How bad it is in Manila via @Big_Boy_Jim
On the 26th day of September 2009, Tropical Storm Ondoy, known as Ketsana to you international folks visited my hometown of Metro Manila, capital of the Philippines. Ondoy wept sixteen point seven inches of rainfall in twelve hours and turned my hometown into an ocean. If you want to frame it in proper context, scientists have told us that the typical rainfall in Metro Manila for the month of September was fifteen inches of rain. Put it in another way, rainfall in Florida and Louisiana when Katrina visited the United States was fifteen inches.
On twitter, people were calling it worst than Katrina.
I would like to be writing here that those people were wrong. I would love nothing more than to say that the government had stepped in, with full confidence to rescue people trapped on top of their homes, especially in Cainta. I wished that I could tell you government was prepared and that we are coordinated in delivering rescue and relief.
We are saddened by the loss of life. @ageofbrillig tweeted a report over AM radio station DZMM: “Bodies at provident Village found inside their vehicles, many of the deceased were female.”
The destruction wrought on property, the trauma this experience brought people is another matter entirely.
People almost everywhere were huddled up at the highest level of their house. They were people I knew. They were friends. Some of them had little or no food. Another had his car soaked in water. He hasn’t started it, waiting for a mechanic. His clinic though was a disaster area, with books drenched. His clinic was in the first level of their house. My cousin’s in-laws were trapped in the second floor of their house. All their food and rice, underwater. They only had some bananas to get them through the night. In other parts of the city, the water had risen up to the third level. They’re not the only ones. As I type this, friends who live in Pasig continue to be trapped with rescue still far as waters are still too high and boats, too few.
You can see this stream of Ondoy for the snaps.
This is how bad Ondoy was: it pounded Metro Manila as Manny Pacquiao would his victims in the ring.
Yesterday, today and I hope tomorrow continue to be a moment for the aspirants in next year’s election to shine. Though partisanship is set aside in this time of great crisis. Noynoy Aquino and his choice for Vice President, Mar Roxas were hard at work to deliver relief work. Senator Manny Villar had a fleet of dump trucks ready to help the stranded. Senator Dick Gordon of the Red Cross was good to go to rescue people. People everywhere were tweeting and helping out. They still do now. Sending information on who needed help or where to send for help, in donations.
There is a Filipino word for it: Bayanihan.
The government led by aspirant Secretary of Defense Teodoro and the President were huddled in a military camp. They were meeting to talk about what to do. It wasn’t until nightfall that they were able to decide to send out 13 rubber boats. The worst hit area was assigned only one boat. Cainta remains unaccounted for. Did I mention that many more are trapped in Pasig as I write this?
The MMDA and the government are doing their best, as best as they could manage. That’s not to say, it was or is enough. It is to say though we are appreciative of the service the people on the ground are doing. The grunts, we owe beer to. The ones on top though, they fall short.
In the next few days, blame will be laid down, mostly, on Bayani Fernando’s head, one could imagine. He is Metro Manila Development Authority head. His duty is Urban Planning. His thankless job is to keep the streets from flooding and to keep garbage collected as well as to maintain traffic.
I probably should have written “was”, instead of “is”. Can he keep his job after this?
To put blame on the guy, isn’t without merit but the blame isn’t his entirely. The Metro Manila Mayors— the local government units should have been better prepared for disaster. Metro Manila should have been better prepared. It isn’t like this is the first time the Metropolis was visited by a tropical storm, much less a typhoon. It isn’t the first time that flood waters have risen in the city. It will not be the last either.
We’re not just talking about flood waters here or Typhoons. It could be a tidal wave next time. It could be an Earthquake.
We must move past the blame, and step into the future.
In the next few days, the People of Manila will be picking up the pieces of their shattered lives. We will bury our dead. We will fix our cars and our homes and our roads. We are thankful for the gift of still having clothes on our back, while others have none and some have lost even more than mere numbers could quantify. Then our lives will gradually return to normal.
The thing that troubles me the most is that this problem we have is wider in depth and scope than merely preventing disaster. It is even greater than merely being ready to face that unknown future where ultimately we will again be tested. It encompasses the other challenges of city life. The terrible traffic, the state of our mass transit, the way we manage our waste and how our metropolis is designed.
Roch (pronounced, Rosh), a friend of mine recently returned from Taiwan. She blogged about how efficient the mass transit system there and had this wish:
For Metro Manila, I know it’s close to impossible. This is my challenge for the next president, hope he/she could plan for this so we can have something similar in the future. This can definitely help the terrible traffic problem that we have in the country.
Those of us who’ve been around the world can understand where Roch is coming from. Can we look each other in the eye and say that this is worth pursuing?
It started on the 26th Day of September, 2009. It continues now. Filipinos showed a depth of our generosity and unparalleled heroism as each held another’s arms, helping out as best we could, no matter how little it was.
To call for unity is a tired cliche, I know. I tell you this. To answer the great perils of tomorrow, to meet our current challenges, we must unite Metro Manila in the same way the people of Manila have shown courage and unity in the face of adversity.
The people of Metro Manila can no longer afford to meet the challenges of tomorrow, separately. It doesn’t matter if it is flooding, traffic, garbage or population explosion or any other dozen challenges. What happens in Quezon City, affects those in Makati, in Mandaluyong and vice-versa.
