Super Typhoon to hit Philippines

I gather that the Isle of Man, which is financially independent of the UK, has donated £100,000

Ah well there's the rub, almost none of the international aid is in the form of cash. But the government could well make money out of all this. I read earlier today that the head of the Bureau of Internal Revenue has said that international aid agencies that course their aid through DSWD will not be liable for tax on the value of their donations which, conversely, means that those that will use their own teams to distribute the air will be taxed.

A government spokesman has also said that overseas agencies such as Save the Children and Oxfam must be entirely self-supporting, including the fact they can not rely on the government for logistical support. That accounts for why the Medecin sans Frontier team who've been in Cebu since Saturday morning can not get to Tacloban or Samar as the PAF refuses to take them. I'm led to believe that the MSF team have actually gone home in disgust.

There are Filipino groups collecting for charitable purposes. The trick is to find a bona fide one that you can trust. They can ensure the money gets to the recipients in the form of goods or whatever.

Looks like some relief is getting through.

From Facebook - I Love Tacloban

Sorry for the google translation...

Carpe diem or what glad to see the flip flops I guess its safe to be a tadge criticle of the administration again:hiding:

Rob, glad to hear that they managed to get through OK and they are on their way to safety. Got a couple of questions.
Did they see any other milatry personel in town or was it just at their checkpoint on the bridge?
A daft question given the circumstances but it just my practical nature - what is going to happen to your's and the families houses now? Obviously a personal question and feel free not to answer.

I'm not sure about the point scoring thing, personally I'm leaning towards general ineptitude at higher levels and crippling bureaucracy coupled with minimal local govt at street level because they've been wiped out / sorting their own families. Mainly I think its down to the inept response of the goverment and military

Watching the news as aid finally starts to get through, this isnt just about Tacloban or northern Cebu its also about the east coast of Samar, Guiuan, and Panay / Iloilo. This typhoon cut a path of devastation right across the visayas.

Yes, a big project providing aid and support over such a large area.

Just hope that things finally fall into place tomorrow after such a slow start.

btw, anybody know of an online Warai-English translation facility?
Google translates Tagalog and Cebuano but not Warai.

Not forgetting - but the government and media appear to have - northern Cebu, Mindoro and Coron/Palawan.

Aquinos death toll tally of 2500 looks daft:


"The United Nations has nearly doubled the death toll from the devastating typhoon that struck the Philippines to over 4,400 people - a substantial rise from an earlier estimate of 2,357.

Typhoon Haiyan has also displaced more than 900,000 people, with the city of Tacloban expected to run out of fuel within a few days. Almost 12 million people have been affected by the storm, which is thought to be one of the most powerful to ever strike land, UN said on Thursday.

These numbers are in stark contrast to the death toll of 2,000 to 2,500 which was forecast by Filipino President Benigno Aquino earlier this week, but still less than the 10,000 deaths initially estimated by local authorities. "


http://rt.com/news/philippines-typhoon-death-toll-741/


Therea are reports that all 1800 on a single island have been wiped out.

Look closely. I did include Northern Cebu.

British raise 1.6 billion php in 48 hours

"British-Pinay singer and television presenter Myleene Klass joined the Disaster Emergency Committee or D.E.C.'s appeal for aid.

In just 48 hours, the nationwide typhoon appeal launched by the D.E.C. has raised 23 million pounds (roughly P1.61 billion).

Moved by the typhoon tragedy that engulfed Samar and overwhelmed by the flood of aid from British public, another group headed by Vanessa Horca hit the London streets to raise funds for the Red Cross.

"It really touched me a lot and I really felt I had to do something as my heritage is from the Philippines. In particular, my grandfather is from Leyte and I knew that people are really desperate so I had to do something where I could raise money for the typhoon victims," she said."

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-f...-raise-p16-b-ph-typhoon-victims-just-48-hours

Britain is also digging deep for Children In Need, just now.

Good news.

After three days waiting, they have finally managed to get cash from Western Union, and have been able to buy provisions to take back to Babatngon.

I met a girl online who either worked in Catbalogan and lived in Calbayog or the other way around. Actually she lived close to the airport. I had made advanced plans to visit her but circumstances changed. I was going to try and get a trip to the caves on the east of the island....funnily enough she worked in a "local" money transfer outfit who's name I can't recall now.

Checking back, it was Calbayog where she lived and Catbalogan where she worked.

Most definately the sensible option to avoid the main town. One of the nieces in the province is going to try to make her wat to us in Olongapo by bus tomorrow. We'll see if she makes it.

Well good luck with the house in the future. I hope it all works out for you and the family, but like you say I think demand in Tacloban and the surrounding areas for houses will be quite low for some considerable time.

Emilio Mario Renner Osmeña, Jr. also known as Lito Osmeña, owns Carnaza Island. He has given 2 Kg of rice to every household in Carnaza as well as giving tarpaulins and mats to the people made homeless by the Super Typhoon there. Not all politicians are selfish.

A prince amoung theives?