tagged w/ Philippines
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As the Philippines begins to bury more than a 1,000 disaster victims in mass graves, Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ordered an investigation into last weekend's flash flood and landslide, including looking at the role of illegal logging. Officials have pointed to both climate change and vast deforestation as likely exacerbating the disaster.
"We have no desire to engage in finger-pointing or to assign blame at a time like this. Yet, we have an obligation to find out exactly what has happened," Aquino said, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
On Friday, Typhoon Sendong brought 12 hours of continuous rain to Mindanao Island; reports say rivers flooded and villagers were crushed by logs or drowned. The Philippines has declared a national disaster with the storm affecting 338,000 people in 13 provinces. The storm is now the deadliest of 2011.
President Aquino stated that he was concerned a logging ban was violated, worsening the disaster. In February, following flooding that killed around 40 people, Aquino banned logging across the Philippines arguing that deforestation had made much of the country dangerously prone to landslide and flooding.
Tropical cyclone Sendong as seen by NASA's Terra satellite. Photo by: NASA.
However, a priest who worked in the area, Sean McDonagh, told The Universe Catholic Weekly that decades of deforestation was to blame for the scale of the disaster. Much of the region was converted from rainforest into pineapple plantations.
"The deforestation was literally criminal," he said. "If the rainforest in the area had been left intact, even 12 hours of continuous rain would not cause this devastation. The rainforest canopy would stop the torrential rain from hitting the ground directly. Trees would also absorb the water. While you might have local floods, you would not have the disaster which happened the other night."
Father McDonagh said the deforested mountain-sides were now being sold-off for open-pit mining which would only worsen future flooding impacts.
"Ten or twenty years from now, the disastrous floods will kill hundreds more almost every year and contain mercury, cyanide and other heavy metals. This is the time to stop the madness of the plunder of the Philippines," Father McDonagh said.
He added there must be a "serious effort" to reforest the mountains.
Officials have also stated that climate change likely exacerbated the intensity of the storm.
Senator Loren Legarda told the Sun Times that in an age of climate change the government must do more to reduce risks in the fact of such disasters.
"With this calamitous flood disaster, now the fourth that has struck our country, and the second in Mindanao just this year, climate change is now a clear and present danger and a national security concern for our country," Legarda said, calling the reduction of disaster risk a "moral responsibility."
In fact, according to Jeff Masters with Weather Underground, sea surface temperatures at Mindanao were 1 degree Celsius above average with the warm waters adding around 7 percent more moisture into the atmosphere than usual.
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A report in 2009 by the Philippine Imperative for Climate Change (PICC), World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines (WWF), and Filipino scientists predicted just such a disaster in Mindanao as happened on Friday. Simulating extreme weather possibilities the group found that the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, both hit hard by the typhoon, were particularly vulnerable to intense flooding from storm surges and overflowing rivers.
Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan, chief executive of WWF-Philippines, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the disaster over the weekend "was an exact fit."
However, the 2009 IPCC report was largely ignored by legislators.
"They said I was being too alarmist," Nereus Acosta, who headed the IPCC at the time, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Read more: http://news.mongabay.com/2011/1220-hance_philippines_disaster.html#ixzz1hCRZAxzJ
More at the linkAs the Philippines begins to bury more than a 1,000 disaster victims in mass graves,... more
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The death toll from Tropical Storm Washi, which struck the southern island of Mindanao in the Philippines over the weekend, has reached at least 900 and climbing. The storm may soon become the deadliest storm of 2011, beating out flash floods in Brazil in January.
Although the Philippines overall is a country that is no stranger to tropical cyclones, these storms typically bypass the southernmost areas, which means that Washi struck a relatively unprepared population.
NASA satellite view of Tropical Storm Washi as the storm approached the island of Mindanao in the Philippines on Saturday.
Washi made landfall on Saturday night as a minimal tropical storm with 45 mph winds, but it was embedded within a massive plume of tropical moisture that contributed to heavy rainfall on the island that lasted for as long as 100 hours. The flash flooding that resulted swept people from their homes, leaving destroyed communities in their wake. As the New York Times reports:
In neighborhoods throughout the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, similar stories could be heard: Flash floods caused by Tropical Storm Washi surged into the homes of sleeping families, and hundreds were drowned or dragged to their deaths by the currents.