This is the Institutional Reform that must be undertaken.
How confident am I that Metro Manila can be a better city, ready to meet disaster and adversity head on and still smile about it?
Two trillion peso contribution into the national economy and we’re not taking care of our capital?
Metro Manila is made up of a loose confederation of sixteen cities and the municipality of Pateros. There is no central governing authority, meaning each city tries to solve both distinctive problems and similar problems separately while sharing a common infrastructure. They have interconnecting roads, sewerage, garbage disposal problems. Whether crime, garbage, quality of roads, traffic affect every city but there is no common thrust to systematically solve them. So the problem of traffic on one end of Makati can find itself stretching all the way to Quezon City, passing through Mandaluyong, as an example. Excessive traffic along Espana caused by flooding (however fast it recedes) affects traffic in Quezon City. All the cities share the same problem of waste disposal, and pollution and a population that constantly travels across city lines.
There is a Metro-wide service agency called the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) that does planning, monitoring, and other functions. The MMDA council is composed of mayors that approve of the plan but the agency is headed by an appointed official by the Philippine President.
More often than not, Metro Manila Mayors are up in arms against the head of the MMDA. From the mayors’ point of view, this is understandable. They are elected officials. They are subject to the will of their constituents. The MMDA Head is not and subject only to the whims of the sitting President of the Republic.
The position of the MMDA Head is likewise understandable. He has a job to do. His job is urban planning, monitoring but he needs to do more: he needs to solve traffic among other things. Given the limited funds he has and given the limited powers of his office. That and we the people can’t fire his behind, or reward him with a new term if he does a great job.
The existing structure promotes conflict between various stakeholders and makes the delivery of infrastructure and city-services much more difficult.
A number of models already exist that provide an answer to the festering problem of Metro Manila. Montreal and New York City are perfect example of what Metro Manila can be.
Recently, New York magazine asked why New Yorkers are living longer than most Americans. The magazine described the city of New York as a massive stair master. The massive subway and stairway system so purposely designed is making New Yorkers walk more and thus they become healthier.
By acting in concert, by having a unified Government for Metro Manila, maybe we can do more than prepare for the next disaster, or fix our garbage collection, and our unemployed and street vendors and a dozen other challenges. It also needs to leverage social media to face future disasters. We also need to leverage google maps and gps. All this requires of us a concentrated effort. It needs a united front. Even thought it sounds so trivial in the face of Ondoy’s devastation, maybe we can look our women friends in the eye, with full confidence and say: “Traffic and mass transportation? Yeah, there’s hope for us.”
Before the tired and the weary argue that all this is an exaggeration and before they snipe that the capital goes underwater and people act as if this is the end of the country, can you see that this can be, a new beginning?
Renewal. Redemption. Rebirth.
Metro Manila is our capital, our metropolis. It is our front door to the world. The capital of any nation is a symbol of who it is, and what it hopes to aspire to. As a people, we’ve not much to be proud of. We’ve no monuments, and no Eiffle Tower, no Taj Mahal, no Washington Mall nor Great Pyramid. Metro Manila can be a symbol of what we are proud of, what we aspire our entire country to be. It can be the symbol of our courage to set aside our fears; a symbol of our unity. Maybe we can solve our questions of traffic, and transportation, and our garbage and city design and care for our people’s health. And maybe, just maybe best prepare for the next disaster that we can stem the destruction of property but more importantly, the loss of life. We must unite our Metro Manila under one government. We can start this the day after Ondoy. This is the Institutional Reform we must undertake.
Errata: the date stamp was previously 27th day. thanks to @cvj for the correction.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Unlike in New Orleans where the flood came from the sea via storm surge, yesterday’s floods came from uphill. We need more trees upriver to soak up the water that would otherwise come rushing down as it did yesterday.
yes, we need that too.
US-based individuals can send donations to Philippine National
Red Cross or Caritas (or other NGO’s) using the Ayala Foundation
site. [You can only charge the donation to MasterCard or Visa.]
http://www.af-usa.org/donate_now_form.asp
thank you for sharing. i hope those who can share, to please do.
cocoy,
It is hard to blame people in office for great calamities. Any more than when Pinatubo erupted. The lousy drainage infrastructure in Manila, and similar problems, can be laid at the feet of every president since WW II. Hard to place it on existing people.
If people get a GOOD out of this disaster, it is that it is a wake-up call, and there ought to be a major national focus on global warming: intense storms, rising seas, and micro-climate changes. It ought to be a NASA style government scientific and engineering project.
Joe
I think we should stop making excuses on behalf of our government.
I think we should stop enjoying the blame game and recognize that each and everyone of us failed.
I think that the robber is the more evil than his victim.
It’s called demanding accountability.
“I think we should stop enjoying the blame game and recognize that each and everyone of us failed.”
I wonder why we still pay taxes and suffer the arrogance of powerful people, if in the end we blame ourselves too. Dapat wala na lang gobyerno diba?
BrianB,
Because we voted them. We’re the ones who put them there. We’re the ones who mandated that they rule.
Ay, oo nga pala, they cheated. Har har.
Jon, spot on. Your reasoning should silence the critics.
…which is the intended effect.
