SOS Children's Villages in the Philippines to distribute food to typhoon victims in Iloilo

24/06/2008 - SOS Children's Village Iloilo is taking immediate action and helping typhoon victims with shelter and nourishment.


A family taking shelter in the SOS Children's Village Iloilo - Photo: SOS Archives
SOS Children's Village Iloilo is providing rice, canned food-items and noodles to the 300 families in the vicinity whose houses are still under water after the typhoon Fengshen lashed the Philippines. The affected areas are still not accessible and co-workers are trying hard to reach them. The water-level in many areas are still remaining at waist-high.


About 60 families have taken shelter at the SOS Social Centre Iloilo where they are provided with the food and essential items. These families come from the communities around the SOS Children's Village Iloilo where family strengthening programmes are being implemented.



Many areas are still not accessible as the water level is too high - Photo: SOS Archives

Electricity and telephone services are still not restored in many parts of Iloilo city. Generators are pressed into service to provide power in the SOS Children's Village Iloilo.


According to the Red Cross, Iloilo is worst-hit by the fury of the typhoon and hundreds of thousands of people had to be evacuated.


Typhoon Fengshen caused devastation across much of the central Philippines. About 160 people died in flooding and landslides, while homes, bridges and roads were washed away. The typhoon has now weakened to a tropical storm and is heading north into the South China Sea.

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Western Visayas Hit the Hardest by Frank

Frank’ wreaks P1.65B damage to property

By Joel Guinto, Katherine Evangelista
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 18:07:00 06/23/2008



MANILA, Philippines -- Typhoon "Frank" (international codename: Fengshen) wrought an estimated P1.65 billion in damage to property, officials said Monday.

Health Secretary Francisco T .Duque III, who flew with Vice-President Noli de Castro to Iloilo asses the health situation and determine the scope of damages in affected provinces, said the Western Visayas region was the hardest hit by the storm.

According to a report from the National Disaster Coordinating Council, "Frank" caused P888.55 million in damage to infrastructure and agriculture in Leyte province, and P52 million in damage to schoolbuildings in Samar Island, and Tacloban and Calbayog cities in Leyte.

In Iloilo province, 165,000 sacks of rice were destroyed after floodwaters entered a warehouse of the National Food Authority (NFA), Agriculture undersecretary Bernie Fondevilla said at an NDCC news briefing.

Duque said that, also in Iloilo, barangay (villages) Simon, San Roque, and Iping were flooded, and a dam in the municipality of San Miguel and bridges in Cabanatuan and Maasin were “heavily damaged.” Likewise, Kamandag Elementary School in the municipality of Leon was damaged after a landslide.

In Antique province, a flashflood hit Sibalom municipality and the Antique-to-Iloilo road was closed. Most evacuees in the province were staying in churches, Duque said.

Two still unidentified persons are missing in Guimaras province. The Aniway District Hospital and Federico Roman Tirador Hospital were flooded, requiring the transfer of patients to the Labunan District Hospital.

Floodwaters destroyed roads and bridges, costing P710 million, in Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), and in Western and Eastern Visayas, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported during the NDCC briefing.

In Marinduque province, 50 percent of rice lands were damaged, while 100 percent of lands planted to corn and bananas were destroyed. Another 40 percent of coconut trees were also destroyed, Fondevilla said.

But Fondevilla said the storm did not damage farm lands in Central Luzon, where the rain was even beneficial to newly-planted crops.

Duque said the Department of Health (DoH) has sent nearly P500,000 worth of drugs, medicines and other supplies to Western Visayas to augment the region’s supply.

DoH-Western Visayas is continuously monitoring the situation through a 24-hour operations center, with regular updates reported to the DoH central office and NDCC.

Meanwhile, a rapid health assessment and surveillance was conducted in Metro Manila where some 2,603 families were sheltered in 22 evacuation centers because of flooding. The DoH has also activated a regional disaster and response plan.

On the other hand, the DoH Center for Health Development in Metro Manila has prepared and distributed health advisories on communicable diseases to affected areas.



Please pray for safety and well-being of the affected families of Iloilo.

Boost Me Up! Help me win!!!

PADYAK your way to a Greener Future!

The UP Padyak Project aims to contribute to the University on its centennial celebration by responding to the threat of global warming and the environmental crisis. Started by members and alumni of the UP Mountaineers, the project is a non-profit advocacy that promotes bicycling as means of transportation and lessens dependence on fossil fuel-driven vehicles. It also aims to promote health and fitness in the campus community.

