“Anumang magaling kahit maliit basta’t malimit ay patungong langit” was a point emphatically articulated by Rev. Fr. Amadeo Alvero in Express It At The Park media forum where he and Rev. Msgr. Jimmy Villanueva, the vicar-general of the Archdiocese of Palo, very recently guested. This pronouncement he made is relative to the Club Cuarenta 340 days-long Alay Kapwa-like fund raising project of the local church, which it copied from the Lenten Club 40 project of the Diocese of Lipa in Batangas. For a minimum of P40 donation, a person could be a member of the Club and automatic volunteer of the Archdiocese of Palo Caritas Inc, soon an affiliate of Caritas International. This initiative labours to build a buffer fund that the Archdiocese could use to provide relief to needy faithful in times of distress, such as calamity, manmade or natural. Even though no one is precluded from shelling out a one-time donation at the minimum amount of P40 to immediately become an APCI volunteer through Club Cuarenta, this nevertheless beats the very objective of the sacrifice that the project engenders. In Club 40, donors (volunteers as categorically identified) are motivated to give P1 a day for forty days (supposedly the days of Lent as in the case of Club 40 in Batangas) after which they straight away are issued Club IDs as proof of their membership to Club 40 and volunteer of APCI. Fr. Alvero stressed on the need for one would-be member to do much sacrifices to feel the essence of Club Cuarenta. For him, it is in the constancy of giving that one could gain the spiritual benefit of the donation being made day after day. The sacrifice, he said, is not only on the part of would-be member but the church workers and clergy as well. Imagine the effort of a prospective member in going to the parish convent office frequently to give the donation to the minimum required amount of P40 and the coupled duty of the parish workers to receive this donation and note these measly contribution every time the donors come for this purpose. He noted though that if the donor would like to give a thousand bucks would relentlessly give such big amount every time he would come to the parish for this purpose that could still be considered a sacrifice. Launched on Palm Sunday (April 13) this year, Club Cuarenta endeavours to raise at least about P20 million, computed at a minimum of P40 for at least 500 Catholics within the Archdiocese of Palo. Departing from the original Lent-long duration of Club 40 in the Diocese of Lipa, APCI’s Club 40 is almost a year-long in order to give the 1.2 million Catholics in the Archdiocese of Palo the opportunity to take part in this noble undertaking. As Msgr. Villanueva remarked, longer time is necessitated for massive dissemination of the project, especially in schools within the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese. APCI’s Club 40 will be judged at the end of the project’s first-year term and could be renewed depending on the result of the evaluation. Nonetheless, the result will be used as gauge on what percent of the total number of Catholics in the Archdiocese are active and supportive to the Church’s call and the amount raised in its first year of campaign. It could also provide the statistics on how many non-Catholics who are willing to assist in the fund campaign of the local church. Club 40 of APCI is packaged not solely as fund-raising drive such as the Pondong Pinoy where the people are encouraged to donate at least 25 cents (called “crumbs”) for this purpose. Club 40 comes with a package of benefits to the APCI volunteers. Members will be remembered on their birthdays and special occasions wherein prayers for their intentions will be said by the church. A longer term proposal is to provide help to the members, one of which is hospitalization. Msgr. Villanueva said that this non-exclusive Club is also open to non-Catholics and those living abroad provided however that they are being made fully aware of the objectives of Club Cuarenta. He assured the campaign’s transparency in that every single cent that gets into the APCI fund will be fully and truthfully accounted. Meantime, he disclosed that the Archdiocese of Palo will be enjoying the proceeds of Pondong Pinoy probably after Easter this year. The amount that the Archdiocese shall receive will be used to feed the hundreds to a thousand malnourished children in the Archdiocese, regardless of their religious affiliation. He said, the local gets a bigger slice of the Pondong Pinoy pie especially that the majority of the parishes within the archdiocese are hardly hit by supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) last year. The taste of the pudding is in the eating, the adage goes. When Pondong Pinoy was introduced in the archdiocese several years back, no one was so sure of its success. Thus no one, too, could tell how successful Club Cuarenta will be until it is evaluated. This feat will only be achieved with the support, cooperation and sacrifices of the Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese and other patrons who wish to be volunteers of APCI.
