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 …

Slower growth, more poverty feared after 'Yolanda'

 Economy
Nov 172013
 
Slower growth, more poverty feared after 'Yolanda'

President Benigno Aquino III (in yellow), returning to typhoon-hit Tacloban City on Monday, is pictured with Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman (in red). RTVM MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) – Due to the vast devastation and huge loss of lives wrought by super typhoon Haiyan (locally named Yolanda) that slammed the Visayas a week ago, the country’ economic growth could slow down and the incidence of poverty could rise. On Friday, the Philippines’ National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the top economic policy-making body of the government, said that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) could grow by only 4.1 percent in the fourth quarter. The NEDA is now saying that the full-year GDP growth could range from 6.5 and 7 percent, slower than the earlier forecast of 7.3 percent. But the full-year GDP growth forecast still remains at the high end of the government’s 2013 target of 6 to 7 percent. In a statement, NEDA Director General Arsenio Balisacan acknowledged the need for massive relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts to ease the impact of the calamity on the economy. “To ensure that we regain lost ground the soonest, we need to accelerate the implementation of social and economic development projects,” Balisacan said. Earlier, Balisacan also said that Haiyan and other natural calamities that have struck the Philippines could push more households into “transient” poverty. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 He said that a significant portion of the country’s poor are Read More …

China ready to send rescue teams to PHL

 News
Nov 172013
 
China ready to send rescue teams to PHL

BEIJING — China said Sunday it is ready to send rescue and medical teams to the Philippines, in a belated offer coming more than a week after a devastating typhoon struck the island nation. The proposal made in a statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website follows an extremely modest pledge of less than $2 million in disaster assistance made last week. The small offering has been attributed to spite over a festering dispute with Manila over South China Sea islands claimed by both sides. China, which has the world’s second largest economy, claims the entire sea and its island groups and has been enraged by Manila’s robust defense of what it says has long been Philippine territory. Views expressed on the Chinese Internet have argued strongly against aiding the Philippines, despite the potential damage to China’s hopes of being regarded as a responsible regional and possibly global leader. In the statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was quoted as saying Saturday that China was monitoring conditions in the Philippines and the emergency teams would depart for the hardest hit areas “should conditions permit.” There was no immediate indication whether the aid teams were preparing to depart or whether the Philippine government had accepted the Chinese offer. — AP

US military ‘godsend’ to ‘Yolanda’ victims

 News
Nov 172013
 
US military ‘godsend’ to ‘Yolanda’ victims

Residents protect themselves from strong wind created by a US Navy Sea Hawk helicopter from the US aircraft carrier USS George Washington as it takes off upon dropping relief supplies for villagers isolated by last week’s super typhoon Yolanda Saturday Nov.16, 2013 on Manicani island, Eastern Samar. AP ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON — As soon as Navy pilot Matthew Stafford puts his helicopter down in the village of Borongan, he is rushed by dozens of local men who form a line to unload the supplies he has flown in from the USS George Washington aircraft carrier. On the Philippine islands of Leyte and Samar that were shattered by Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), there is no doubt about it: the US military has been a godsend. “It is awesome to see this,” says one grateful villager. “They are saving us.” Villagers stranded by last week’s Typhoon Yolanda scramble for aid from a US Navy Sea Hawk helicopter from the U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington in the coastal town of Tanawan, central Philippines Sunday, Nov. 17. 2013. But while US military support can be critical when disasters like Yolanda strike, staging massive humanitarian relief missions for allies in need isn’t just about being a good neighbor. They can be a strategic and publicity goldmine for US troops whose presence in Asia isn’t always portrayed in such a favorable light — and a powerful warning to countries that aren’t on board. This aerial photo shows the devastation caused by last Read More …

China ready to send medical teams to Philippines

 News
Nov 172013
 
China ready to send medical teams to Philippines

Agence France-Presse 3:25 pm | Sunday, November 17th, 2013 Villagers, isolated by super typhoon Yolanda a week ago, scramble for relief goods being dropped by Philippine Air Force at La Paz, Leyte province in central Philippines, Friday Nov. 15, 2013. AP FILE PHOTO BEIJING, China – China says it is “ready” to send emergency medical personnel to the disaster-hit Philippines after its earlier pledges of financial and material aid were criticized as meager given its economic power. The Chinese government, which has a long-standing territorial dispute with the Philippines, initially offered just $100,000 to help in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda but raised its offer by a further $1.6 million on Thursday. “In light of the current actual needs of the typhoon-hit areas, the Chinese government is ready to dispatch the emergency medical assistance team on humanitarian grounds,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website Sunday. He added that private groups, including one under the Chinese Red Cross, have also expressed willingness to travel to the Philippines to assist in disaster relief. Hong said the rescue teams would depart “when conditions” allow but did not provide further details on the contingent. China was in close contact with the Philippine government on the provision of medical assistance, he said. Beijing’s offer of aid has been dwarfed by contributions from the US, which is leading the relief effort, Britain and Japan. Questions over the size of Chinese assistance come as Beijing and Manila are Read More …