The project makes bicycles available to students at a highly affordable rate (P500/semester) which will cover rent of an easy-rider bicycle, training clinics, access to bicycle racks and cable locks.

Enrolled students in UP Diliman are eligible to join the UP Padyak Project provided they pass all the requirements of the Health Checklist and comply with the safety guidelines. Applicants must submit a photocopy of their ID, form 5 (upon completion of UP registration), and a completed application form and waiver.

The biking membership period is on a per semester basis starting on the first day of school registration to the last day of the final exams period. Please verify with the current academic calendar for the exact dates.

can you live with only 100 items?

"Stuff starts to overwhelm you," says Dave Bruno, 37, an online entrepreneur who looked around his San Diego home one day last summer and realized how much his family's belongings were weighing him down. Thus began what he calls the 100 Thing Challenge. (Apparently, Bruno is so averse to excess he can't refer to 100 things in the plural.) In a country where clutter has given rise not only to professional organizers but also to professional organizers with their own reality series (TLC's Clean Sweep), Bruno's online musings about his slow and steady purge have developed something of a cult following online, inspiring others to launch their own countdown to clutter-free living.

Rainbow Warrior Tour in Iloilo!

Iloilo, all aboard!
If you would like to visit the Rainbow Warrior, please email your name and the names of your companions to supporterservices.ph@greenpeace.org by tomorrow, Friday, June 6, 2008.

The meeting point for the Open Boat Day shall be at the Climate Defenders Camp, Jaro Cathedral Grounds, Iloilo. Once there, you can look for Judy.
Reminder-- please wear closed shoes! Please see our list of activities below!

Open Boat Days:
June 7 and 8 at the Iloilo Commercial Port If you'd like to join any of the activities below, please send an email to Judy at supporterservices.ph@greenpeace.org .

Saturday, June 7 1pm to 5pm Tour of the Climate Defenders Camp Tour of the Rainbow Warrior
Sunday, June 8 8am to 12pm Tour of the Climate Defenders Camp & 1pm to 5pm

Tour of the Rainbow Warrior Side activities: 10am to 11am Greenpeace kids Kids can listen to a short talk about the environment. Kids will be given coloring sheets (RW, Simple Lang Kids, nature) After coloring, kids will be given a tour of the Rainbow Warrior 2pm to 4pm Green Café Climate Campaigner Jasper Inventor lets us in on Greenpeace's fight for clean & renewable energy. This will be followed by a tour of the Rainbow Warrior.

Thank you to everyone!

Open Boat Day 2008

Open Boat Day 2008 will be next Sunday, June 1, 2008, from 10:30am until 5pm. Check out our day's activities below. It will be held at the Manila South Harbor. To those who confirm, map and meeting area will be emailed by Friday. To reserve, please send an email to supporterservices.ph@greenpeace.org together with your name, your companions names, and your vehicle's plate number. You may also indicate which activity you would like to join so that we can save you a seat.

Open Boat Day 2008 is dedicated to all Greenpeace members, your family, and your friends!

Before touring the Rainbow Warrior, why not get environmentally engaged at the Clean Energy Exhibit while taking a sip of Greenpeace solar coffee.

You can also attend the activies below:

9am to 11am	Green Café: Clean Energy & The Rainbow Warrior
	Early birds get the worm! Start the day with solar coffee
	while Climate Campaigner Jasper Inventor lets us in on
	Greenpeace's fight for clean & renewable energy.
	This will be followed by a special tour of the ship
	by Captain Mike Fincken.
	Only 50 seats are available! So email us to confirm
	a slot for you and one companion.
10:30am onwards	Official start of Open Boat Day
11am to 12 noon	Simple Lang talk
	Learn how conserving electricity can
	help save the planet! Discover how simple acts,
	when done collectively, can save the climate.
	Only 50 seats are available! Email us to confirm
	a slot for you and one companion.
12 noon to 1pm	Open Boat Day takes a lunch break!
	Film showing of various Greenpeace videos
2:30pm to 4pm	Color me Green: Kids Activity
	20 kids will be getting a short & fun talk about
	our planet! This will be followed by a coloring
	session and a special tour of the Warrior.
	Participants can have their photos taken beside
	Dave the dolphin while displaying their artwork.
	Each child may have 1 adult companion during the Rainbow Warrior tour. 20 seat available!
	the Rainbow Warrior tour. Please email us
	to confirm a slot for your child. 20 seats available

Click to be Counted

This is a movement about change, as individuals, as a country, and as a global community. Join the 1,068,539 supporters of the Stop Global Warming Virtual March, and become part of the movement to demand our leaders freeze and reduce carbon dioxide emissions now. We are all contributors to global warming and we all need to be part of the solution.

