday, CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan said the commission is now looking into other possible funding sources for PDAF scholars so their studies will not be affected. Licuanan added CHED asked 111 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the country as early as October to allow PDAF beneficiaries enrolled for the first semester of this school year to enroll again for the second semester. Some scholars have expressed fears they will have to stop their studies following the Supreme Court’s issuance last month of a temporary restraining order on the release of the second tranche of the 2013 PDAF. Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone has warned that over 200,000 scholars will be affected by the order to freeze PDAF use. Licuanan said CHED is currently assessing the situation of PDAF beneficiaries enrolled in private higher education institutions (HEIs) to determine how it can help scholars continue their studies. “Once CHED has assessed the resources needed by former PDAF grantees in public and private HEIs, CHED will tap into its Higher Education Development Fund, funds from the General Appropriations Act and possibly from the President’s Social Fund,” she said. In a 14-0-1 vote, the Supreme Court on Tuesday declared the PDAF, more commonly known as the pork barrel, unconstitutional. The Court declared the PDAF Article in Read More …

Official Yolanda death toll breaches 5k mark, with over 1,000 still missing

 News
Nov 222013
 
Official Yolanda death toll breaches 5k mark, with over 1,000 still missing

More deaths related to Typhoon Yolanda have been validated by disaster officials Friday, bringing the official death toll to 5,209 with 1,611 still missing and 23,404 injured, based on the latest report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Of the total number of fatalities, 4,919 were from Eastern Visayas, the hardest hit region of the super typhoon, while the rest were from Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Caraga. “These were recovered for the past few days but have to be validated,” said Eduardo del Rosario, NDRRMC executive director, referring too the additional fatalities. Validation was done in coordination with mayors and local heath officers, he added. “We had changes because the official validation and confirmation are slowly coming in from the municipal mayors and municipal health workers,” del Rosario explained. The latest death toll was already more than double than President Benigno Aquino III’s estimate of between 2,000 to 2,500 Chief Superintendent Elmer Soria, the relieved Eastern Visayas regional police chief, had earlier estimated that the death toll could reach 10,000. — KBK, GMA News

UP Diliman grad tops 428 Chemical Engineer Licensure Exam passers

 News
Nov 222013
 
UP Diliman grad tops 428 Chemical Engineer Licensure Exam passers

A graduate from University of the Philippines Diliman topped the 428 examinees who passed the Chemical Engineer Licensure Examination given this month in Manila and Cebu, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) said Friday. Jasper Powell Samson Esguerra scored 84.60 percentage points, followed by Arniel Lagumbay Belarmino of Xavier University with 82.90. Tied at third place were Fernando Caasi Lit of UP Los Baños and Robert Cesar Bulo Morta of Bicol University-Legazpi, both with 82.80. The rest of the Top 10 are as follows: 4 SUGAR ROA  ESTRADA OF XAVIER UNIVERSITY (82.40)5 MARK JAYSON ARELLANO  PANGANIBAN OF UP-LOS BAÑOS (82.00)6 HYKINEL BON DETERA  GUARTE OF UP-DILIMAN (81.90)7 ALDRINE OGENA  ALMANZOR OF UP-DILIMAN (81.50)RAWLINSON PEÑA  TOLENTINO OF BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY-BATANGAS CITY (81.50)8 MARK RIGEL RABANERA  ALI OF SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY (81.30)9 ANGELO GUNIO  MAGNAYE OF ADAMSON UNIVERSITY (81.00)HAZELLE LAGUE  ROXAS OF UNIVERSITY OF MINDANAO-DAVAO CITY (81.00)10 MARCO HERNANDEZ  GARCIA OF MALAYAN COLLEGES LAGUNA (80.90) [Click here for the complete list of passers in the Chemical Engineer Licensure Exam.] A total of 734 examinees took the exam, which was given on November 19. The PRC said the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be on November 28 and 29, 2013, while the date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony will be announced later. — KBK, GMA News