I think we should stop blaming the government for everything, including circumstances beyond anyones control. Who could have predicted this amount of rainfall in so short a time? If you are the one in charged, what could you have done? Would the lives of those hundreds have been spared if you were the president of Pinas?
Btw, what have you done to help?
@LaTtEX is right: we all fracked up. Time to move past the blame, and let’s just do what needs fixing. From my point of view, that means uniting the City in the way Montreal or New York is.
I’m sure others have ideas too. One thing for sure, we have to step up. we shouldn’t wait until the next disaster.
Battered wife syndrome.
We’re so conditioned to hearing government excuses all these years, that we have unconsciously accepted and even offer these on their behalf.
“Ondoy” (also Sulpicio-Princess Stars) provide life-and-death issues. May-2010 voters have to listen to the candidates to see if they care and if candidates can do differently than the current-administration policies.
Instead of spending all your money on buying vehicles, pay your taxes and demand sidewalks and a civilized sewer system.
We’re also quite conditioned to blaming the government. So nothing happens. Nobody moves. Same thing year in year out.
Because it’s their fault. Always. Even if we’re the ones who vote them.
Development continues in places that hold potential hazards for floods, like in the lower basins of of areas surrounding the Metro. Nobody studies the disaster possibilities. They’ll say, “Ang negative mo naman.” But you have to think of the negative too; thinking the worst-case scenarios. They are part of proper planning. Challenge for candidates here.
The blame game is a big step away from the ounce of prevention that could have bumped off the need for the millions of pounds of cure. No one can be blamed though for not expecting that areas that were never flooded suddenly became jetski pools overnight. Everyone though may share the blame in many things; littering trash on the streets, voting wrong officials, not thinking etc. But best get over blaming and start acting.
I read that a doctor suggested that malls should make their parking garages available to the public for free. It’s a good suggestion that was pickup by Gibo and should be made a permanent part of the disaster management plan for MM. The food courts at the malls should also be made available to the government during disasters like this.
supremo,
That might work, but parking in many malls are underground. I surmise the parking in Makati malls, almost all underground, were all well underwater yesterday.
Jon,
Then new malls should be mandated to have above ground parking that are also earthquake proof.
“We’re also quite conditioned to blaming the government. So nothing happens. Nobody moves. Same thing year in year out.
Because it’s their fault. Always. Even if we’re the ones who vote them.” -Jon
And we are the ones who throw all those garbage that clog the drainage and build houses on rivers and creeks. Everybody is to blame, including cvj!
JoeAm: PinatubJoeAm: Pinatubo is a whole different ballgame from metro-Manila flooding.
Did you see the blurb that there are less than twenty government-managed pumpboats available for metro-Manila? GMA has been in office for enough years — she could have raised VAT to fund another flood-causeway or pumping station. Definitely there should have been money for another 6 pumpboats, one would think. Then of course, responsibility falls on mayors and councilors as well as Fernando/MMDA for maintenance of esteros. Dept Public Works has responsibility for the pumping stations.
By the way — there may be a business opportunity. Search-and-Rescue for-hire. Three to six jon boats flatboats (like this)
http://www.gatortraxboats.com/hurricane44.jpg
crew, radio, trailers and other gear. PhilNational Red Cross as well as Public works or Defense should be good sources of contracts.
UP n,
Yes, you are correct, Pinatubo is different. And Manila infrastructure is horrible. And man-caused.
But one does not build a city in one year or nine.
However, one can start today to build a dramatically better city, if one’s government is so inclined.
There are many excellent ideas in this blog thread alone, if they would care to read.
Joe
It maybe time to stop issuing construction permits in flood prone areas of MM. The old structures can stay but if they are destroyed in the next disaster then the owner can just say goodbye to that land.
pasted blog below is a classic example of our mentality…
ayan, matauhan kayong mga taga maynila na walang pakialam pag may nasasalanta sa mga probinsya dahil sa baha.
sunshiner:
yung mga nagpapasalamat dyan pag may bagyo dahil walang pasok, kahit na yung mga ibang lugar sa pilipinas nalalandslide na. ngayon lang ako nakakita ng ganitong kadaming posts na humihingi ng dasal dahil kay ondoy, seryoso.
naalala ko na naman yung sosyalerang nag photoshoot sa rooftop nung may bagyong Frank, at yung pictures nya, pumoposing ng naka-rain gear, at may captions na “COME BACK, FRANK!” kesyo photo op daw. tssss.
…
GMA spent 800 million pesos of emergency funds for her unceasing foreign trips…example of passion for self interest…can’t dig that it is all for the love of country…i ain’t blaming yo, just sayin’ yo…
tama si lattex sa sakunang dulot nito at baha kagaya ko na taga malabon na dumadanas lagi nito hindi lang gobyerno ang kailangan sisihin dahil kaninong basura ba ang nakatambak sa mga esquinita at mga kanal sa gobyerno ba sa atin. also we cannot blame the weather kasi di naman de metro ang kilos nyan unpredictable ang weather and lastly tama na muna ang turuan magbayanihan muna tayo sa mga taong nangangailangan
tama si lattex na magtulungan muna ang lahat sa ganitong mga pagkakataon ng disaster pero ang magsawalang na lamang tayo sa mga pagkukulang ng gobierno sa katwirang kasalanan nating lahat ito ay para ano pa para sabihing may gobierno na ating pinasasahod para magsilbi ng mahusay sa ganitong mga pangangailangan ay sarili lang natin ang ating sisisihin.
