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DOH ordered to take over health ops in Yolanda-hit areas

 News
Nov 212013
 
DOH ordered to take over health ops in Yolanda-hit areas

President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to take over health operations of local government units in areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda. Memorandum Order No. 61, issued Nov. 18, directs the DOH “to temporarily assume direct supervision and control over health and sanitation operations of LGUs affected by Typhoon Yolanda if deemed necessary, based on an assessment of the needs and in consultation with such LGUs.” At a press conference Thursday, Malacañang explained that the memo was issued so LGUs can focus on the disaster management. “Yung DOH na muna ang aagapay sa kanila doon sa healthcare aspect. Yun lang po ang reason para doon,” said Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) head Herminio Coloma Jr. He said the DOH will augment the health resources of LGUs with its personnel, including medical practitioners and paramedics. The department will also handle health-related aid coming in from the private sector. “DOH na po ang mago-orchestrate nito in order to enable the local governments to focus on relief and rehabilitation efforts,” Coloma said. The order was issued on the same day Aquino said the LGU’s handling of Yolanda is subject on an investigation. The next day, however, the President said the probe was not a priority, citing the need for cooperation between LGUs and the national government. Mobilize govt employees Aside from this order, Aquino, through Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, also issued last Nov. 15 Memorandum Circular 57, which seeks to mobilize the country’s 1.3 million-strong bureaucracy to help in Read More …

Justice done in Imelda assistant's conviction for plot to sell looted art —PCGG

 News
Nov 192013
 
Justice done in Imelda assistant's conviction for plot to sell looted art —PCGG

The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) said Tuesday that justice was done in the conviction of a confidante of former first lady Imelda Marcos in New York for plotting to sell valuable looted artworks. The special anti-corruption agency tasked with tracing the wealth stolen by the Marcos family said it would now seek to recover the money and artworks confiscated from Vilma Bautista, a former New York-based social secretary of Imelda Marcos. “New York has seen justice done today,” the PCGG said, as it hailed the US prosecutors for recovering paintings that had been missing since the Marcos family fell from power in 1986. Imelda Marcos, 84, known for her extravagant lifestyle, is alleged to have looted millions from state coffers when her husband Ferdinand Marcos was president from 1965 to 1986. She used this wealth to acquire jewelry, art, real estate and a massive shoe collection. An army-backed popular revolt toppled President Marcos in 1986 and sent him and his family fleeing into exile. But much of their allegedly stolen wealth has not yet been recovered. The PCGG said it had provided key testimony and evidence that led to the conviction of Bautista for conspiring to sell three valuable artworks including a piece by French impressionist Claude Monet. New York authorities began their investigation in 2010 after learning of the suspicious sale of a Monet painting by Bautista and her nephews. They contacted the PCGG “as there appeared to have been other attempts by the defendants… to sell Read More …

UNICEF warns of sexual violence, trafficking among children after super typhoon

 News
Nov 192013
 
UNICEF warns of sexual violence, trafficking among children after super typhoon

A representative from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday warned that children who were victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda are at risk from sexual violence and trafficking. “Children also face the risk of separation to their parents or care-givers. This is a huge concern for us. Not only in the immediate aftermath of the crisis but parents are on the move looking for food for survival for their families and leaving children behind. And this is where children are at risk from [sexual violence and] trafficking,” Sarah Norton Staal, UNICEF-Philippines chief of child protection, said Tuesday. “In other natural disasters, we have seen about a 10 percent rise in trafficking,” Staal explained. “So we are very concerned.” According to the United Nations, about 4.6 million children were affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda. Out of this number, about 1.6 million children were internally displaced. To address this, Staal said that UNICEF was prioritizing the building of temporary shelters, which will also have a play area for children. “It is important for them to feel some normalcy especially after undergoing some psycho-social trauma. They have seen the destruction of their homes, communities,” she noted. Also, parents and guardians should be aware of “predators” and should immediately report any suspicious activities against children. Health situation After dealing with trauma-related injuries, medical workers are now facing other serious ailments among the typhoon victims, said Dr. Julie Lyn Hall, World Health Organization country representative. “The first phase after such a disaster, you see Read More …