Club Cuarenta: constancy in giving
With P2 million damages asked N.Samar Gov. Ong files libel rap against ex-Rep. Daza
TACLOBAN CITY- Northern Samar Governor Jose Ong slapped a libel charge against former congressman and governor, Raul Daza, for allegedly claiming that he was in Hong Kong and Macau while their province was reeling from the aftermath of supertyphoon Yolanda. In his six-page complaint filed before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office on May 6, this year, Ong also demanded P2 million damages which he said he would donate to the victims of Yolanda once he collected the amount. Daza, who lost on his reelection bid for Northern Samar’s first congressional district during the 2010 elections, reportedly uttered the libelous statements against the governor during his radio interview aired over DySM on November 21, 2013. Daza, who is a lawyer by profession, said that he has yet to receive a copy of the complaint filed against him by Ong. “But of course, I will answer it. It’s just a libel case; nobody gets imprisonment because of libel. Or perhaps, I will be the first non-journalist to get in imprison,” Daza said, downplaying the complaint against him, when reached for his comment. But Gov. Ong said that the claims made by Daza over a radio interview were malicious as these were not true. “Daza’s accusations and imputations against me are wrong, false, and untrue. The broadcasted accusations are deliberate malicious imputation of crimes (or unlawful acts, at the very least) that caused or tended to cause me dishonor, discredit or contempt,” Ong said in his complaint-affidavit. “I have carefully and painstakingly built and nurtured my reputation as a public officer and businessman over the years and I cannot allow anyone to destroy and tarnish it with lies and falsehoods,” the Northern Samar governor said. Daza, in his radio interview, reportedly claimed that Ong was not in Catarman, the provincial capital, to attend the needs of the typhoon victims describing him as “inutil” and that he was in Hong Kong and Macau with his wife, Desiree. Daza also allegedly claimed that the provincial government under Ong did not even bothered to help Yolanda victims from the region as he said that the governor asked Vice Gov.Gary Levin to “cover up and lie” on his whereabouts at that time. “The imputation that I was not in Northern Samar or did not act or do anything before, during and after Typhoon Yolanda is a complete lie,” Ong said. He maintained that he distributed relief assistance to the towns of Mondragon, San Roque, Catubig and Las Navas; convened the provincial disaster council; inspected the condition of major infrastructure facilities and donated sacks of rice and boxes of sardines for victims in Samar and Eastern Samar provinces. The governor said that alluding that he was in his province during the onslaught of Yolanda could be labeled as dereliction of duty in times of disaster which is punishable under Republic Act 10121, the law governing on risk reduction management act. Gov. Ong also said that mere mention of Hong Kong and Macau, considered among the favored gambling and leisure countries, would picture him as “irresponsible, insensitive and callous.” “Unfortunately for Daza, his lie falls flat on its face- I was in Catarman, Northern Samar, on the day typhoon Yolanda struck and remained there until approximately one week after,” Ong said. (By: Joey A. Gabieta)
Korean soldiers give free lessons of their language to students in Leyte
PALO, Leyte- Aside from helping in the rehabilitation of damaged or destroyed public buildings due to supertyphoon Yolanda, the Korean contingent has also offer a part of their culture to the Leytenos: their language. And with the current popularity of the so-called K-pop culture to include the “koreanovelas” shown in the national televisions, it’s no wonder why many local, particularly the youth, are wanting to learn the Korean language. For weeks now, students at the Pawing High School in Barangay Pawing in Palo, Leyte were given the chance to learn and study the Korean language with the members of the “Araw” contingents as their teachers. The Korean language classes starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 10 a.m. for all weekdays, except on Wednesday. Giving free studies of their language is part of the social rehabilitation intervention that the South Korean Araw Forces is doing while doing their share in the repair of public schools destroyed by Yolanda, said Lt. Hwang Dea Heung, who serves as one of the teachers. Learning the language will not only make the local understand Koreans but will also allow and give them better opportunity in finding a job in their country, Heung said. There are two types of examination for non-native Koreans to test their Korean language proficiency that could help the locals land a job in their country, he added. These are the Korean language proficiency