DOT chief urges tourists to continue Phl visits

 Economy
Nov 162013
 
DOT chief urges tourists to continue Phl visits

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is appealing to foreign tourists to continue visiting the Philippines as this can help speed up rebuilding efforts following the devastation caused by the recent calamities that hit the country. “Tourism continues to be one of the major contributors to the economy, playing a significant role in rebuilding lives and businesses in communities,” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said in a statement in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda. As this developed, the DOT started an initiative to give out special tourism bookmarks to travelers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)-1. “These bookmarks are being given away by our airport staff in both Manila and Cebu airports after the final check-in (last x-ray counter) and this will run for the next couple of weeks,” Jimenez said. “The bookmarks are for outbound foreign visitors as a token for bearing with the Filipino people during this most difficult time,” he said. “We understand that most of these departing foreigners were in the Philippines when Yolanda hit us and in one way or another, they might have been inconvenienced during their stay with us. As a token of apology and appreciation, we are giving away these bookmarks to foreign tourists leaving the country in hopes that they will realize that we appreciate them for having the Philippines as their destination of choice,” he added. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “We are also hoping that through this simple gesture, they will Read More …

Japan medics bring high-tech fixes to Tacloban

 News
Nov 162013
 
Japan medics bring high-tech fixes to Tacloban

Villagers, isolated by super typhoon Haiyan a week ago, scramble for relief goods being dropped by Philippine Air Force at La Paz, Leyte province in central Philippines, Friday Nov. 15, 2013. Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded, have only now begun to receive some aid, a week after their homes and lives were torn apart. AP FILE [HOTO TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—Japanese medics working to help victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) have deployed wireless mobile X-ray kits using tablet computers, a world first in a disaster zone, a team spokesman said Saturday. The technology, which was developed after the huge tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, allows doctors to take a look inside patients instantly, and even lets them enlarge the image with familiar iPad gestures. Joji Tomioka, coordinator of the Japan Medical Team for Disaster Relief, said the system had been created in response to what doctors needed in the aftermath of the Japanese disaster. “This is the first time that we are deploying it in a disaster situation,” Tomioka told Agence France-Presse at a modern tent medical clinic put up by the Japanese government to help victims of the typhoon, which crashed through the central Philippines on November 8. At the partly air-conditioned clinic in the ruined city of Tacloban on Leyte island, a radiologist placed a camera on the chest of 72-year-old Carlos Llosa as he sat in his wheelchair. The X-ray image was instantaneously transmitted through a wireless router to an Read More …

Empire State Building lights up in blue, red, yellow for ‘Yolanda’ victims

 News
Nov 162013
 
Empire State Building lights up in blue, red, yellow for ‘Yolanda’ victims

By Julliane Love de JesusINQUIRER.net 5:38 pm | Saturday, November 16th, 2013 New York’s iconic Empire State Building bathed in blue, red and yellow in solidarity with the victims of Supertyphoon ‘Yolanda’ in the Philippines. Photo by the Philippine Embassy in the United States MANILA, Philippines—For two consecutive nights, blue, red and yellow colors illuminated the iconic Empire State Building in New York City in solidarity with the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan). The 103-story skycraper rising above the Manhattan skyline began to display the colors of the Philippine flag on Friday (Saturday in Manila), and again on Saturday, New York time. Anabel Madueño, a Cuban from New York City, posted on a photo of the building on Instagram. “Empire State Building raises awareness and support for Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines,” the management of the 82-year-old building said on its website. Each night, ESB’s tower lights take on a new lighting sequence, representing major holidays, iconic milestones and global events. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Empire State Building , Empire State colors , Filipinos , Haiyan , lights , New York , Supertyphoon , tribute , United States , Yolanda Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Read More …

Banks in the Philippines prepared to meet Basel III standards

 Economy
Nov 142013
 

LENDERS in the Philippines are readying themselves for a further tightening of regulatory oversight, with the requirements of Basel III, as adapted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), due to come into effect at the beginning of next year. While the transition is not expected to be overly burdensome, the cost of greater security could be a short-term dip in profits.

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