Land With No Summer Months

By Dexter A. See 

NATONIN, Mountain Province —Rain poured daily for the past 24 years on this mountain town in the rugged Cordillera Region in the northern Philippines, children gave up praying “rain, rain go away” and elders look misty-eyed at lowland areas sweltering under the burning sun,  a senior town official said on Friday.

Mountain town. A panoramic view of rice terraces
in Natonin. DEXTER SEE

Mayor Matteo Chiyawan said the town never experienced summer season in more than two decades and the government could not build and put up  infrastructure projects such as roads and school buildings on the soft ground.
“No development because of the rain. I pity our people for being exposed to too much rain,” Chiyawan said.
Natonin, a fourth class municipality, nestles on the slopes of the Cordillera mountain ranges and have little level ground. The town is surrounded by jungles and rain forests.
The sun shines on the 12,000 Igorot population for about three hours at least four times a month. People earn a living from rice terraces farming, fishing for eels in the rivers, and hunting wild animals such boars and deers.
Chiyawan said too much water in the soil and threat of soil erosion make it difficult for workers to compact the land and implement government public works projects.

A waterfall in one of the rain
forests in the area. DEXTER SEE

He said it takes several hours travel from the provincial capital of Bontoc to Natonin over 74 kms of rough and muddy national highway that winds on the side of the mountain.
Agriculture production has suffered because farmers could not dry their palay and rotting grains became one of the major causes of heavy losses, Chiyawan said.
“The old generation performed rituals to stop the rain with a sequence of prayers together with several animals butchered, but the practice has stopped in the past several years,” Chiyawan said.
The rain forests contribute to the abundant rainfall in Natonin, making its rivers suitable for operation of mini-hydro power plants, which could offer employment opportunities to people in the area.
Gov. Leonard Mayaen said the provincial government has on stand-by heavy equipment for use of Natonin during landslides and soil erosion caused by water saturation on the road.
He said he was ready to respond to any calls for assistance from Natonin municipal officials have handled the situation well and “no problems have been brought to our attention.”
“I am proud of the resilience of the people of Natonin because they are able to survive the prevalence of too much rain and still pursue their own sources of livelihood like raising of heirloom rice, hunting wild animals and being involved in food processing and weaving,” Mayaen said.
Officials appealed on the Department of Public Works and Highways to fast-track concreting of the unpaved portion of the Natonin to Paracelis road to connect the town to Santiago City in Isabela and open new business opportunities for residents.

(C) 2014 Manila Standard

Another Natural Disaster in The Philippines

Storm clouds hover above Mt. Isarog in Camarines Sur on Monday, a day before tropical storm Glenda was expected to make landfall in Bicol region. Photo by Juan Escandor, Inquirer Southern Luzon

Eight years after Super Typhoon “Reming” killed about 1,000 people in a destructive strike across Bicol and nearby provinces, Bicolanos on Monday braced for another howler called “Glenda.”

Typhoon Glenda is expected to make landfall on Tuesday anywhere on the eastern seaboard of Sorsogon, Albay, Catanduanes and the two Camarines provinces, as Metro Manila itself came under alert for rains and strong winds that may hit the capital early on Wednesday.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour near the center, Glenda—estimated to be 470 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes—on Monday intensified as it churned westward threatening Bicol, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on its website.

Reming was the last major weather disturbance to hit Bicol with winds of more than 200 kph, according to typhoon specialist Michael Padua, senior typhoon specialist of the global private weather company MeteoGroup.

Strangely, Glenda would occur on the same dates when Typhoon “Bebeng” wreaked havoc in Camarines Sur in July 1983, Padua said.

He said that based on four models from international weather organizations, Glenda would make landfall somewhere between Catanduanes and Caramoan (in Camarines Sur) or down on the eastern part of Sorsogon. 

Typhoon path predicted
 

MeteoGroup is a private group supported by the Aboitiz Group of companies with a goal of setting up 1,000 automated weather stations around the country to provide weather information to companies, local government units and residents. 

Padua was recognized for correctly predicting the path of Typhoon “Unding” in 2004 that directly hit Naga City. 

He uses four typhoon models—the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS), Global Forecast System (GFS), Navy Global Environmental Model (Navgem), all based in the United States, and European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts—in making his forecasts. 

Padua said all the four models showed that Glenda would make landfall in Bicol with some variations on the exact site. 

28-31 kph
 

Glenda may move slightly south and hit Sorsogon or Albay but if it maintains its track, Catanduanes and the two Camarines provinces would be hit, he said.

Using satellite data, Padua said Glenda was expected to be close to Catanduanes and the Maqueda Channel early on Tuesday morning and make landfall on Tuesday afternoon. 