Hmmm…. Conrado deQuiros wrote about the flood and did not curse Ramos, Erap, Cory, GMA, nor Marcos. Well, at least not yet.
Another Inquirer editorial had this to say about the Filipinos . . .
One big chorus of – I TOLD YOU SO. :)
We should first appreciate the real size of the issue. It goes beyond drainage or rubbish but to a lot of other things — population, emergency services, disaster readiness and mitigation, environmental degradation (lack of forests in the highlands to absorb rainfall), housing, etc.
Are we really gonna learn from this? Because if we really are, then we should appreciate the kind of work and THINKING required to APPLY said learning and overcome an immense force such as nature. Kung baga:
- If we don’t control our population, nature will do it for us.
- If we don’t clean out our rubbish, nature will do it for us.
“If we don’t control our population, nature will do it for us.
If we don’t clean out our rubbish, nature will do it for us.”
so … meaning nature can be used as an excuse instead of learning to manage and that nature is a risk? yeah it’s a good encouragement for public officials to sit pretty ugly. LOL
And another thing to think about:
This massive flooding got a lot of media attention, and lots of bandwidth on Facebook and Twitter because it hit Metro Manila.
50 or so people died in this disaster. But that pales in comparison to the hundreds or thousands who died in other weather disturbances over just the last 10 years. I suppose their tragedy was not a big a deal as this one because these were largely disasters that occurred outside of Metro Manila, outside of our circle of family and friends, outside of that wired elite who have access to the Net and outside of that circle that matters to those who conrol the Media.
So again. Are we REALLY prepared to learn from this? Or are we just doing the Pinoy thing and just waxing poetic about all this? If we can’t learn from past disasters that killed thousands, what hope have we of learning from one that killed 50?
Philippine Red Cross is learning.
Ayala-USA charity site mentions that the Phil-Red Cross request for donations is:
…. purchase five fully equipped Rescue Trucks to be located .. at Tarlac Chapter for Northern Luzon, Naga City Chapter for Southern Luzon, Iloilo Chapter for Visayas, Cagayan de Oro City Chapter for Mindanao and at the national headquarters in Manila. The fully equipped trucks will help alleviate the life saving and rescue efforts during emergency and disaster situations in the Philippines.
Learning : 2010-candidates have cut short their campaigning to return to Manila.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20090927-227159/Aquino-Roxas-back-in-Manila-to-help-victims
People living along river banks should learn too. Kung di ka makatutulong, huwag naman maging pabigat.
nangangampanya na kasi agad… naniniguro sa pagiging preseidente at vide sa 2010…. kakapal ng mukha!!!
Well it’s one thing if it happens to poor schmucks in the provinces. And another thing to happen in a metropolis and affects the normally numb middle class. Behold the wrath of angry middle class.
IMO, we will not learn from this. We will get adapted to disasters that in time we will even find entertainment in them. Just look at how pictures and videos of the stricken victims being shown endlessly in the tri-media and passed around in the cyberspace.
Bago ka pumunta sa Australia Benigno siguro nakaranas ka naman ng nangyaring bagyo at lindol sa Pilipinas at hindi mo ipagkakaila na nanirahan ka rin sa Pilipinas o minsan napadaan ka sa baha papasok o pauwi ka. Simple lang ang problema huwag na natin icomplicate sense of responsibility natin mga tao sa kapaligiran ang kapabayaan sa pagtatapon ng basura ang problema. Simple elementary situation hindi na natin kailangan ilagay sa status ng isang materal or doctorate kaya nagiging kumplikado ang mundo at nahihirapan iresolve ang problema simpleng maling pagtatapon ng basura ginagamitan pa natin ng kumplikasyon
Flow, we can simplify it to one word – kagunggongan.
This was a run of the mill signal number one typhoon with winds below 100kph. Milenyo was pushing towards 200+. This was totally a surprise.
He, benj. Water, as any wise man will tell you, is far more dangerous and destructive than air.
Indeed, the floods of Ondoy (aka Ketsana) nailed the coffin for the presidential run of Bayani Fernando. Poetic justice, anyone? All these years, BF has been claiming Metro Manila’s disaster preparedness.
Hmmm. Again, it’s showtime for National Disaster Coordinating Council Chairman Gilbert Teodoro.
Not to be insensitive, but they say rain, means good luck to some people.
Metro Manila cities were built without Urban Planning. Houses, legal
or squatters sprouted anywhere like mushrooms in your backyard.
There are no good sanitations, sewerages, flood controls, etc.
The Metro Manila Commission people were mostly political appointees.
No knowledge and experience in Urban Planning.
Look at the polluted rivers and “esteros” in Metro Manila. They stink
during summers. And flood the areas during rainy seasons.
It’s time to abolish the regional setup of Metro Manila and create a single city government of Manila.
This video is among many. Cars floating on UE-RM campus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHTYKwI7qZg&feature=related
I saw that on youtube. Even UERM is not prepared. What is that guy suppose to do after jumping from the second floor into the floodwaters? To stay with the woman until they die? He could have tied a rope to the second floor and then jump with the other end. A course in disaster response should be available to the general public for free.