The storm hit an area in the Philippines that is not accustomed to tropical storms and typhoons, since such storms typically form and make landfall to the north of the island of Mindanao. This unfamiliarity with such storms heightened the risks of a mass casualty event.
Over at Weather Underground, Jeff Masters notes the presence of unusually warm sea surface temperatures offshore, which contributed to the heavy rainfall.
More at the linkThe death toll from Tropical Storm Washi, which struck the southern island of Mindanao... more
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Gunmen free American teenager in southern Philippines
New U.N. climate deal struck, critics say gains modest
Strong earthquake rattles Mexico, killing twoGunmen free American teenager in southern Philippines
New U.N. climate deal struck,... more
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This is one of my favorite stories my grandfather tells of his military service.
Shanghaid in Shanghai
By Ron Turner
We sailed aboard the USS J C BRECKENRIDGE from San Diego somewhere around the end of Jan. first of Feb. 1947. A whole bunch of Marines, fresh out of boot camp, headed for China, stopping at a few islands in the Pacific along the way. We first sailed up the coast to San Francisco and picked up some Navy personnel and service dependents. Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time and sailing under it was impressive.
It was a couple days of rough sailing to Hawaii. It was best not to stand along the railing at the exit from the mess hall. Guys had trouble holding their food down.
We were met in Honolulu by a band and hula girls on the dock. I had the unfortunate experience of being on a painting detail down in the boiler room at the time. Didn't see any of this. We had an afternoon of liberty and walked all the way to Waikiki and back. I remember seeing the beach and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Somewhere along the way we stopped and shot pool. We left some Marines there. Seemed like a great place to pull duty but I had my mind set on going to China.
From there to Guam was smooth sailing. The ocean was flat as a table top. Saw some flying fish for the first time and some schools of porpoise. We felt a bump at one time. Someone said we hit a whale. Never saw it. Otherwise it was very boring for a few days. They were asking for volunteers to stay on Guam. I hid. Didn't seem like a very fun place to serve.
Manila was interesting. A bunch of young kids were swimming next to the ship when we docked. Not a healthy place to swim. They would dive for coins guys would throw in the water. We had liberty that evening and were impressed with the friendliness of the locals. They were still thankful remembering how we freed them from the Japanese. They would give you transportation to and from town for little or nothing, mostly in jeeps. A nickel or dime was fine with them. Didn't do much except walk around and take in the sights.
I walked a post on the upper deck of the ship in the middle of that night and never forget it. There were rats as large as house cats, very large house cats, roaming the docks. Docking ropes to the ship had large discs fastened to them to keep the varmints from coming aboard. There were men sleeping on top of stacks of bags of grain but the rats never touched them.
Shanghai was a most unforgettable experience.After we docked we were given liberty at approximately 1700 hours. We were advised not to go alone because of the threat of being rolled. We heard there was an enlisted mens club there so six of us, Bob Thatcher, Bob Vaughn, myself and three other guys whose names escape me decided to go there and shoot some pool and have a few beers. On the dock the only transportation we could see were pedicabs. China marines know what they are but for those who don't they are three wheeled vehicles much like a bicycle with a seat for passengers, usually two, in the back. There were only two cabs available, we dickered with the boys for a ride. They said they knew where the club was and could handle three passengers in each cab. And so off we went in this strange land and rode for what seemed an hour. We had no idea where we were so were at the mercy of our pedicab boys. Suddenly we turned in to a blind alley. A honey wagon (human waste transporting cart) pulled in behind us blocking our exit. It seemed like a hundred Chinese men in their long dress like robes with their hands up their sleeves surrounded us. we were ordered out of the cabs and and they asked for all our money. What could we do? We were greatly outnumbered. Then they took our watches and rings. Bob vaughn said he had a knife tucked in his sock and should he use it? We advised him not to. Like I said, we were outnumbered. We were then free to go.