Greenpeace dumps coal at DENR: calls for cancellation of IloIlo Coal plant

Greenpeace activists dumped half a ton of coal at the entrance of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) today and unfurled a banner with the message “Atienza, don’t be a climate criminal.” The activists are demanding that Secretary Lito Atienza immediately reject all plans to construct a dangerous coal-fired power plant in Iloilo City.

Read more here.

Sign Up and let your voice be heard!

Make your voice heard.
Sign the petition opposing the construction of the
165 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Iloilo City, Philippines

Learn a word, donate some rice

Learn Free Vocabulary & Give Free Rice!
For each word you get right, FreeRice donates 20 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger. :)

Check out FREERICE

A CALL TO GO GREEN

A Call to the members and officers of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, Inc., Iloilo Business Club, Inc., Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Iloilo, Inc., Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Iloilo, Federation of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Panay, Inc., Iloilo Multi-Sectoral Business Organization, Iloilo Convention and Visitors Bureau, Ilonggo Producer's Association, Inc. and Philippine Retailer's Association of Iloilo.


Business groups in Iloilo have expressed their support for the proposed construction of a coal-fired power plant that is opposed by environmental groups and the Catholic Church.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, 10 business organizations representing more than 350 companies endorsed the putting up of a 100-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Barangay (village) Ingore in La Paz district here by the Global Business Power Corp. (GBPC) and Panay Power Corp. (PPC).

They said the coal plant would be necessary for realizing the economic development of the city and province and that the additional power supply would be critical in stabilizing power supply in Iloilo.

(read more, click on the link)

Dear Sirs and Madams,

I have read your commitment to further our good city's development.

As much as you see that coal-fueled power plants will answer the city's power shortage, please bear in mind the drastic long term effects that this will bring to us and future generations of Ilonggos. Please do not be blinded by the promise of electric power to boost our economy --- this plant will give us generations of asthma and bronchitis - stricken children brought about by its dangerous fumes. Gone will be the days that we can actually breathe clean air. Would you sacrifice your health, the health of your kids for this? Please take note of the hefty price you will have to pay for this. This is NOT the only alternative we have. There are other sources of energy we can utilize,and for the price you will be spending, worth the long term commitment. Please do not sacrifice so much for such a short-term goal, especially with such a costly price.

Electric Jeepneys to service residents of Bel-Air, Makati

Two units of the E-jeep will be servicing the residents of Bel-Air Village in Makati for free starting November 20, 2007. The routes of Bel-Air to Rockwell, and Bel-Air to the Buendia MRT station will be implemented. This project is made possible by GRIPP, Greenpeace, the City of Makati, with the cooperation of Bel-Air Village.

The E-jeepney was launched last July 2007 and is now in its pilot testing phase. Since we have not yet secured the necessary permits to get the E-jeep running on our city streets, units will service passengers within enclosed environments.

This is the first public transport of its kind in Southeast Asia. Ejeepneys mitigate climate change because they are free of fossil fuels. They also address urban problems such as air pollution and solid waste.

(from Greenpeace.org)

Hopefully we will implement these soon on all baranggays! Help us by inquiring or urging your baranggay to adapt a greener, cleaner way of living

simple lang (it's simple!)

Simple lang, BE ENERGY-CONSCIOUS AT HOME!

They say home is where the heart is…and we agree! Once you are completely energy-conscious with your habits and practices, you will easily incorporate this in your home life. Empower your family and household members to be energy-conscious. Remember, conserving energy also means you save up money that you can allocate to your other needs.

Simple lang, remember to do the simple acts of unplugging, switching off and lighting up efficiently (by using CFLs and inviting sunlight to your rooms) and don’t forget to keep your appliances in good condition so you maximize their use and prevent them from consuming excess energy.

Simpleng, Simple lang! Simple acts when done collectively will definitely help stop climate change. So, do a simple act now.

Simple lang, BE ENERGY-CONSCIOUS AT HOME!

=======================

ANOTHER USEFUL TIP!

Simple lang, USE A POWER STRIP!

Similar to what you did with your computers and related equipment in the office or school, you can also plug in your TV, VCD/DVD player, and other audio-visual appliances to a power strip so when you switch off, you switch off all the unnecessary standby mode consumption.