Single-city government for greater Manila may be sensible, except I won’t bet any money that Binay, Lim and the mayors of Pasay, Makati, Marikina, Paranaque will agree to have their jobs “rationalized”.
They can be part of the province of Rizal then.
UP n,
Since when do the Lieutenants run the wars?
Joe
Apparently the whole country has no marshal plan for development, no nationwide emergency plans in case of calamities and tragedies, wala halos armas ang ating armed forces, wala gamit ang pamahalaan pang emergency, umaasa tayo sa donasyon at madalas pati donasyon ninanakaw pa…siguro kung kakayanin ng lahat, iiwanan ng pinoy ang pinas…
I hope everyone here is ok.
Based on the videos and pictures that I saw, it seems that the Marcos’ era flood mitigation system were overwhelmed. Even the Manggahan floodway was not enough to divert water from the Marikina River. It’s time for a major upgrade of the system. Put back the flood tax on movie theater tickets.
are you all from Manila OK? The Philippines is a disaster prone country with average 20 typhoon and constant rainfall every year. I am mortified to see people were unprepared. Now who’s job is that? Disaster preparedness is a public duty . It is not an excuse. Looking at growth, typhoon and rainfall statistic, risk could have been managed and people may be well prepared. It’s time to have a correct political leaders…. Sell your votes and let private corporation influenced policymaking…. God Bless
Cut-and-paste from Inquirer news-story:
————
Dr. Prisco Nilo, the chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) at a briefing . . . in Camp Aguinaldo on Sunday, said PAGASA had already issued warnings of possible flooding as early as September 24 and even raised storm signals the following day.
In a separate interview, he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that it was also the responsibility of people to heed the warnings issued by government. “Instead of just watching the soap operas on TV, they should also watch the news,” Nilo said.
The broadcasting networks/media definitely keep the people’s attention away from the important issues. Instead of producing shows that will highlight the problems of the country through public awareness programs, they produce income generating shows that dull the people’s senses like telesietes.
Real estate development along flood plains and basins. So we had a perfect storm that dumped 14 inches in a few hours.
Who decides zoning and land use in the country? The state or private capital? Private capital mission is to generate profits at all costs. The state mission is to protect the common good. In theory
In weak states like the Philippines the government is almost totally useless in zoning and land use.
Ecological consciousness is a new phenomenon. We all pay lip service to this idea.
You could see the faces of GIBO and GMA who were like deer (frozen in their tracks) caught in the headlights of an oncoming train.
But this will all be forgotten in a few months. The economic consequences of land valuation, loss of personal possessions in these flood prone areas could be large.
The death toll is relatively small compared to the hundreds of thousands affected. Urban dwellings withstood the force of the raging waters. Otherwise there would have been a biblical catastrophe.
It really is a surreal sight. All those towers within view of people on roofs struggling to escape rampaging floodwaters.
Telling it like it is without a spin. Perspectives from a high ground unbiased by propaganda.
Refreshing.
J_AG,
Zoning is certainly antiquated. Homes and industries reside side by side. The fields are unprotected, flipping from agriculture to residential on a simple fee payment. No notion of managing the lands.
The Philippines gets water from the mountains, has rising seas approaching from the other end, and permits thousands to live on or under slippery mud slopes and on river banks. Every city should be mapped by elevation, with vulnerabilities from floods and rising seas pinpointed. It is a simple task with today’s equipment, data base power, and computer mapping.
You could show the vulnerabilities from extremely high to zero in pretty color, and begin to address the serious problems.
Who, pray tell, is responsible for such forward-looking scientific planning and engineering work? Think anyone will step forward and say:
“I AM.” ???
Joe
Joe:
This is a time when environmentalists can just say “I TOLD YOU SO” :D
yeah,
That is why the land use act bill is in the archives since 1996.
This is a sad, sad event. This problem is huge. The photos of people hanging on the wires is depressing.
Unfortunately, people don’t head warning calls and government agencies don’t think about precautionary measures at all. It will take a lot of money, resources and time to recover from this. Even New Orleans’ recovery with all the resources put into it by FEMA took years to take effect. By the looks of it there will be no school and no business in some areas for a while. A blow for the economy.
The government will have to think about relocating some houses from the danger zone to prevent this from happening again. This is impossible to achieve though.
It’s just ironic how some people react indignantly to the analysis of the situation. This is the best time to highlight to the presidential candidates that almost everything in the Philippines – infrastructure and attitude towards the environment and wellbeing needs to be addressed. There is no hiding from the fact that all of it are sugar coated outside but rusty on the inside.
We need more trees in the country and the installation of sewage system big enough to accommodate a continuous deluge.
correction: head should be heed.
Ilda,
Yes, you are 100% correct. To change this, however, the politicians much change the formula by which national budgets are allocated. Today, too much is determined by pork favors, generally to reward obedient representatives and to assure their re-election, instead of “highest and best public need”. Thus, you have pretty roads through unused rice paddies across the land, while the heart of the nation, Manila, is clogged with cars, people, sewerage, wires, old roads, broken gutters, and today, mahem.
So is it likely to occur? How? Why?