So here we are, somewhere in Shanghai, and didn't know which way to go to get back to the ship. We were due back at the ship at 2200 hours. Nobody spoke English except the pedicab guys and they were long gone we tried using sign language but that didn't work. After walking several blocks, probably in the wrong direction, we came
upon a policeman and although he didn't speak English, he seemed to know we wanted to get back to our ship. He pointed in a certain direction and we headed that way. After communicating with several more policemen along the way we finally got back to our ship at about 2145 hours. six tired marines. That was our liberty in shanghai. "Shanghaid in Shanghai" I tell my friends & relatives.
A couple days later we pulled in to the port of Tsingtao. I served as a military policeman for about 18 months.This is one of my favorite stories my grandfather tells of his military service.... more
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At 6.4 meters and 2,370 lbs, the crocodile has been recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records to be the largest salt water crocodile in captivity. Local officials have named the crocodile 'Lolong' and are planning to use it as a tourist attraction.At 6.4 meters and 2,370 lbs, the crocodile has been recognized by the Guiness Book of... more
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Philippine authorities warned that at least a million people living in flooded villages and farmland were set to be pounded by more devastating rain from a second typhoon.
Typhoon Nesat pummelled the Philippines' main island of Luzon on Tuesday, killing at least 43 people and leaving 30 others missing as it dumped the biggest single-day volume of rain on the disaster-weary country this year.
Large areas of Luzon remain flooded with some villages enduring water nearly two storeys high, and the government said another typhoon was expected to dump just as much rain as Nesat over the same areas this weekend.
"You must help us warn these people to move to higher ground," National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management chief Benito Ramos told AFP on Friday.
"The problem is, the floodwaters from Nesat have not ebbed. Water-soaked soil is prone to landslides and flash floods."
The second typhoon, named Nalgae, was due to hit Luzon, home to 48 million people, on Saturday night with peak winds of 130 kilometres (80 miles) an hour, the state weather service said.
Ramos said churches, schools and gymnasiums were being prepared for people to seek refuge.
About 160,000 flood victims were already in state-run evacuation camps due to Nesat, with at least one million people across Luzon affected, according to government data.
Many of those affected have remained in the flooded areas, choosing a soaked existence in their homes with the support of their families and friends over crowded, poorly equipped evacuation centres.
The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 major storms a year and those living in the flat, farming plains of Luzon are used to dealing with floods each year as torrents of waters run down from mountains to the north.
But Dondon Meneses, a 23-year-old duck egg vendor, living in Candaba, a farming town in central Luzon about two hours' drive north of Manila, said Nesat's rains had been the heaviest in his lifetime.
More at the linkPhilippine authorities warned that at least a million people living in flooded... more
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The Phillippines has also been hit very hard by these storms, but it is the flooding that is causing the most danger.The Phillippines has also been hit very hard by these storms, but it is the flooding... more
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A huge clean-up operation is under way in the Philippines after Typhoon Nesat battered the capital Manila and the main island, Luzon.
Link : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15086050A huge clean-up operation is under way in the Philippines after Typhoon Nesat battered... more
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‘L-Word’ star kisses girl, gets escorted off plane,Huge floods in Manila as typhoon hits Philippines,Young people say online meanness pervasive‘L-Word’ star kisses girl, gets escorted off plane,Huge floods in Manila... more
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A powerful typhoon has struck the Philippines, triggering floods, cutting power and halting work in the capital Manila.
link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15070550A powerful typhoon has struck the Philippines, triggering floods, cutting power and... more
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September 4 2011 - BUTUAN City, Philippines:
Villagers and veteran hunters have captured a one-ton saltwater crocodile which they plan to make the star of a planned ecotourism park in a southern Philippine town. About 100 people had to pull the crocodile, which weighs about 2,370 pounds (1,075 kilograms), from the creek to a clearing where a crane lifted it into a truck.September 4 2011 - BUTUAN City, Philippines:
Villagers and veteran hunters have... more
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Hey Coca-Cola! I know how big the Coca-Cola brand is over in the Philippines. Let's help Junrey Balawing and his family out and make him the face of Coca-Cola Philippines.Hey Coca-Cola! I know how big the Coca-Cola brand is over in the Philippines.... more
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Six women dressed as nuns stood anxiously in a queue at Manila’s chaotic international airport, unaware their shoes were about to end their dreams of an illegal job abroad.Six women dressed as nuns stood anxiously in a queue at Manila’s chaotic... more
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Judging from these photos, Albie Casiño loves to show off his toned abs. The sexy teen hunk loves being photographed with his fit body. http://getitfromboy.net/albie-casino-scandal/Judging from these photos, Albie Casiño loves to show off his toned abs. The... more
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Meet Weng Weng... Only 2 foot '9 inches tall, Weng Weng fights crime in the Phillippines as Agent 00.