UN gathers $193M for Typhoon Yolanda victims

 News
Nov 192013
 
UN gathers $193M for Typhoon Yolanda victims

More relief aid delivered for Samar typhoon victims. Residents carry relief boxes from US Aid after an Osprey aircraft of the US Navy landed at a remote village near the eastern Samar town of Guiuan, on Tuesday, November 19, 10 days after Typhoon Yolanda, one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded, made its first landfall in this town. Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay The United Nations has so far raised about $193 million in assistance for the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), which battered the central Philippines last November 8. “I would like to thank member states, the private sector and the public around the world for their immense generosity and support for the Filipino people so far,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Valerie Amos Tuesday. “It is clear that their plight has touched everyone,” The amount included both cash and in-kind donations as of November 18. “This includes $87 million for the Haiyan Action Plan that was launched by the Humanitarian Country Team on 12 November. ” Amos noted. Earlier, the UN made an urgent aid appeal to the international community to raise some $301 million to help the Philippines recover from the devastation caused by the super typhoon, the strongest typhoon in history to have made landfall.  “However, we know that the appeal figure will increase significantly,” the UN humanitarian chief added. The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council has so far listed the number of fatalities at  3982. The injured number around 18,000, Read More …

PNoy meets with Tacloban mayor, says probe vs LGUs not a priority

 News
Nov 192013
 
PNoy meets with Tacloban mayor, says probe vs LGUs not a priority

PNoy finally meets with Leyte officials. President Benigno Aquino III talks with Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and other local officials to discuss alternative measures to hasten relief operations and rehabilitation efforts in the city and other municipalties in Leyte which were affected by super typhoon Yolanda. Gil Nartea Heeding public calls for government officials to stop feuding and instead focus on relief operations, President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday said that he met with Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez and crafted a plan to Leyte get back on its feet. During an interview with reporters at the Ormoc City Airport, Aquino said he met with Romualdez at least once to discuss the division of tasks between the local and national governments. “Siguro parang, inuunawa din natin siya dahil isa rin siya sa mga victims, at ang focus nga magtulungan ngayon and I keep emphasizing to anybody ito regardless of party affiliations,” he said. He said they put the matter in writing after Romualdez also met with Interior Sec. Mar Roxas, Social Welfare Sec. Dinky Soliman, and Public Works Sec. Rogelio Singson. “Today nagkaroon ng kasulatan parang klaro-klaro, who does what? Para mapabilis nga yung pagbangon ng Tacloban and other areas in Leyte,” he said. Romualdez is the nephew of Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, widow of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, who was the political rival of Aquino’s father, assassinated senator Benigno Aquino Jr. Probe vs local officials not a priority Aquino made the statement just a day after revealing that Read More …

Senate focuses on ‘pork,’ P20-B rehab fund for calamity victims in budget deliberation

 News
Nov 182013
 
Senate focuses on ‘pork,’ P20-B rehab fund for calamity victims in budget deliberation

The Senate on Tuesday began plenary deliberations on the proposed 2014 budget, with two issues in focus: the controversial “pork barrel” fund and the P20-billion rehabilitation fund for victims of recent calamities, including super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Senate finance committee chairman Francis Escudero presented before his colleagues suggested amendments to the P2. 268-trillion spending plan passed by the House of Representatives last October, which included the removal of the priority development assistance fund (PDAF) in the budget. “Obligasyon natin na tugunan ang mithiin ng ating mga kababayan… Amidst all the despair, the least we can do is to rise above pork-tainted political bickering,” Escudero said on the Senate floor.  On Monday, the Senate decided to let individual senators determine what to do with their P200-million annual discretionary funds. Fourteen senators moved to completely delete their PDAF for next year. Escudero also formalized the proposal to create a P20-billion rehabilitation fund for victims of recent calamities, including typhoons Labuyo, Santi and Yolanda, as well as earthquake that shook Bohol last month. The Senate finance chairman said the rehabilitation fund will go “directly to implementing agencies” and will be used to repair irrigation systems, school buildings, roads, bridges and historical sites by recent natural disasters that hit the country.  In his sponsorship speech for the 2014 proposed budget, Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto urged his colleagues to support the P20-billion rehabilitation fund. “A proposed budget cannot be impervious to disasters When catastrophe strikes, a budget cannot be immune to changes,” Recto said. Read More …