He said Glenda was fast moving at 28-31 kph with a rain diameter of about 500 km, wind diameter of 390 km and maximum gustiness of 120 kph.

“My forecast [for] Tuesday is that the wind could have sustained gustiness of 130-140 kph which could reach to 150-160 kph,”Padua said.

“It could damage plantation areas and weak structures [and be] classified as Category 1, compared to Super Typhoon Yolanda, which was classified as Category 4,”he said. 

Storm surge
 
Padua said flooding was expected in low-lying areas and that the storm surge could reach up to 1 meter in height, compared to Yolanda, which reached 5 m.

Classes have been suspended in the Bicol Region while hundreds of passengers have been stranded as relief officials prepared to evacuate residents in flood- and landslide-prone areas.

The Virac Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (MDRRMC), headed by Capt. Ivanhoe Arcilla, said officials assumed Glenda would make a direct hit on the town and warnings had been sent to coastal areas to prevent fishermen from venturing out to sea.
Virac Vice Mayor Roy Laynes said the MDRRMC had authorized the procurement of 100 bags of rice from the National Food Authority (NFA), as well as noodles and canned goods from a supermarket.
In Bicol ports, some 820 passengers were stranded on Monday in Tabaco City in Albay, Bulan and Matnog towns in Sorsogon and Cataingan in Masbate.

In Albay, classes were suspended at all levels as were classes in Camarines Sur and Naga City.

Pangasinan at risk
 

In Pangasinan province, officials said Glenda might cross the province on Wednesday on its way to the West Philippine Sea.

Melchito Castro, Ilocos regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, said everyone must be alert, especially those living in coastal areas and near river banks.

“Eastern Pangasinan towns are also at risk because the typhoon is coming from that direction. It can cause landslides and flash floods,” Castro said.

“We should not be complacent because we do not know yet how much water Glenda will be dumping into the province,” Castro said.

Avenix Arenas, spokesperson of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the provincial government was ready to carry out any evacuation.

In Aurora province, Gov. Gerardo Noveras convened relief officials to prepare for any emergency. 

Food assistance
 

In Manila, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepared food and nonfood assistance to augment resources of local government units.

The DSWD said its field offices in Northern and Central Luzon had prepositioned 78,608 family food packs for immediate distribution to local government units.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said the field offices had 209,875 assorted food items and 101,326 nonfood items. 

“Social welfare and development teams at the municipal level are now on the field to monitor the extent of the typhoon,” Soliman said. 

Blue alert 
 

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has issued a “blue alert” requiring half of the personnel of all regional and municipal disaster risk reduction management offices to be at their posts.–

FHM 100 Sexiest 2014 - Victory Party

By Cia Juan

 

We told you that this year would be the grandest, and boy, we sure didn’t disappoint—you read that right; we just patted ourselves on the back...and we're not ashamed about it! Last night’s #FHM100Sexiest Victory Party was so damn wonderful we went to bed smiling.

Sorry, but one of the above statements isn't really true. It's the latter. But it's not because we didn't go to bed grinning from ear-to-ear, it's because we haven't slept yet.

Typhoon Season on Despite Looming El Nino

The Philippine government expects the country to still experience tropical cyclones and flooding during 2014's second half despite the possible onset of the drought-driving El Nino phenomen this year.

"We expect an average of 13 to 16 tropical cyclones to develop to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility from July to December, "Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather specialist Anthony Lucero said.

Data he presented show that two or three cyclons are expected to occur in July, three or four in August, another three or four in September and several more untill December.

PAGASA noted climate model output suggests cyclones that will enter or develop the Philippines in July may tend to move more along the Philippines' coast.

People must guard against flooding, particularly during the next months, because occurence of flooding is highly possible in low-lying areas. Let's face it: there is no El Nino yet!

Gigi Reyes Still Refuses to Eat and Drink

By Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News

The blood pressure of lawyer Gigi Reyes has now stabilized, but the former chief of staff of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile still refuses to eat and drink, according to the medical director of Taguig Pateros District Hospital.

Dr. Prudencio Sta. Lucia said there is a possibility that Reyes may not be able to attend her arraignment on Friday, depending on the results of their monitoring overnight.

He said Reyes has admitted to previously having epileptic episodes or seizure attacks, as well as series of light brain stroke in the past.

Her attending physicians are concerned about this since it is highly possible that stressful activities may trigger these episodes to recur, Sta. Lucia said.

He said, given her condition at the moment, Reyes may be fit to travel to the Sandiganbayan tomorrow.

However, the rigors of the courtroom might once again trigger the moderate to severe anxiety disorder that she experienced last night.