Joe
Joe Am: Are you saying that more money should be spent on inperial Manila?
Getting emotional is not helpful, otherwise there will be more similar this student who said that GMA should have declared martial law over metro-Manila during the emergency days so that government can force the shopping malls to open up to be used as emergency shelter.
And this won’t be the last heavy rain to devestate the country, not by a long shot. Let’s pray the next one will be more forgiving.
Not to make matters worse by mentioning this, but H1N1 is in its next wave in the U.S. Get this: about 300 students in one school got hit over the last few days. ER’s are closing because they are overwhelmed.
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2009/09/28/second_wave_of_swine_flu_pandemic_begins_to_hit_us/
Its not like things are worse enough as it is. What next?
The unprogrammed funds is the worse problem Joe.
pork was only 8 billion, but the unprogrammed funds was about 114 billion.
Maybe we should think beyond elections, maybe we as citizens should be in the budget process until the bicam level.
if not kahit sino pa ang ilagay mo na presidente ganyan ulit.
Mike H,
Good question, Mike. I don’t know where investments should be, actually. But I am 180 degree opposite of emotional as I believe investments should be pegged according to calculated highest public interest. I am skeptical about the returns from the farm to market road projects; I think investment in modern ports and national mines would be better.
And I’m also radical. I’d ban any further major construction (no more malls, office or residential towers) in Manila proper until the city is stable. I’d route that construction to a master-planned Subic-Clark development region along the Expressway there.
Karl,
Thanks for the info. I’ll have to study up on unprogrammed funds.
Joe
Joe-Am: I agree on Subic-Clark. If GMA were to be dictator for three years, she can help lighten the people-footprint in Metro-Manila by forcing PUP, UP-Diliman along three or four departments (like Public Works/Highways, Education, Environment/Natural Resources and Agriculture) to move to Clark. [Finance and Foreign Affairs remains in metro-Manila.]
Joe,
The 114 billion was dated(2008).(http://www.dbm.gov.ph/gaa2008/Disk31/UF.pdf)
2009′s unprogramed fund was much smaller
http://www.dbm.gov.ph/GAA09/UF2.pdf
for a critical article on our budget please refer to this
http://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=2471
Joe,
The 114 billion was dated(2008).(http://www.dbm.gov.ph/gaa2008/Disk31/UF.pdf)
2009’s unprogramed fund was much smaller
http://www.dbm.gov.ph/GAA09/UF2.pdf
for a critical article on our budget please refer to this
http://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=2471
The intent, right, is that the Executive Department implements what has been approved by the Legislative?
In other words, Malacanang may change the priorities
by releasing funds to certain line items (e.g. airports)
while delaying funds for other line items (e.g. elementary
schools in Bohol), but in theory all the
monies released are for line-items approved by Congress.
Karl,
Thanks for the links.
Joe
Joe,
No problem.
Karl
Karl,
You may click my link:
http://jcc34.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/plastic-climate-change-and-earthquakes-and-go-home-yankees/
:)
@JCC,
Just been to your blog.
Thanks for the link. :)
jcc,
Thanks for acknowledging the positive contributions of the US on this in your blog. It helps balance things, y’know?
Joe
KG, JOE,
My pleasure. :)
Because we voted them. We’re the ones who put them there. We’re the ones who mandated that they rule.
DID WE?
DID WE NOT? Oh maybe the American people voted for the government of the Pinas.
Last I remember, it was GMA calling Garci to make sure she was winning by at least 1 million votes over FPJ.
Or are we really too naive to think that it is really the votes that affect the turnout of elections most of the time
Metro-Manila and entire-Luzon voters were counted practically correctly. No Luzon votes got Garcified, right?
Ako, ang ibinoto ko mga hindi magnanakaw! Nang naka upo na sa trono nila, naging magnanakaw. Bakit sisihin ko sarili ko, hilo ba kayo? Kayo, sino ibinoto ninyo, mga loko ba ibinoto ninyo? Pasensya kayo! Ako nag-donate na, at tumutulong ako. Kayo, anong ginagawa ninyo, ipagtanggol ang kapalpakan ng gobierno dahil kayo ang may kasalanan ng lahat ng ito?
O, ‘di ba?
Here is another way for Canada/USA and others to help : send cash donations via TXTpower.org. One hundred percent of the donations gets delivered to Phil National Red Cross for “Ondoy” relief.
http://www.txtpower.org
Click on the PAYPAL text on the page.
[Footnote: The group got mentioned in MLQ3's blogsite. That is all I know about them (I'm assuming they are reliable but I have no other information at all). The risk you take is your own.]
Bert:
I’ll have to disagree na hindi magnanakaw yung ibinoto mo. You could have done more due diligence.
it has happen again and again..wrong forecast..as i went on the website of accuweather last saturday morning..i noticed that the storm has a massive area in length.. i wonder why PAGASA DID NOT advise even suspension of classes as i know the storm can still gain strength as i monitor the movement of it..funny how people from PAGASA KEEPS ON pointing on the climate change to blame..if only they advise the authorities to alert their community and get ready for disaster preparedness..im not finger pointing..but as i observe PAGASA people should use their instinct and always look at the worst to happen..DONT BLAME THE LACK OF EQUIPMENTS..I AM SHOCKED WHY IT SEEMS THEY LACK INSTINCT..AS THE SAYING GOES..BETTER SAFE THAN TO BE SORRY..
