Supertyphoon Yolanda

UNICEF hopes resumption of classes will bring normalcy to ‘Yolanda’-hit areas

News

Jan 072014

9:03 pm | Tuesday, January 7th, 2014

In this aerial photo taken on Nov. 9, 2013, and released by the Philippine Air Force, a ferry boat is seen washed inland from a massive storm surge caused by Typhoon Haiyan, in the city of Tacloban, central Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations Children’s Fund hopes the resumption of classes in areas affected by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international codename: Haiyan) will be a spring board to speed up rehabilitation, a statement said.

UNICEF together with international organizations Save the Children and INTERSOS supported the Back to Learning campaign of the Department of Education and Department of Social Welfare and Development that saw the re-opening of schools on Monday.

“UNICEF’s objective is to ensure that children affected by Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ return to quality learning as quickly as possible,” said Angela Kearney, officer-in-charge of UNICEF Philippines.

According to the UN arm, schools have become safe havens for both teachers and children and once school started, the daily routine has helped restore a sense of normalcy.

“It’s our hope that children returning to school and day care centers will have a sense of routine and have a safe place during the day to be with friends where they can continue to learn and enjoy safe play,” said Dr. Luisa Yu, DepEd Director for Region VIII.

UNICEF hopes that once the children are back in school, parents will have more time to rebuild their livelihood.

As of January 6, the campaign has supported 550,000 children, teachers and day-care workers to resume classroom activities after “Yolanda.”

Urgent repairs have made 3,000 classrooms functional with the addition of tents and makeshift learning spaces to bolster the resume of classes.

The campaign aims to provide 500,000 children with school and recreational supplies and train10,000 teachers and day-care workers on emergency-related topics.

ILO: More job creation program needed in Yolanda-hit areas

News

Jan 072014

ILO: More job creation program needed in Yolanda-hit areas

TANAUAN, LEYTE Supertyphoon “Yolanda” survivors in this town wait for the distribution of food items from a helicopter in this photo taken two days after Yolanda struck. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOHN CHUA MANILA, Philippines—The International Labor Organization has launched a program aimed at providing emergency employment and sustainable livelihood opportunities in areas devastated by Supertyphoon Yolanda. “Since ‘Yolanda’ (international name Haiyan) struck on 8 November, the ILO supported the Department of Labor and Employment in creating over 20,000 jobs under the emergency employment program,” said Lawrence Jeff Johnson, Director of the ILO Country Office in the Philippines. Johnson said that his organization has reached out to 100,000 people during the initial phase of the rebuilding efforts in 2013. “But more needs to be done to provide access to safe and decent work that includes ensuring minimum wages, sound occupational safety, skills development and social protection in line with national laws,” Johnson said. Aside from guaranteed social security and health insurance, the ILO has equipped its workers with masks, hats, gloves, boots and long sleeved shirts to minimize the risk of disease and injury. Of the estimated 5.9 million jobs lost or suspended due to “Yolanda,” the ILO estimated that 2.6 million were in vulnerable employment and living near the poverty line even before the typhoon. Plea for decent jobs Workers in vulnerable forms of employment, mostly drivers and operators in Tacloban, called for the prioritization of decent jobs after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” nearly took out the sense of normalcy in the Read More …

BTr to offer securities worth P135B in Q1

Economy

Dec 292013

BTr to offer securities worth P135B in Q1

By Michelle V. RemoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 8:42 pm | Sunday, December 29th, 2013 The government plans to sell P135 billion worth of treasury bills and bonds in the first quarter of the coming year, according to the Bureau of the Treasury. The amount represents a nearly 10-percent rise from the P122.96 billion worth of government securities sold in the domestic market in the same period of 2013. The decision to raise domestic borrowings came on the heels of the government’s announcement to hike public expenditures for infrastructure and social services. The government has been forced to beef up spending and support reconstruction activities in areas affected by Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” which devastated the Visayas last month. To accommodate the higher spending, the government is ready to post a higher budget deficit and borrow more in 2014. In the notice posted on its website, the Treasury said P60 billion worth of T-bills and P75 billion worth of T-bonds would be auctioned off in January to March. About P4 billion worth of 91-day T-bills and P6 billion worth of 182-day bills, as well as P10 billion in 364-day notes will be sold each month. Also, P25 billion worth of bonds will be sold each month. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima told reporters that the government would continue to borrow more from the domestic than the foreign market in the coming year. This will allow the government to minimize its exposure to foreign-exchange risks, he explained. The government does not need to borrow abroad if Read More …

Mom puts up bounty for missing daughter in Tacloban

News

Dec 062013

Mom puts up bounty for missing daughter in Tacloban

Photo of missing 9-year-old Kassandra Mae Villanueva posted on her mother’s Facebook account on November 14. Her mother, Jella Yu, is putting up a P20,000 bounty for Kassandra, who went missing after Supertyphoon Yolanda struck their house in Tacloban City last November 8. MANILA, Philippines— “I know how to make bubble. I can swim a little.” This was nine-year-old Kassandra Mae Yu-Villanueva’s last message to her mother on Facebook a day before she disappeared when Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) struck Leyte on November 8. Still missing almost a month after, her mother Jella Yu has now come to terms that Kassandra might have already joined her younger sister, Shamel Anne Jella Yu, who perished from the typhoon. All Jella wants now is to find Kassandra’s body. The 34-year-old mother, who is working in Abu Dhabi, is putting up a P20,000 bounty for those who can find her eldest daughter. “We also distributed pictures of my daughter in Tacloban. I also put up a reward to whoever can find her body. Hope you can help me spread the pictures of my daughter please,” Jella’s status on Facebook read. From Abu Dhabi, Jella travelled 24 hours to Manila and then to Cebu before she could finally reach Tacloban City, one of the areas severely hit by the typhoon, to personally look for her two daughters, whom she left under the care of her elder sister, Jenny, and their 67-year-old mother Salome. Jella said her mother and other relatives also perished from the typhoon. Mother, Read More …