test and the test of proficiency in Korean. In the TOPIK test, there are three different difficulty levels- the beginner, intermediate and the advance which determined to the difficulty level of the test taken. “Our language is hard to understand. But these children are eager to learn it that makes it easy for me to teach them,” Hwang said. Most of his students are either fan of Korean pop band and Koreanovelas. To make the study of the language easier, a Korean film is being shown to make them more familiar with the language and how to pronounce properly. Rachel Liones, one of the students, said that it needs enthusiasm to learn the Korean language. “You need to learn it by heart for you to understand and learn easily the language,” she said. Liones said that it would now be easy for her to talk with the Koreans using their own language and that she could earn an income as an interpreter.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Tacloban media observed World Press Freedom Day
TACLOBAN CITY- Six months after her horrible experience due to supertyphoon Yolanda, radio broadcaster Jazmin Bonifacio said that could now sleep peacefully at night, but only when it is not raining outside. “When it rains, I would still wake up at night, then sometimes finding myself trembling or in the midst of tears or start looking for my bag and check the windows if there is flood outside. But I’m slowly trying to overcome the fear. Others suffered worst than I did,” Bonifacio said, recalling how she and other staff of DyDW (Radyo Diwa) climbed to the roof minutes after storm surges slammed the announcer’s booth while she was onboard informing the listeners on the last position of super typhoon Yolanda at about 5:15 a.m. on November 8, 2013. Last May 3, Bonifacio, who is now connected with humanitarian radio station Radyo Abante, joined other 42 media practitioners in Tacloban together with personnel of the Philippine Information Agency headed by its regional director, Olive Tiu, in celebrating the World Press Freedom Day and commemorating also the death of other eight local media who perished during the storm. Killed during Yolanda were Archie Globio (DyBR), Malou Realino (DyBR), Ronald Viñas (DyVL), Allan Medino (DyVL), Engr. Gregorio Caing (EV Mail), Chito Lopez (DyBR) and Ariel Aguillon (Bombo Radyo-Tacloban). Others also died few days immediately after the storm were Carolina “Rolly” Montilla of DyVL/ACC, Justenry “Henry” Lagrimas, a veteran radio announcer and Abelardo “Dindo” Orteza, associate editor-in-chief of Leyte Samar Daily Express. The bodies of Globio and Viñas are yet to be recovered. Fr. Amadeo Alvero, media coordinator of the Palo Archdiocese and an assisting priest of the Sto. Nino Parish, led in offering prayers and blessed the venue of the event at the city’s Noblejas Junction, a memorial named after DyVL broadcaster Ramon “Monching” Noblejas who was shot and killed last October 4, 1987. “As they do their job, keep their hearts from despair. Give them courage and let steadfastness shines on the hearts. May they really possess freedom the media should have, that they may cherish it for the good and progress of our society,” Alvero said in his prayers as media participants lighted candles and offered flowers to their departed colleagues. Tiu also congratulated the local media for their dedication amid the difficult situation they are facing after Yolanda destroyed their various media outlets and even their homes. “Would you believe that our media in Easter Visayas are visibly determined to keep their job after Yolanda even without asking for remuneration. They are doing their part not thinking of themselves even they are also victims. The media men I saw on the first day after Yolanda are still media practitioners today,” Tiu said. For broadcaster Allan Amistoso, he said the situation in Tacloban remains hopeful for him, in spite of the sadness he felt for his dead colleagues. He added the storm opens bigger opportunities for other local media to be recognized. “Tacloban is the ground zero, and many stories happened here which practically the entire world is interested to know.”(RONALD O.REYES)
Foreign donors for Yolanda now reached to more than $440 M