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Why the feck does this only have 1.5 million views? The entire world needs to see this!!!Meet Weng Weng... Only 2 foot '9 inches tall, Weng Weng fights crime in the... more
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Women farmers will be welcoming the next rice cropping season in June by putting up a community seed bank exchange a move that will empower women farmers, promote sustainable agriculture and reduce hunger incidence in rural areas.
Members of the National Coalition of Rural Women will set aside some 16 hectares for organic rice production in the province of Nueva Ecija. This is just a tiny plot compared to the thousands of hectares devoted to rice planting in the province known as the Philippine rice granary. But this step is crucial in pushing most marginalized rural women to have a say in food production.
"It's the women who, by tradition, act as seed keepers in the farm. We just want to give back to the women this traditional role, " Daryl Leyesa, the coalition's secretary general, said in an interview with Xinhua.
Leyesa has worked and researched on rural women concerns for the last ten years. Her latest research, commissioned by the Philippine Center for Rural Development Studies, noted that while women spend 11 hours a day for both farming and household work.
"These women in agriculture spend as much as eight to eleven hours a day in productive and reproductive work-i.e. acquiring capital for farming (usually through credit), carrying out planting activities, marketing the primary crop and backyard produce, and providing for their household's daily survival needs, " according to Leyesa's study entitled "Women in Agriculture".
The study further noted that women farmers spend as much as six hours a day for domestic work. This includes preparing farm tools and food for farm laborers, fetching water, gardening, foraging, wood gathering, raising poultry and livestock, and other livelihood activities. Being seed keepers give rural women more control over production and this won't only promote gender equity but food security as well, said Leyesa.
It's the women, after all, who is responsible for putting food in the table for her family, according to Trinidad Domingo, president of the National Coalition of Rural Women.
"I'm not married but I act as the mother to all my nephews and nieces. Like most mothers, I have to make sure that there's enough food for them," she said.
Domingo is worried that the looming global food crisis will hurt rural women more as they are the ones who need to find a way, including scrimping on their own food, just so that their family can eat even during lean times.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) forecast a spike in food prices this year following a huge reduction in global rice and wheat stocks. Extreme weather condition, combined with rising population, urbanization and increased usage of grains for fuel and feed slashed grains production.
The Manila-based lender estimates a 10 percent rise in domestic food prices in developing Asia, home to 3.3 billion people, could push an additional 64 million people into extreme poverty.
"For poor families in developing Asia, who already spend more than 60 percent of their income on food, higher food prices further reduce their ability to pay for medical care and their children's education," ADB Chief Economist Changyong Rhee said in a statement.
Filipino rural women are among those who will be driven further into poverty. Leyesa recalled that in 2008, at the height of a rice crisis that sent food prices soaring, rural women didn't only scrimp on food and other expenses but also borrowed heavily to feed their family.
But women leaders like Domingo know they can do something to improve their plight.
Putting up a community seed bank is a significant step towards that direction.
Advocates of sustainable agriculture believe in the importance of seed keeping. This is about taking seed production out of the hands of giant corporations, returning to them to the hands of farmers and encouraging them to be more self-reliant and lessen their dependence on commercial seeds.
And with climate change also threatening food production, seed keeping has become more imperative. Farmers who save and breed seeds can develop specific varieties of seeds that are more suited to their specific province and climate.Women farmers will be welcoming the next rice cropping season in June by putting up a... more
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Analisa Hegyesi came into the radar because of a controversy in Australia. Analisa Hegyesi has been reportedly axed from a reality TV show called Renovators because of her being a child of Philippines former leader, Ferdinand Marcos. http://getitfromboy.net/analisa-hegyesi-marcos-australian-daughter/Analisa Hegyesi came into the radar because of a controversy in Australia. Analisa... more
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