Real Change in Emergency Response

Office of the Senate Majority Leader

Alan Peter S. Cayetano

Rm. 603 GSIS Complex Senate of the Philippines Roxas Blvd Pasay City

         

PRESS RELEASE

21 October 2015

 

 

 

CAYETANO CALLS FOR REAL CHANGE IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE: RENEWS CALL FOR CREATION OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE DEPARTMENT

“We need to make real change to make sure our government is ready when disaster strikes,” said Senator Cayetano.

In light of the onslaught of Typhoon Lando that hit several Luzon provinces this week, Cayetano said now is the perfect time for government to create a single, unified department that will spearhead the government’s disaster risk reduction and management efforts. 

“We must learn from our past experiences and create real change now to ensure government does all that it can to help when Filipinos need help the most,” We have not yet fully recovered from the impact of previous calamities that devastated the country in the past years. And now, another one threatened the lives and livelihood of our kababayans in the north,” Cayetano said.

In the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda two years ago, the senator filed Senate Bill No. 1940 which, if enacted into law, would institute an "Emergency Response Department" (ERD) that will be headed by a Cabinet Secretary, will manage all disaster preparedness and response activities. and allocates more funds for the execution of such tasks.

But Cayetano lamented that the administration has not given priority to the bill since it was filed in November 2013.

“In times of emergencies, we need to make a real change in how government responds, and that means better communication and accountability,” Cayetano explains. “This is not possible when the agency is part-time. Samantalang ang kalamidad sa ating bansa ay full-time,” he added. ###

The Haze is on

WED, OCTOBER 21, 2015 BY THE MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR

EDITORIAL

Davao City’s skyline looks like it came straight out of a surreal painting with the darkened horizon. While everyone wants to believe that this fog-like image came as a result of the cool weather brought about by Typhoon Lando, the experts at Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) were however quick to awaken us from dreamland to tell us that this is all haze straight from Indonesia. Apparently, the monsoon winds have brought us not the romantic air we beget but the haze from Indonesia’s forest fires. The same haze is visible in General Santos City, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro City. Even ASEAN countries like Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore have been under a blanket of haze for quite sometime now, no thanks to the forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia.

Forest fires occur because of farmers who engage in slash-and-burn practices when clearing their lands primarily for economic reasons. The El Niño or the long periods of drought or dry season has only worsened the forest fires and unfortunately, the haze. This should be a cause of concern for all of us not only because it is detrimental to our environment. More importantly, this haze could be detrimental to our health especially those suffering from asthma and other chronic diseases. If you find yourself coughing a lot now, or sneezing more than you should be, then you should start to wonder if this is all caused by the haze. It is high time for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to start measuring air quality in the cities and provinces affected by the haze so we become aware if it is still safe to breathe freely. The Health Department should also come up with a guideline as to the effects of haze on our health, and what we can do to minimize the ill effects if there are.

Indonesia may be thousand of miles away from the Philippines but the haze that we are experiencing now shows that no country is isolated from the outside world anymore. As Joey Ayala’s song “Magkaugnay” goes…

Lupa, laot, langit ay magkaugnay

Hayop, halaman, tao ay magkaugnay

Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkaugnay

Magkaugnay ang lahat.

(C) 2015 by MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR, Davao City

What could be a Christmas gift?

TUE, OCTOBER 20, 2015 BY THE MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR LEAVE A COMMENT

IN MY OPINION
Klaus Doring

Gift gi-ving and receiving and Christ-mas simply but surely go together. Many times it’s incurring our indig-nation. Ma-ny of us defer the most important decision during the most jolliest season of the year. What is the best Christmas gift for our loved ones??? Is it really an important decision, or does it delete the real meaning of Christmas? I am sure, many of us know the real answer.

The giving spirit of the holiday season seems to fade in the light of necessary obligations and finances, along the painful dilemma of giving gifts to those who want to buy for as opposed to those for whom you should buy!

Let’s think about it: To whom are we obligated at Christmas: our boss, our cousins, our parents, our partner or our children and friends as well? What about the children? Should they give presents to people other than family mem-bers? How about the innumerable large families especially in the Philippines, because of economics, resort to name drawing process at Christmas.