Filipinos stand up!!! Filipinos stand up!!! Our countrymen needs US!!! Those living abroad let us show them we didn’t forget OUR COUNTRY even though we/our families left for a “better” life. Let us prove to them that we are still here and give the gift we are fortunate & lucky to have right now.
WE need to organize in our local areas and collect FOOD, WATER & CLOTHES. You name it, they need it. Like many of you families in the Philippines, I have families out in Paco, Manila. If I can send it to my home town directly, I will. However, if that is not possible, I will keep researching into the possibility to send something and anything to get to the people in the Philippines. The point is DO SOMETHING!! This is the time to put up or shut up!!!
THEY NEED US. WE NEED THEM…LET’S MAKE IT HAPPEN.
Too right.
While blaming people of the whole darn storm should be avoided, I am not averse to the idea of listing the CAUSES even to probable ones. At least it will provide an opportunity for people and goverment officials to RANK/PRIORITIZE which should be solved first before we can move on to the next problem.
My list of probable causes and initial interventions
1.) Trash lots of it on streets, in canals, on rivers and drainage
2.) Squatter areas with 7-10 people in 3 meter by 3 meter houses
3.) Denuded hills, no trees to help absorb excess water
4.) Allocation of proper budget funds
5.) Fix sewer system
I’m placing trash as the highest, people think a small candy wrapper is no big deal, but think of a thousand pinoys throwing 1 small candy wrapper can clog up an already failing sewer system. Cleaning it is first priority and teaching people (everyone) AGAIN where to throw garbage properly.
Squatter areas, reality check, they live in unlikely places even over canals. Although they’re not to blame but I’ve seen squatter areas, since they’re illegal they don’t get garbage truck routes and they end up throwing their trash everywhere. Relocating them to a better place would be good.
I’d say planting trees now won’t do us any good in the present, but in the future we will be benefiting from tree planting. DENR should open again the 11 year old tree planting activity.
Allocation of budget funds, as pointed out by Cocoy, MMDA has a big prob in funds. It doesn’t help that GMA used up the P800 million emergency funds. This might take time judging from the senate and congress bickering but it needs to be done soon. I hope she won’t push through with her P10 billion anti-flood projects right now, all the money is needed to get pinoys back on track and with the upcomming elections, even 1% of 10 billion can be used to run an LGU electoral campaign.
Last would be the sewer system, when everything is fixed, I believe the sewer systems can be upgraded.
This is just my list of priorities and their solutions. But then again, wishful thinking, I can only vote next year and still try to be a model citizen but its hard.
AngelAndriel,
Nice thinking. You should be in Congress instead of the self-dealers there now.
Joe
AngelAndreil,
Well at least you have a good proposal…
Instead of putting brainless people in the congress and senate, why get the ideas from the people directly affected by the problems and those with sense…
poor pinoys with their star complex mentality.
ken
There is nothing we can do now. Except to be strong for what is ahead
of us. Mother Earth is fighting for its life. She does not want to become as lifeless as the Planet Mars. She still has a destiny. Countries with Nuclear Weapons. As well as those trying to make Nuclear Weapons to wipe out their fellow Human Beings. Not only are stupid. They are on the verge of leading us to human extinction. Mother Earth has to use her armaments: NATURAL CALAMITIES. There are more armaments on her arsenals: Zero Magmetism on its Polars. Machines will not work. Bombs will not explode, including nuclear weapons. And more Natural Calamities. I warn the Oil Producing nations. You cannot drink your Oil. You cannot eat your Petro Dollars. Your God Allah is deaf to your prayers. You are dependent on other countries for your food.
This is such a tragedy. I commiserate with everyone who had any loss on this calamity.
Maybe the government might consider:
- Terrace farming for flood adjustment/delay, decrease landslides, and prevent soil erosion as well as practically flood resistant agriculture.
- Map the under ground water and institute ground water replenishment system so dams need not release water that produces surface runoff, prevent ground subsidence, etc…
- Continue desilting rivers.
- Specific tax on fastfood item packages. Those who choose to dine-in probably shouldn’t have their meals served on take-out packages. Large burgers that come in carton boxes are still covered by a plastic wrapper that function better than coming in carton boxes if you dine-in anyway.
- Composting at source. Minimize landfill delivery, limits pest, decrease garbage drop off from garbage trucks, etc…
That assumes you have voters who will vote for people who have such ideas.
Will they still put up with:
Nakaw from road building.
Nakaw from land fill contracts
Nakaw from desilting contracts.
Nakaw from Zoning.
Nakaw from sewage systems.
Nakaw from passing legislation on rational land use – and bungle it.
Will they learn the lessons? For the meantime, the chicken come home to roost.
Unfortunately, the donations of food and stuff are still placed in plastic containers and bags. I hope people are not just discarding them irresponsibly. The masa needs to be educated on environmental issues and how it can affect their lives in now and in the future. The culture of indifference or apathy needs to be addressed.
If this tragedy doesn’t shake government agencies into shaping up, nothing will.
BongV,
I can always/only hope.
Ilda,
I hope as you do.