Tell your housemates to be energy-conscious like you – log on to www.greenpeace.org.ph/simplelang

snippet to read

Musharraf has ordered the arrest of several top lawyers and judges, but others remain defiant, taking their protest to the people


picture courtesy of TIME online (www.time.com)

Sign up and help them make a stand!

Please sign up at http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/x.php?cl=28273313

Burma's Fight

Burmese monks 'to be sent away'

Monks are absent, but people in Rangoon are going about their lives

Thousands of monks detained in Burma's main city of Rangoon will be sent to prisons in the far north of the country, sources have told the BBC.

About 4,000 monks have been rounded up in the past week as the military government has tried to stamp out pro-democracy protests.

(more at BBC news)
(more updates here)


+ + +

Sep 27, 2007 (DVB)–Further casualties have been reported as security forces continue their crackdown on the demonstrations in Rangoon.

Protestors came under fire on Thamada road, where one university student was shot in the forehead and died on the spot. A monk at the same location was shot in the back and wounded, and a youth was also shot and wounded.

+ + +

The whole thing started as a religious movement. It was not an organised democratic movement and there was no intention whatsoever for it to be turned into one. Monks were adamant about it.

They knew that there is no point in asking the generals for freedom. They knew that they don't have guns and can't beat the army. All they wanted to do was show the world what their situation is and that they are prepared to die.

They were very hopeful about the UN envoy coming to Burma. But they were quite surprised to hear that the UN envoy met Aung San Suu Kyi.

They love and respect her, but they felt that this time it is about them and that the UN envoy should be speaking to them. They felt that it's a distraction from them while they are being shot at and need protection.

This was an opportunity for them to express themselves after 20 years. Their eyes are on the international community, their only hope is that the world will see their plight and help them.

But when they hear that support for the demonstrations is dwindling and time passes by without help from anyone, they lose hope. They are getting disillusioned and eventually they'll give up.

+ + +

Please watch the videos and be informed. Let us pray for the safety of the people and hope that all will end well.

Electronic jeep launch!

Join us witness renewable energy come to life in the streets of Manila! You are all invited to the launch this Wednesday, July 4, 2007, from 8:30am until 10am, at the park in front of Glorietta 3 in Makati City (other landmarks include Shangrila Edsa Plaza, 6750, and Landmark).

These electric jeepneys are part of The Climate Friendly Cities Project, an innovative project that helps mitigate climate change and promote sustainable transport and waste management initiatives. The E-jeepneys run on renewable sources of energy. Its benefits include cleaner and safer transport for the riding public,increased incomes to the driver and a cleaner urban environment for all—while helping give solution to climate change. Much technical and commercial tests will follow in the next 6-9 months.

For questions or further directions to our launch in Makati, don't hesitate to give us a call at (02)4260368 local 110, or send us an email at supporterservices@ph.greenpeace.org . We know that July 4 is such a short notice, and so we will have other dates and venues where you can come and see the E-jeepneys.

Thinking Out of the Box

Literally, that is. Products have taken a whole new art form with their packaging, from innovative outer materials used, to bizarre and wonderfully delightful textures. Yet in this day and age of eco-awareness, we encourage you to re-think this design conceptualization with another factor: is it eco-friendly?

While it serves a multitude of purposes (primary cover/safety of product, marketing tool, etc.), product packaging, especially ones made of non-recyclable materials, pose a grave threat to the environment, and if not disposed properly, can do more damage that we would have thought. So what can we do?

For consumers, think out of the box. Choose products which have little or no packaging, or use recyclable packaging (tetra-paks, boxes made of cardboard/recycled paper are examples). For designers/creators, find ways to reduce plastics into your packaging (like, is there a better way to bundle items other than burning plastics!??!!!)

Give to charity. The best form of recycling is giving things, clothes, items we don't need to someone who needs it. Consider your items before you throw them away --- can they be reused by somebody? Can they be mended? Are they still able to function? If so, donate them or reuse them.

The choice to change and make a change is in our hands. As Gadhi said, "you must be the change you wish to see in the world"

Just Say NO

Just Say No to Plastic Bags
The plastic bags you bring home from the supermarket probably end up in a landfill. Every year, more than 500 billion plastic bags are distributed, and less than 3% of those bags are recycled. They are typically made of polyethylene and can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade in landfills that emit harmful greenhouse gases. Reducing your contribution to plastic-bag pollution is as simple as using a cloth bag (or one made of biodegradable plant-based materials) instead of wasting plastic ones. For your next trip to the grocery store, BYOB.

for more ideas on how to save the planet, please go check out http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/environment/