Don’t forget the soap

News

Nov 302013

By Marie Claire Lim MoorePhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:07 am | Sunday, December 1st, 2013 THE BOOK will be launched on Dec. 6 at Fully Booked, Bonifacio Global City. Proceeds of the book launch will go to the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” Shortly after I started working for Citi, I began traveling frequently. This meant early mornings, long flights, time differences and jet lag, but it also meant fancy corporate dinners, 5-star hotels, airport lounges and business class. I knew I was starting to get used to all the perks when I stopped taking the extra soap and shampoo bottles from my hotel room. It had become second nature for me to do a morning sweep of the bathroom toiletries before leaving each day to ensure my supply was replenished when the room was made. By the time check out day came, I was about ready to start my own mini mart. When I got home I’d put them aside in a shopping bag and before I knew it they’d be packed away in a balikbayan box that our family would send back to the Philippines. During my assignment in Brazil, I lived in the Marriott Executive Apartments so I hit the jackpot in soap and shampoo bottles. After the first few weeks, however, I couldn’t be bothered to save the soap and shampoo anymore. Then my family came to visit for Christmas. I was happy and excited to show them Sao Paulo— where I lived, where I worked and what Read More …

‘WORSE THAN HELL’

News

Nov 132013

A survivor of Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) describes their condition as “worse than hell.” These images from CNN and New York Times capture the suffering and devastation from the world’s most powerful typhoon ever. Click links to view photos. Warning: the photo galleries contain graphic images. CNN Photo Gallery NY TIMES Photo Gallery

UN to help assess ‘Yolanda’ damage, set up emergency communication lines

News

Nov 092013

UN to help assess ‘Yolanda’ damage, set up emergency communication lines

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 3:29 pm | Saturday, November 9th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations and its affiliated agencies deployed teams on Saturday to assist the Philippine government in assessing the damage wrought by Supertyphoon Yolanda and establish emergency communication lines as power and telephone lines remained down in much of the Visayas. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said organizations including the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination, the Asia-Pacific Humanitarian Partnership, Télécoms Sans Frontière and MapAction arrived in the country on Saturday “to assist the government in establishing coordination hubs and conduct initial assessments.” The UN said members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Emergency Rapid Assessment Team “have deployed to support coordination and emergency telecommunication.” Initial UN assessment showed that some 18 million people were affected and more than 126,000 people living on the path of the typhoon, particularly in Eastern Visayas, had been evacuated early on as a precaution. It cited reports of flooding, landslides and wind damage in Eastern Samar and Leyte, the islands where the typhoon first came ashore early Friday morning. UNOCHA said a needs assessment was under way “prioritizing shelter, food, health, water, sanitation and health facilities, camp management and logistics.” Related Stories: Expressions of sympathy, aid pour in as ‘Yolanda’ exits PH US, Great Britain cite Filipinos’ resilience in the wake of Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ EU expresses solidarity with typhoon-battered Philippines Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and Read More …

DFA suspends services at satellite offices in Metro Manila

News

Nov 082013

DFA suspends services at satellite offices in Metro Manila

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 4:34 pm | Friday, November 8th, 2013 FILE Photo MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will temporarily suspend operations of its consular services in satellite offices in Metro Manila on Saturday due to Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name Haiyan). “Due to the threat of Supertyphoon ‘Yolanda,’ the Department of Foreign Affairs advises the public that consular services at DFA Satellite Offices (SOs) in Metro Manila will be temporarily suspended on November 9,” it said in an advisory Friday. DFA passport and authentication services as well as the release of passports in the following SOs will resume on Monday: DFA NCR – Central (Robinsons Galleria) DFA NCR – East (SM Megamall) DFA NCR – West (SM Manila) DFA NCR – South (Metro Gaisano Alabang) “Passport applicants who have scheduled appointment on November 9 will be accommodated from November 11 to 16, provided that they can show proof of their appointment,” DFA said in the advisory. The DFA said that persons who have queries about the consular services of the particular SO may contact the following numbers and email addresses: DFA NCR – Central, 631-0806, dfancrcentral@dfa.gov.ph DFA NCR – East, 570-3230, dfancreast@dfa.gov.ph DFA NCR – West, 536-9994, dfancrwest@dfa.gov.ph DFA NCR – South, 551-1051, dfancrsouth@dfa.gov.ph “The DFA can also be reached at (02) 536-0000. Emails can also be sent at passportconcerns@dfa.gov.ph and ppt_do@yahoo.com. Messages can be sent to the Passport Division’s Facebook page, Philippine Passport,” it said. Supertyphoon Yolanda, the strongest typhoon to hit the country in 2013, has already left three people dead and seven others injured as it lashed several regions in Read More …