As the world prepares for Christmas and New Year, the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in Northern Mindanao, Philippines were wrecked and inundated by flashfloods caused by Tropical Storm Sendong (International Name: Washi) on the late evening of December 16, 2011 until the early morning of December 17.

Thousands were killed, many were left homeless, and countless dreams were dashed in a season of merrymaking.

Two weeks after the tragedy, people are slowly picking up the pieces and trying to live normal lives again.

Maj. Jacob Obligado, chief the 10th Civil Military Operations (CMO) Battalion, said the relief goods were donated by several individuals and organizations in their effort to extend relief assistance to the calamity victims.

In a text message, Obligado said the effort is dubbed as “Pagtinabangay Caravan Alang sa CDO ug Iligan,” which is a public-private partnership facilitated by the 10ID.

Obligado added that the initiative received an “overwhelming response and support from various stake holders. And more are still coming.”

“I cannot give an estimate as to how much is the monetary value of these relief goods. As of now, we have prepared 21 M-35 military trucks and we may add eight dump trucks, he said.

The relief goods consisted mostly of rice, noodles, canned goods and used clothes.

On Monday, the City Government of Davao sent P2-million worth of relief goods to the disaster-stricken cities while Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and her father, Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, personally delivered P1 million in cash to each city.

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Thursday said it is rushing plastic tarpaulins to the flood-devastated cities to provide emergency shelters for at least 10,000 people.

In a press statement, UNHCR said it will airlift more than 10,000 blankets, 4,000 jerry cans, and more than 2,000 kitchen sets (cooking pots, pans, bowls, knives, cups and cutlery), which will help a family of five prepare their own food.

UNHCR normally works with refugees, asylum-seekers, people displaced within their own countries and stateless people. In recent years it has
also responded to natural disasters in some countries because of its expertise in emergencies.

In the Philippines in 2009, UNHCR’s work within the UN Country Team after Typhoon Ketsana (known locally as Ondoy) led to its being asked to expand its office to help care for the internally displaced people in Mindanao.

Last weekend’s tropical storm, known internationally as Washi and in the Philippines as Sendong, left more than 1,000 dead or missing. UNHCR’s team in Mindanao participated in a UN inter-agency mission on Monday and Tuesday (19-20 December) to assess damage and people’s needs.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMMC) reported 650 casualties in Cagayan de Oro and 283 in Iligan as of 6 a.m. Thursday. 

All over the country, NDRRMC recorded 1,010 deaths in 10 provinces six days after Typhon Sendong.

Of the total casualties, 950 are from Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Bukidnon. (Keith Bacongco / MindaNews)

(I’ve added an approximate path of Typhoon Sendong (international codename: Washi) based on PAG-ASA’s  Severe Weather Bulletin as of 10:30pm of December 18,2011 )

Here’s my attempt to map out natural disasters, mostly major ones, that hit Mindanao. The green markers indicate the past incidents while the red ones represent the areas hit by typhoon Sendong (international codename: Washi) on December 17, 2011.

You may navigate through the map if you want to view it a little bigger. Just click on the markers to view the details.

These are based on the data of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and few news reports quoting concerned local government  agencies. For accurate data, you may also search the website of the NDRRMC.

If you think I might have missed some disasters that hit Mindanao, please feel free to post your comments or suggestions.

With this data on the map, which part of Mindanao you think it’s still safe to live?

Fr. Eric Garcia Velandria S.J.
Coordinator of Sendong Operation,
KKP Office, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, Corrales Ave.
9000 Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

Cash donations can be deposited at this account:

Account Name: Xavier University

Account Number: 9331-0133-63

Xavier University Relief Center is conducting a relief operation for families affected by Bagyong Sendong.They are asking for donations in:

CASH
FOOD (noodles, canned goods, etc.)
BOTTLED WATER and
CLEAN CLOTHES.

You can drop them off at the
Xavier University KKP-SIO.
Volunteers also needed @DSWD (Masterson Rd, Upper Carmen).
Call 09066150095 or 858-8892. Let’s help, please

Other Useful Information:
SMART LIBRENG TAWAG, INTERNET and CELLPHONE CHARGING sa PHILCOM OFFICE, MAX SUNIEL ST. CARMEN (RIGHT BESIDE ACSAT GYM) for those who would like to contact their loved ones who have been affected by the recent FLASHFLOODS. Please tell your friends, family and neighbors!!!! Please repost. – T. Tamayo

For those who live in Manila, you can help us
For CASH/ CHEQUE donations…(through Simbahang Lingkod)

Direct deposits may be made online from any BPI branches (inter-branch transactions are free of charge), pay to:

SIMBAHANG LINGKOD NG BAYAN (Account Name/Payee)

Bank of the Philippine Islands (Loyola-Katipunan Branch)

BPI Peso Checking Account Number: 3081-1111-61

BPI Dollar Savings Account Number: 3084-0420-12

–

Reposting from Iligan Bloggers website:}
ONE FOR ILIGAN: Help the Typhoon Sendong Victims

Donate $1 for the ILIGAN FLOOD VICTIMS OF TYPHOON SENDONG

Maayong Iligan in this season of giving.