He said the lack of appetite of Reyes may be an indication of a psychological problem being experienced by the patient.

The attending physicians, he said, are wary about a possible fluctuation of Reyes' blood pressure at any given time.

Family appeals for compassion

Meanwhile, the family of Reyes appealed to the public for compassion and understanding as they go through a difficult time.

In a statement read by Reyes' brother Patrick Gonzales, who was teary-eyed, they also requested privacy from the media.

They also asked for prayers for the recovery of Reyes.

Gonzales narrated their emotional ordeal last night when Reyes was transferred from the Sandiganbayan to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) detention center in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig.

He said they were emotional when they saw Reyes in handcuffs and undergoing booking procedures.

Reyes eventually vomited then passed out, according to Gonzales.

It was then that BJMP officers carried Reyes from the 4th floor of the detention center to the ambulance that immediately proceeded to the hospital.

Prior to this, in Sandiganbayan, Gonzales said family members were not allowed to help Reyes pack her things.

They were also not allowed to accompany Reyes inside the BJMP vehicle enroute to Camp Bagong Diwa.

Crooked Politicians Contribute to Strife in The Philippines

By:

John Mangalonz

Local News Editor "The Spectrum"

 

Philippine politics has long struggled with corruption, and it seems that it is getting worse.

When former strongman, the late President Ferdinand Marcos, was ousted in 1986, everyone thought freedom and clean and honest government were going to reemerge, but it didn't happen.

What bothers me the most is the fact the disparity between the rich and the poor in the Philippines is getting wider by the minute, and I believe that one of the causes of the country's rapid economic decline is the corruption going on in all three branches government.

Recently, several key figures — sitting senators and congress members — were arrested in connection with a pork barrel scam: The politicians are alleged to have accepted millions of dollars in kickbacks from what was then known as the Countrywide Development Fund.

And involvement in the scandal may go all the way up to the presidential palace, according to recent news reports.

Meanwhile, millions of Filipinos worry how they are going to get their next meal.

The percentage of the Philippine population considered to be poor is higher than the Southeast Asian average, based on a study of the Asian Development Bank and the National University of Singapore, titled "Ending Asian Deprivations."

The report said around 17.71 percent of the populace, or close to 18 million Filipinos — based on the estimated 98 million Philippine population — still live below $1.25 a day, which is the internationally accepted poverty line.

This is depressing considering that the combined wealth of the 50 richest families — including families of politicians — in the country already equaled 25 percent of Philippine gross domestic product.

And, remember Typhoon Haiyan in November that affected 4.3 million people across 36 provinces and killed nearly 7,000 people? Eight months later, the United Nations estimates more than 100,000 people there in the storm zone still live in tents, waiting for better housing.

Tens of thousands more are rebuilding in places the government is trying to close down.

The Philippines suffered one of the world's worst disasters in history in November 2013. Haiyan rendered at least 4 million homeless.

The Philippine government (big question mark here), private sector, and non-governmental organizations have been behind a massive rehabilitation program for Haiyan, but the process has been slow and at times frustrating.

In the province of Tacloban alone, more than 12,000 homes were completely destroyed and 46,000 severely damaged. The rebuilding needs are immense.

Aid agencies have so far provided emergency shelter supplies — tents, tarpaulins and the like — to 570,000 families.

A further 160,000 households have received tools and materials to help them rebuild their homes.

So, I ask: Do these alleged political crooks have any conscience left in their bones?

I haven't been back home in more than 20 years. It was very hard, to say the least, watching footage of the November storm's aftermath. Some of my former colleagues in the islands sent me photos of their coverage, lifeless bodies of victims lying on the streets.

My fellow journalists there then asked me: "Do you remember back in 1991?"

Sadly, I do.

As Haiyan relief efforts went underway days and weeks after the disaster, bloated bodies lay uncollected and uncounted in the streets and survivors pleaded for food, water and medicine — much like what I saw in 1991.

Before Haiyan earned the distinction of being the worst storm that hit the archipelago, Tropical Storm Thelma, or what Philippine officials named Typhoon Uring, hit Ormoc City, also in Leyte province.

I was a young journalist when I was sent to Ormoc City in November 1991 to cover the aftermath of Thelma that killed roughly 6,000 people. Seeing hundreds, if not thousands, of bodies on the street made it very difficult for me to find objectivity.

I can still remember the looks on the faces of the grief-stricken people of Ormoc, some of whom had lost many members of their family.

The cries of the victims I heard back in '91 are strikingly similar to the cries I hear today.

It will be a long road ahead for those left to make sense of the devastation, for life as they know it has changed forever.

Losing everything for a people who have nothing is irony in itself.