Disasters

MANILA, Philippines – The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has cited the need for the Philippines to have its own specialized disaster management agency with a highly competent “Disaster Czar” to attend to disaster risk mitigation.

The government, the Church and the private sector on Friday sign the three-way agreement for joint disaster recovery and reconstruction effort to address the massive task of rebuilding on the damage left by killer typhoons in the country.

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) recommended yesterday that typhoon victims, volunteers, rescuers, and even journalists undergo psychological processing and stress debriefing to overcome possible trauma caused by their ordeal during the calamity.

Bangkok—Non-government organizations from Southeast Asian nations have pressed developed countries to shoulder the burden of climate change effects in the region as they use the Philippine experience during the onslaught of Ondoy and Pepeng to push for more financing and cooperation.

MANILA, Philippines – Powerful storms that claimed nearly 1,000 lives in the Philippines have also taken a heavy toll on the nation’s economy, which is expected to take years to recover.

THE United Nations raised concern that the series of catastrophes that hit the Philippines in the last two months will make it difficult for the nation to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that seek to address the global poverty and hunger situation.

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Justice has created a task force of 41 prosecutors that would look into complaints of typhoon victims whose insurance claims on damaged homes and motor vehicles are being held off by their respective insurers.

Over the weekend, one of our friends, Pastor Manny Carlos shared a statement that his hair stylist made about flood victims.

MANILA, Philippines – The government needs over P30 billion and at least 10 more years to completely relocate over half a million families of informal settlers near and around waterways in Metro Manila.

MANILA, Philippines – For a few weeks recently, Facebook and Twitter momentarily ceased to be just social networking sites. As Ondoy and later Pepeng rendered streets impassable, downed telephone lines and cut off electricity, people turned to mobile Internet to reach out to family and friends.

Most Metro Manila households and commercial and industrial establishments affected by Ondoy’s wrath may slowly be getting back to shape, but not so for the insurance industry which is working overtime to process the deluge of claims.

A canal in Amsterdam: We should consult the best engineers and international consultants, like the Dutch, who are flood experts.

MANILA – It is possible for ordinary citizens to predict oncoming floods using a low-cost, do-it-yourself gadget. This is according to Dr. Carlos Arcilla, Director of the National Institute for Geological Sciences (NIGS) at the University of the Philippines- Diliman.

MANILA – Concerned health groups are hoping to give more condoms and toiletries to victims of tropical storm Ondoy, in an effort to respond to reproductive health (RH) problems in overcrowded evacuation centers.

The handling of the Ondoy disaster was a massive managerial failure, I said last week in my column.

ORGANIC farming advocates have called on the Department of Agriculture to integrate disaster preparedness and risk reduction by funding programs that will make farming resilient to natural calamities. Lawyer Efren Moncupa, lead convenor of Go Organic! Philippines said the government should “allocate adequate fund for disaster preparedness, to reduce risk of losing billions of pesos…

President Gloria Arroyo announced on Tuesday the creation of a Special National Public-Private Reconstruction Commission that would hasten fund sourcing and quicken the country’s coping mechanism against effects of recent calamities. Mrs. Arroyo made the announcement in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, on Tuesday where she led a meeting of the Cabinet and the National Disaster Coordinating…

MANILA, Philippines – The competitiveness of the Philippines when compared to other countries is expected to drop next year as more money is allocated for social services to help typhoon victims, the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) said yesterday.

The state-run Social Security System (SSS) relaxed loan-application procedures to help its members who were affected by recent storms to apply for emergency credit, the pension fund announced in a statement Monday.

MANILA, Philippines –  State-run pension funds, which have been swamped with loan applications after the destruction brought by two killer typhoons, are now bending over backwards in an effort to service the growing number of claims.

Manufacturers of construction materials want the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to clarify whether the price ceiling on their products should be based on the average prices in the last three months, or on the prices just before the state of calamity was declared. Jesus Arranza, Federation of Philippine Industries president, said that manufacturers…

To help members, especially those hit by tropical storm “Ondoy,” get back on their feet, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has said it will give borrowers of housing and consolidated loans the chance to hold off monthly payments for one year.

MANILA, Philippines – Moody’s Economy.com, the economic research and analysis arm of New York-based credit-rating firm Moody’s Investors Service, said the impact of tropical storm Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) and typhoon Pepeng (Parma) on the country’s domestic output is minimal.

MANILA, Philippines – State-run Home Guaranty Corp. (HGC) is allotting at least 3,000 residential units, mostly sequestered assets, for victims of the two typhoons that recently battered the country.

MANILA, Philippines – The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the state-owned pension fund for employees in the public sector, is giving borrowers of housing and consolidated loans the chance to hold off monthly payments for one year.

CLARK FREEPORT, Philippines — Labor Secretary Marianito Roque has ordered emergency employment of workers in areas hit by storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”

IF YOU bring your flood-damaged car to a dealership today, chances are it will be worked on next year, according to Toyota Marikina.

MANILA, Philippines – Businesses have lost up to P1 billion because of the devastation caused by tropical storm “Ondoy,” according to the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

THE Philippine economy is expected to recover right away from the devastation wrought by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” and Typhoon “Pepeng” in recent weeks.

President Gloria Arroyo lifted the “state of calamity” imposed because of the menace of two destructive storms over the central and southern Philippines a week ago, an official said Saturday.