Iligan Bloggers Society, Inc. is humbly requesting your generous help for the victims Bagyong Sendong of Iligan City.

Iligan Bloggers Society, Inc.  is accepting donations in kind for the victims of Typhoon Sendong in the city. We encourage the following items for donations: canned goods, noodles, bath and laundry soaps, toothpaste, rice, used clothings, slippers, and cash donations.

DROP OFF POINTS: St. Michaels’ Cathedral, DXIC Radio Staion, City Hall, Rizal Park, and Calda Pizza Iligan City Branch will be the drop off point for the donations in-kind of cash. Please do not hesitate to ask to verify for you to extend your help to the victims of Typhoon Sendong.

Paypal ID: singcol.inquisitor@gmail.com

BDO Account: Revilla N. Carbonell-Noel – 109451077611

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Look for Erika Cruz 09052802002

See at Rizal Park at 8AM on December 18, 2011

You can contact the following point persons for your donations and other inquiries.

ILIGAN BLOGGERS SOCIETY, INC.

SITE: http:// iliganbloggers.com

EMAIL: iliganbloggers@gmail.com

FB Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/iliganbloggers

LISA (LAI) MARIE MIRASOL | Pinay Travelista, @pinaytravelista
(IBS, Inc. Web Content Manager)
http://www.pinaytravelista.com/ 09062558863; (+63) 222-2117

ALEXANDER SINGCOL | iligan Inquisitor, @lexuzinquisitor
(IBS, Inc Board of Trustee Member)
http://theiliganinquisitor.blogspot.com/ 09053117925, (+63) 8360272

REVILLA CARBONELL-NOEL | Adventures in Life
(IBS, Inc Board of Trustee Member)
092193209944, 09427009788

For more Updates on Iligan City status after Typhoon Sendong:
DXIC: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rmn-dxic-iligan

FB Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/iliganbloggers

Your Donations will be read and shown at: www.iliganbloggers.com

Daghang Salamat.

The elder Duterte said the override was expected because the council had already voted in favor of the power plant.

“They voted in favor of the project before, it is expected that they will override it (veto). Do you think they will change their minds?” Duterte told reporters.  

He also lashed at the critics of the proposed coal-fired power plant, telling them to carefully study the technology first.

“To those who are very vocal, you don’t know everything in this world. If you think you are intelligent, we are more intelligent than you,” he said.

Mayor Duterte expressed frustration over the decision of the city council.

“I’m frustrated, I’m sad …They should have heeded the veto because it is a powerful message that the city mayor is against their measure,” she told reporters on Tuesday, a day after 21 of the 22 councilors present at the session voted to override her veto.

Councilor Paolo Duterte, an ex-officio member representing the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC), abstained.

When she issued her veto, the mayor said she also told the councilors to review all the materials related to the coal-fired power plant’s technology.

“But apparently, on the day itself I issued the veto, (it was) the same day also that the reports came out that they will override the veto,” she said Duterte-Carpio.

“Let history judge them na lang,” she added.

Last week, her father had already hinted of the override, saying the city council had the final say and leave the mayor no choice but to implement the project.

While Mayor Duterte acknowledged that the councilors were just exercising democracy, she said she had yet to consult the city legal counsel to explore other options to block the power plant.

The override has earned the council the ire of groups opposed to the power plant, with some 200 of them staging a protest at city hall as the session took pace.

Source: Interkasyon.Com

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/12 December) — Twenty-one councilors voted on Monday to override Mayor Sara Duterte’s veto of an ordinance reclassifying a parcel of land in Barangay Binugao, Toril District from protected medium industrial zone to protected heavy industrial zone, to allow Aboitiz Power Corp. to construct a 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant.

While the session was going on, some 200 protesters had already gathered in front of the City Council building to protest against the establishment of the coal-fired power plant.

Twenty-two councilors attended the session but Councilor Paolo Duterte, an ex-officio member being the chair of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), abstained from the voting.

After Majority Floor Leader Tomas Monteverde III read the veto order of the mayor before the council, presiding officer Councilor Karlo Bello granted his request for a three-minute recess during which the lawmakers agreed who would speak first.

After the break, Duterte told the council he would not participate in the voting.