TACLOBAN CITY – Six months after supertyphoon Yolanda slammed into the central Philippines, foreign aid supporting the United Nations (UN) Strategic Response Plan (SRP) have already reached US$ 441.26 million or 56 percent of the US$ 788 million requirement. Financial aid from private individuals and organizations has reached $127.22 million, accounting 28.8 percent of the total contribution for SRP, according to the UN’s Financial Tracking Service. So far, Canada has been the top donor to the recovery plan at $ 45.43 million, which accounts 10.3% percent of the total donations for SRP, the UN’s blueprint in responding to the immediate needs of the affected population. Other top 10 donors are the United Kingdom ($ 45.02 million), United States ($ 40.11) Japan ($ 30.50 million), European Commission ($ 28.19 million), Central Emergency Response Fund ($ 25.28 million) Australia ($ 20.62 million), Norway ($ 15.85 million), and Germany ($10.98 million). Of the $ 441.26 million, $ 3.32 million will be for camp coordination and camp management, $ 8.29 million for coordination, $31.94 million for early recovery and livelihood, $ 27.60 million for education, $ 73.79 million for emergency shelter, $ 1.78 million for emergency telecommunications, $ 121.03 million for food security and agriculture, $49.53 million for health, $ 22.38 million for logistics, $ 13.34 million for nutrition, $ 20.29 million for protection, and $ 61.53 million for water and sanitation. The SRP, which will be carried out until November 2014, was designed to complement the Philippine government’s Rehabilitation Assistance on Yolanda (RAY). Tagged as priority in the SRP are 171 municipalities in 14 provinces and six regions along Yolanda’s path. There are about 14 million people affected in these areas, according to the UN OCHA. The plan will benefit three million people where they will get direct assistance through programmes planned by the Food Security and Agriculture cluster interventions. Target population are three million for water, sanitation and hygiene; 2.2 million for camp coordination and camp management; 550,000 for education; 500,000 for emergency shelter; 300,000 for nutrition; 400,000 for early recovery and livelihoods; “More than seven million people will benefit from support to health services and up to five million people will receive benefit from protection-related activities,” the plan stated. Listed as priority interventions under the plan are provision of shelter assistance for the emergency and recovery phases; food assistance, nutritional support and agricultural inputs; remove debris from public spaces and recycle for use in reconstruction; minimizing environmental impact, restore water systems and access to sanitation facilities in communities, schools and health care facilities.
(SARWELL Q.MENIANO)
GIZ: Storm surge cause of 94 percent deaths of Yolanda
TACLOBAN CITY – A study of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) concluded that 94% of the total number of the supertyphoon Yolanda casualties were killed by storm surges. In its report recently released, the GIZ said that in badly devastated coastal areas of Tacloban City, Palo, and Tanauan, only 6% of victims died due to strong winds. In Tacloban, of the 2,496 estimated casualties, 2,297 of them perished due to big waves. In the nearby town of Palo, 1,033 of the 1,089 fatalities were caused by rising seawater. Similarly, Tanauan town had 1,252 casualties with 1,207 of them were killed by storm surges.
“It is concluded that the main killer was strong waves from the storm surge and to a much lesser extent, river floods, flash floods, landslides, and powerful winds,” the study said. Citing reports from the Department of Science and Technology, the maximum water height was 5.16 meters. The seawater reached up to 1,100 meters far in Tacloban, 960 meters in Palo, and 560 meters in Tanauan. While tagging storm surge as the main killer, the GIZ said that a big number of people could have been saved had the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) explained clearly what a storm surge is.
“If those who died in the storm surge would have been properly warned and they would have evacuated to safer areas, a death rate similar to the inland areas would have applied to them. This means roughly 94% of them would still be alive today,” the GIZ study concluded. The German agency noted that Pagasa did not issue any storm surge warning until a day before the disaster that killed more than 6,000 people and rendered nearly 2,000 people still missing, according to official data.
Among the storm surge casualties were the family of 54-year-old Salvacion Abas of the coastal village of San Roque in Tanauan. Five of her family members perished – a daughter, a daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren. Abas recalled that they were already inside the evacuation center a day before but returned to their house in the evening since the weather was fine. When big waves hit their makeshift house, they were swept away, with five of Abas’ family members killed.
“Had the police told us that there would be a tidal wave or tsunami, we could have moved to the next town for safety,” she added. Abas and her husband survived by clinging to empty containers they used in storing a local wine. The GIZ study found that only one source of storm hazard maps is known, thus indicating that storm surge hazard was “underestimated in the past.” “The Pagasa maps only included up to four meter water heights, but its forecast for the Haiyan (international name of Yolanda) surge height was seven meters,” the GIZ said.
(SARWELL Q.MENIANO)