NDRRMC chief: No order to suppress Yolanda body count

 News
Nov 222013
 
NDRRMC chief: No order to suppress Yolanda body count

The head of the country’s disaster risk reduction council tasked to collate data on the effects of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) on Friday denied receiving orders to stop releasing the death toll from the recent calamity. “Let us settle that. Merong accusations na pinipigil or merong order na huwag ilabas ‘yung figure. Wala pong katotohanan,” National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Eduardo del Rosario said at a press conference. He explained that the death toll was stalled at 4,011 during the past two days because the NDRRMC is still waiting for reports from the ground. “Hinihintay ‘yung official report na isa-submit ng mayor, duly signed by the mayor and the health officers of the municipalities and cities concerned,” del Rosario said. He added that official data from local government units affected by the typhoon will likely reach the NDRRMC central office within the day. “Kino-collate na ngayon, and you will know today. Hopefully this afternoon, you will know a more concrete figure,” the NDRRMC chief said. The official death toll from Yolanda slightly increased on Friday morning to 4,015.  The massive typhoon whipped through the Visayas and parts of Luzon two weeks ago. In a separate briefing later in the day, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas said the death toll has climbed to 4,919. Days after the super typhoon hit the country, conflicting estimates on the number of individuals killed during Yolanda’s onslaught came out in the media. President Benigno Aquino III earlier estimated that Read More …

PHL accepts China’s offer to send hospital ship

 News
Nov 212013
 
PHL accepts China’s offer to send hospital ship

The Philippines has accepted China’s offer to send its naval hospital ship to aid distressed survivors of Typhoon Yolanda that devastated many areas in the Visayas nearly two weeks ago. “We are thankful for the offer of China to send the Peace Ark Hospital Ship to support the relief operations,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez told a press briefing Thursday. China’s Peace Ark Hospital, reports said, is already bound for the badly-hit Visayas region to provide relief assistance to the victims. “The schedule and other details related to its deployment are now being coordinated with the concerned agencies,” Hernandez said. China’s increased assistance came amid criticisms of its initial paltry donation of $100,000 to the Philippines, a United States ally and Beijing’s rival claimant in the South China Sea territories. Tensions spiked anew between Manila and Beijing this year when the Philippine government sued China before an arbitral tribunal to question the legality of its massive territorial claim. Amid mounting pressure to increase aid, China, the world’s second largest economy, pledged P73 million more. Asked if the US would still push through with an initial plan to deploy its USNS Mercy hospital ship, Hernandez said: “There is an agreement in principle between the Philippines and the US that the USNS Mercy will be deployed at a time when it is needed most based upon the assessment of the needs of the Philippines.” Nevertheless, he said the Philippines is “grateful” for the continued assistance provided by the US in the aftermath Read More …

PNoy ready to certify supplemental budget if needed

 News
Nov 212013
 
PNoy ready to certify supplemental budget if needed

If needed, Malacañang said President Benigno III will certify as urgent the measure seeking a supplemental budget. “Kung kinakailangan po ‘yun ay gagawin po ‘yun,” Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) head Herminio Coloma Jr. said during a press conference on Thursday. He was pertaining to Senate Bill 1938, filed a day after the Supreme Court declared the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) unconstitutional, which proposes a supplemental budget that will divide the PDAF among seven government agencies for reconstruction efforts in the wake of recent calamities that hit the country, including the deadly Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). On Thursday, Coloma said the executive branch is working with Congress and that they are “willing to do what is needed to get the job done.” “Kailangan lang malaman iyong magiging daloy ng prosesong ito sa magkabilang Kamara. We do not want also to preempt dahil po kinikilala natin iyong independence ng Kongreso,” he said. On Wednesday, the death toll from Yolanda breached the 4,000 mark. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the number of fatalities stood at 4,011, with 18,557 injured and 1,602 still missing. —KG, GMA News

UN execs: PHL should empower local govts to face disasters

 News
Nov 212013
 
UN execs: PHL should empower local govts to face disasters

Two weeks after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) left a path of destruction in the Philippines, two United Nations (UN) officials on Thursday advised the country’s leaders to further empower its local government units (LGUs) in facing disasters. Margareta Wahlström, head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, said the Philippine government should not easily forget and take for granted the widespread damage caused by the recent super typhoon. “The major obstacle to a disaster preparedness system is that we don’t really take disasters seriously enough. We suffer a lot when they happen and then we forget, but the human cost, the financial cost to society and the political cost is too high,” Wahlström said during a press briefing at the Senate. The UN official was at the Senate for the launch of the “How Safe is Your School?” program, a crowdsourcing initiative being developed by the intergovernmental organization to assess the diaster preparedness of educational structures in the Philippines. Wahlström advised the Philippine government to strictly enforce its environmental laws, and to take disaster preparedness at the local level. “The opportunity now is to use this very tragic year to really enforce the functionality of this system and to ensure that even at the most local level, the municipalities and the provinces, there is enough capacity and attention to the issues of disaster,” the UN official said. At least 4,011 individuals have been confirmed dead after Yolanda ripped through the Visayas and parts of Luzon two weeks ago, based on Read More …

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