Addressing his colleagues, Councilor Melchor Quitain acknowledged that there are alternative sources of energy which are less harmful such as solar, wind and hydro power.

He, however, added: “To say there are alternative sources of energy is not the same as saying that they are available. And to say that they are available is not the same as saying they are available now. And to say that they are available now is not the same as saying that they are doable and workable here in Davao City.”

In her previous media interviews, the mayor has been urging “to explore other alternative sources of energy instead of the coal.”

Opposition groups echoed the mayor’s suggestion to explore alternative sources of energy.

While Quitain was speaking, five protesters silently walked inside the session hall with placards showing their opposition to the coal-fired power plant project.

The council’s sergeant-at-arms tried to put the placards down but Bello signaled at him to allow the protesters to go on with their silent protest.

After Quitain’s speech, Bello called for a vote on whether or not to override the veto of the mayor. Except for Duterte’s abstention, the motion to overrule the veto got a unanimous vote.

They were: Nilo Abellera, Victorio Advincula  Jr., Bernard Al-ag, Al Ryan Alejandre, Dante Apostol, Conrado Baluran, Joanne Bonguyan, Louie John Bonguyan,  Pilar Braga, Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling, April Marie Dayap, Jimmy Dureza, Melchor Quitain, Edgar  Ibuyan,  Emmanuel Galicia Sr., Rene Elias Lopez, Tomas  Monteverde III, Jashera Gonzales, Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, Jose Louie Villafuerte, and Rachel Zozobrado.

Councilor Jimmy Dureza then asked the presiding the officer if they could move to adopt the explanation of Quitain so that they would not have to explain their affirmative vote one by one.

The council moved to adopt Quitain’s explanation.

After the voting, the protesters marched out of the session hall while shouting “mga traidor sa katawhan” (traitors of the people).

Franchie Buhayan, secretary general of Bayan Southern Mindanao Region, led the protesters in a noise barrage in front of the City Council building.

Buhayan accused the councilors as traitors and of allegedly being more loyal to the Aboitiz Power Corporation than to their constituents.

“They refused to listen to the people, particularly those living in the project site,” she screamed.

Tom Villarin, convenor of Dabawenyo Ayaw sa Coal (DAC) claimed that scientific studies over decades have proven the negative impact of coal-fired power plants.

“We don’t need dead bodies before we say coal is unsafe,” Villarin said in a statement sent to media.

In her veto message, the mayor said: “As a mayor of our city, I should be at the forefront of effecting the observance of the right of our people to health and balanced ecology, and the correlative duty of the people, which I suppose rests largely upon the government, to refrain from impairing the environment.” (Keith Bacongco/MindaNews)

Source: MindaNews.Com

Duterte-Carpio said the project is prejudicial to the general welfare of the public, adding that she was “disturbed with the environmental and health implications resulting from the operation of the project.”

On November 15 the city council passed Ordinance 0200-11 Series of 2011 reclassifying the area for the proposed 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant project. The move was made upon the request of the Aboitiz Power Corp.

In her three-page message obtained by this writer, the mayor said: “The subject measure is hereby vetoed pursuant to Section 55 [a] of Republic Act 7160 on the ground that the same is prejudicial to public welfare.”

Section 55 (a) of Republic Act 7160, or the Local Government Code, provides that the mayor may veto an ordinance if it is deemed to be prejudicial to the general welfare.

Duterte-Carpio cited possible risks of the project to the environment and public.

In her previous media interviews, Duterte-Carpio has been saying “to explore other alternative sources of energy instead of the coal.”

The vetoed ordinance reclassified parcels of land in Barangay Binugao from protected medium industrial zone to protected heavy industrial zone.

The mayor cited the US Presidential Task Force, which was created to look at ways to alter the energy direction of the United States energy providers, that favors the trend away from coal-fired power plants.

“It would seem, therefore, that allowing the establishment of a coal power plant in our city is to adopt a power source technology which is now being rejected in most part of the world, most especially in the US, because of the environment hazards it poses to our planet and humanity,” said Duterte-Carpio, adding that introducing it in the city would be a step backward rather than forward to progress.

Dr. Jean Lindo, convener of No to Coal Davao, commended the mayor’s decision, saying it is a people’s victory.

But Lindo added that they would remain vigilant because “there might be ways to overturn this.”

The City Council has yet to vote during their plenary session next week whether to override or accept the veto.

The city has 26 councilors, and they must have 18 votes to override the veto. Twenty-one of them have voted for the ordinance reclassifying the plant site.

Also, majority of the council members believe the plant will bring economic benefits to the city and will help in the current energy crisis in Mindanao.

As of this writing, sources from Aboitiz Power Corp., one of the biggest power producers in the country, said they have yet to release a statement on the mayor’s veto.