For me firstly Christ-mas is spirit. You can always find ways to give gifts without expenses. The most well known and always remembered gift is to do to someone like giving time. In my family we do this mostly during the season holidays.

But if I look more around, mmh, sad to say, that “time as gift” doesn’t satisfy most of all.Well, it’s okay. There are so many ways to use your mind in terms of giving someone other things than putting Peso or Dollar notes. I am sure you know, that home made gifts can be also a very good idea….

Sure, there is etiquette of gift giving at Christmas and also other occasions. Homemade gifts are most appropriate especially as Christmas gifts, according to Stuart E. Jacobson, book author of “The Art of Giving”. Allow me to quote Jacob-son, “Home-made gifts are won-derful. A gift of imagi-nation, a gift of creativity, a gift, that shows (also!) time was put into it. A created time is a wonderful present.”

When considering a homemade gift, instead of tumbling through crowded shopping malls (as I tried again yesterday!) and getting a headache (I really got!)! While stumbling from one mall to the next, I found out again, that the real and whole essence of giving a gift is to bring pleasure to the person receiving it. Jacobson says in his book, “Homemade gifts are also ideal for children to give as presents. Kids can create things because they have unique imagination. Children should feel free to give something to anyone they spend a lot of time with. No monetary value should be placed on what a child should give to someone.”

Very well said. I am just afraid, that it seems more or less impossible nowadays in these modern times….

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You can email me: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me in Facebook or Twitter or visit www.germanexpatinthe philippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdorings classicalmusic.blogspot.com.

The Race for the Philippine Presidency Has Begun

By Mong Palatino

According to the Philippine Commission on Elections, 130 persons have applied to run for president in next year’s election. The majority are unknown aspirants who will likely be disqualified for lacking the means to mount a nationwide campaign. The election itself is set for May 9.

There are four major candidates with both strong party backing and large public following. The administration candidate is former interior secretary Mar Roxas. Opposition leader and incumbent vice president Jejomar Binay also formally registered his bid for the presidency. Neophyte Grace Poe, a senator and the leading candidate based on several surveys, also submitted her certificate of candidacy this week. But the surprise candidate is Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who declared her intention to run for president only a few days ago.

Roxas is the grandson of a former president and son of a former senator. He topped the Senate race in 2004 and became the leader of Liberal Party, one of the country’s oldest and biggest political parties. He ran unsuccessfully for vice president in 2010.

Binay was a longtime mayor of Makati City, the country’s premier business and financial hub, prior to his election as vice president. Poe is the daughter of Fernando Poe Jr, an actor who ran for president in 2004. Santiago placed second in the 1992 presidential election before becoming senator in 1995.

Roxas has the edge in terms of election machinery, since he is the candidate of the ruling party. President Benigno Aquino III, who enjoys high public confidence based on opinion polls, has also committed to actively campaign for Roxas. But Aquino’s endorsement can also hurt Roxas by turning away voters who are disappointed with the performance of the president.

Binay claims he has the support of the poor, overseas Filipinos, and local government leaders. But his numbers went down after he was accused of being involved in various corruption scandals. Though he insists that these were all politically-motivated, his reputation has already been tarnished.

Poe presents herself as an alternative candidate who has a clean record as a public servant. Tired of the antics of traditional politicians and political dynasties, many urged her to run for higher office. Though she has decided to run, her previous American citizenship was immediately questioned in the court.

Santiago is also seen as an outsider, even though she has been a politician for more than two decades. She is admired by many people – especially the young – who are looking for intelligent and articulate leaders. Santiago’s candidacy was not expected because she has only recently recovered from cancer.

Turning to their running mates, Roxas has teamed up with Leni Robredo, the widow of a respected politician. Binay’s vice presidential candidate is Senator Gringo Honasan. Poe, meanwhile, chose her mentor, Senator Chiz Escudero, to be her vice president. Santiago has reportedly endorsed the vice presidential candidacy of Senator Bongbong Marcos. Marcos is the son of the country’s former strongman, Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country for two decades before he was ousted by a popular uprising in 1986.

Campaigning will officially begin next year. But since the candidates are already known, political realignments across the country are expected to reshape the electoral landscape. Political bickering between candidates and parties is also anticipated to intensify.