****************
Back in 2004 (which was a Presidential election year), I got fed up with the motherhood statements coming from the politicians. There was a severe dearth of details on how to achieve this and that.
So I launched a “Specifics” series in 2004 in a now demised and buried web forum.
Some of the recommendations above were presented there already. Sometime later in November 2004, a severe storm ravaged Southern Tagalog (I remember because it almost claimed the lives of my friend’s entire family in Quezon Province. If I’m not mistaken, this was the time the Repador building got washed away). I don’t remember what the government did to prevent future calamities or if they did any.
In 2007 which happened to be an election year also, I reiterated this “specifics” in MLQ3s blog.
Back then, I was still advocating that a way be found to replenish ground water. Later on, I found out that a county in California has been doing it for decades.
Well whatever the government did if they did, it sure failed.
This little memo for the Queen at the Palace:
Dear Queen Gloria:
Your political management style centralized all power with your office for you to run a tight ship. Unfortunately for your alter ego GIBO he could not answer important questions unless it was verified by local government sources naturally who were also your loyalists. Psssst they were also victims….
You see while you guys were dithering and waiting for reports where were your czars like DILG Secretary Puno and MMDA whiz Fernando?
You do know that Puno’s skills at organizing LGU’s for elections are unparalled in the annals of election gimickry. Yesterday on live TV GIBO was asked to confirm the deaths from the disaster in Marikina and he answered one. Then the news channels came on and they were showing live pictures from all over most especially in Marikina where people were pointing to bodies left unattended for more than 24 hours.
I guess Fernando who was in charge of the cleanup did not prioritize human bodies from the debris of the aftermath of the flash flood.
There seems to be a serious lack of appreciation for the the one item that must be prioritized.. Humans…..
Your putting GIBO front and center of this present PR campaign was a smart political move but as early as Saturday even an amateur observer like myself knew this was a serious tragic mass event.
However the centralization of power thus prevented proper feedback since your LGU partners were overwhelmed and must have created a traffic jam at your palace.. Too many request coming in such a short time. Just like the rain that fell.
You see in times of national tragedy you can move with all the emergency powers available to you. You could inform your LGU’s to commandeer private property along the lines of food and water. Do not beg.. You could also create the funds you need..
But do this in an open and transparent manner by calling on Erap and Noynoy to help out. Fuck the rest…
The last time you declared emergency powers you were shit scared that Danny Lim was going to do an
Angie Reyes and you saw yourself in a mug shot with your cute short hair.
Government has awesome powers at its fingertips…
Your people also have to be educated that if they want a first world modern society they have to pay for it. It takes time to develop. Don’t you worry about feeling less than equal from the white guy. There was a time when all including them were drinking their own shit until they discovered that you do not shit where you get your water from. You know drainage and sewage systems with water treatment plants. The Romans had a talent for this. You might want to tell your husband about this too.
Warm regards
A citizen
my family also experienced the traumatic event that has been the first time that our place flooded over a feet from the ground.
i could say that we have to be in ourselves to be ready in cases of calamity.
let’s help everyone who suffered from that kind of happening….
we are all in one…..
let’s pray for our country and fellowmen
cocoy,
ngayon ko lang napansin na parang “the day after tomorrow” ang dating ng title ng blog.
LOL Karl. now that you mentioned it… it was not my intent. It just felt natural at the time i wrote it.
I agree on Subic-Clark. If GMA were to be dictator for three years, she can help lighten the people-footprint in Metro Manila
UPn,
Promethean temptation huh? Oh we love Gloria so much we wanted her to stay for three more years as dictator so she could make things a little easier for the people.
Or, while we’re at it, why not forever?
Well, Trillanes can be the dictator. Or Miriam.
I wonder why since the onslaught of typhoon ondoy, I hardly see PGMA on tv or hear her pronouncements on radio…seems like she delegated full responsibility to her annointed one, secretary teodoro. ok, he is the head of the ndcc…but PGMA is still this country’s president (unfortunately!) and as such, her people is counting on her, if only for this specific moment, to be the one barking orders for the welfare of those ravaged by ondoy…perhaps PGMA’s action is aimed at giving secretary teodoro much needed exposure to boost the administration’s political pursuit, but i say this would only worsen their chances….
everyday we see on tv people tending for themselves…i could not agree more to what somebody said on tv..they have been helplessly left to themselves…is it a problem of accessibility? i don’t think so…i think the bayanihan spirit exhibited by the private volunteer groups gave the government too much comfort that we could hurdle this with little, or none at all, help from them….while we hear of 24-hour volunteer work being rendered by private individuals and companies, what we hear from the government are only their constant meetings and discussions on what to do…
yesterday on my way home i really felt sick listening to another ndcc’s press briefing…secretary teodoro was reciting a litany of statistics on the extent of damage translated to figures in pesos, of how many lives were lost and how many are still missing….is that the best they can do? i hope these people realize they are not helping anyone with what they are doing..
from “Vulnerability and Flooding in Metro Manila“
***
Cockroaches are resilient, too.
To keep on paying the consequences for a preventable behavior is not resilience – it is KAGUNGGONGAN.
how much did manny pacquiao donate to the victims of typhoon ketsana in the philippines?
manny pacquiao gave 1 million peso in cash + relief goods…