PNoy: Govt working on bunkhouses for Yolanda victims

 General
Nov 182013
 
PNoy: Govt working on bunkhouses for Yolanda victims

PNoy, Mar inspect prices of goods at Leyte market. President Benigno Aquino III and DILG Sec. Mar Roxas II check the prices of commodities at the Palo Public Market in Leyte on Monday, November 18, during their visit to Eastern Visayas to personally supervise the relief efforts for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. Marcelino Pascua President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday said the government is working on the construction of bunkhouses for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). “Tinukoy na po yung mga lupa kung saan magtatayo ng temporary shelter at pagkatapos naman ho yung mga tinatawag na bunkhouses,” Aquino told typhoon victims in Basey, Samar. In an interview in Palo, Leyte on Monday, Communications Sec. Ricky Carandang also said they are working with the local government units to identify the land that can be used for the bunkhouses. “Dito sa Palo, Leyte, and doon sa Tanauan … they say that they have found appropriate property that can be used to build temporary bunkhouses,” Carandang said. Quoting Public Works Sec. Rogelio Singson, he said that once the areas have been identified, they can immediately start building the temporary bunkhouses. “In the meantime, we are passing around tents and tarpaulins where they can take temporary shelter,” he said. Aquino, during his visit to parts of Samar on Tuesday, also brought mats and tarpaulins to typhoon victims there. Based on information provided by the the Department of Social Welfare and Development about the bunkhouses that are being constructed in Zamboanga City, Read More …

NDRRMC puts Yolanda death toll at 3,974

 News
Nov 172013
 
NDRRMC puts Yolanda death toll at 3,974

The death toll from Super Typhoon Yolanda has reached 3,974, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Sunday. A report by radio dzBB’s Rodil Vega said the new figure was announced late afternoon. President Benigno Aquino III on Sunday went to at least two areas in Eastern Visayas that suffered heavy damage from Yolanda. These included Guiuan in Eastern Samar and Tacloban City in Leyte. Meanwhile, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office head Ramon Carandang noted a rationing of sorts of fuel in Tacloban City. “In Tacloban, bring your vehicle  to a gas station, you can buy a full tank, but if you are filling up a container, you can only buy P500,” he said. — BM, GMA News

UK aid for Yolanda victims exceeds P5.6 billion

 News
Nov 172013
 
UK aid for Yolanda victims exceeds P5.6 billion

The United Kingdom’s contribution to the international aid efforts for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda has exceeded P5.6 billion (£80 million) after Prime Minister David Cameron pledged another £30 million to the relief efforts, a statement from the British Embassy on Sunday said. The new amount supplements the British government’s previous donation as well as donations from the British public totaling £30 million (P2.1 billion). The UK has also deployed a destroyer ship, HMS Daring, and a Royal Air Force C-17 transporter plane to the region. According to a report from Agence France-Presse, the UK was has also pledged 4×4 vehicles and forklift trucks. Despite the steady support from both national and international communities, aid efforts have been slow—a fact reported by most international media covering the event. Malacañang’s Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras said last November 13 that a disaster of such magnitude required meticulous planning, which made such “difficult comments” understandable. He also said that while details needed to be ironed out, their efforts seemed to do well “so far”. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management’s (NDRRMC) 6 a.m. report also stated that the typhoon caused P10,339,290,061 in damage, including P1,250,108,600 in infrastructure and P9,089,181,461 in agriculture. In the same report, a total of 3,681 fatalities, 12,544 injured persons, and 1,186 still-missing persons was recorded. — Rie Takumi/BM, GMA News

Villagers mob US aid choppers as Yolanda relief effort spreads

 News
Nov 172013
 
Villagers mob US aid choppers as Yolanda relief effort spreads

CABUNGAAN, Leyte – Mobbed by hungry villagers, US military helicopters dropped desperately needed aid into remote areas of the typhoon-ravaged central Philippines, as survivors of the disaster flocked to ruined churches on Sunday to pray for their uncertain future. The Philippines is facing up to an enormous rebuilding task from Typhoon Yolanda, which killed at least 3,681 people and left 1,186 missing, with many isolated communities yet to receive significant aid despite a massive international relief effort. Philippine authorities and international aid agencies face a mounting humanitarian crisis, with the number of people displaced by the catastrophe estimated at 4 million, up from 900,000 late last week. President Benigno Aquino, caught off guard by the scale of the disaster and criticized by some for the sometimes chaotic response, visited affected areas on Sunday. Not for the first time, he sought to deflect blame for the problems onto local authorities whose preparations he said had fallen short. In Guiuan, a hard-hit coastal town in eastern Samar province, he praised the city mayor for conducting a proper evacuation that had limited deaths to less than 100, saying that was a contrast to other towns. “In other places, I prefer not to talk about it. As your president, I am not allowed to get angry even if I am already upset. I’ll just suffer through it with an acidic stomach.” While aid packages have begun to reach more remote areas, much of it carried by helicopters brought by the USS George Washington aircraft Read More …

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