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P9 billion needed to repair typhoon-damaged schools

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P9 billion needed to repair typhoon-damaged schools

Janvic Mateo (The Philippine Star) – November 20, 2020

MANILA, Philippines — The government will require P9 billion to rehabilitate or replace 3,000 public schools that were severely damaged by recent typhoons, according to the Department of Education (DepEd).

The latest situation reports showed that 2,929 public elementary and high schools were reported to have sustained major infrastructure damage due to Super Typhoon Rolly (Goni) and Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco) that hit the country earlier this month.

A total of 1,739 schools in nine regions, primarily in Bicol, were damaged by Rolly, with DepEd saying an estimated P5.3 billion is needed for reconstruction or rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, a partial report on the impact of Ulysses showed that 1,190 schools sustained infrastructure damage, requiring P3.7 billion for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Another 1,309 schools sustained non-infrastructure damage during both typhoons, affecting furniture, learning materials and computer sets. The extent of damage, particularly of Ulysses, is expected to still rise as more reports come in from regions, especially in Cagayan Valley that experienced widespread flooding last week.

DepEd officials earlier said that its engineers are currently assessing the damaged schools to enable immediate rehabilitation.

Undersecretary for administration Alain Del Pascua said DepEd engineers are drawing up proposals for new school designs, noting that reconstruction or rehabilitation efforts would vary depending on the current status of school buildings and available funds.

An intensive study, he added, is now being conducted to gauge the quality and standards of materials that shall be used on the next repair.

Pascua also said they would meet with the Department of Public Works and Highways to discuss the possibility of redesigning school buildings and ensure that quality materials are used in construction.

“We have to go back again to the drawing board because the typhoons are getting stronger. Our target is that, within the next 15 to 20 years, our schools should still be standing and are not damaged,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), for its part, committed to incorporate and strengthen disaster response education in college programs and courses.

“Some of our courses already have it, especially in NSTP (National Service Training Program) where civic consciousness is incorporated so our students could be apprised or informed on how to respond to disasters,” CHED executive director Cinderella Filipina Benitez-Jaro said in an interview with “The Chiefs” aired on One News/TV 5 on Tuesday night.

Jaro was responding to calls to incorporate disaster education in the curriculum following the series of typhoons that hit the country.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed support to calls for more disaster-resilient structures such as schools.

“Amidst a time of multiple risks and uncertainties posed by the coronavirus disease pandemic and other calamities, there still lies the big challenge for disaster preparedness, especially for harnessing disaster-resilient infrastructures,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said on Thursday.

“The CHR underscores the criticality of national infrastructure in facilitating the smooth provision of humanitarian response, connectivity, transport and utility services to affected communities,” she added.

She also supported the call of President Duterte for Congress to increase the budget for the construction of temporary shelters to people in need, stressing the need for safe and sturdy evacuation centers that can withstand strong winds and heavy rains, floods and other hazards.

“Similarly, as schools and other public buildings are being used as refuge in the immediate emergency period, the CHR also supports the move of a number of senators to improve the quality of schools and classrooms by ensuring that funding and structural requirements are adjusted accordingly, guided as well by government procurement and audit rules,” said de Guia.

“The commission emphasizes too that once the situation stabilizes and if and when evacuation zones become accessible and safe to return to, evacuees should be assisted to relocate and begin the process of recovery,” she added, noting that some may require longer-term assistance when return to their homes is not a viable option.#

‘No place for intolerance, bigotry, red-tagging in UP,’ says chancellor

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‘No place for intolerance, bigotry, red-tagging in UP,’ says chancellor

By: Cathrine Gonzales – Reporter / @cgonzalesINQ, INQUIRER.net /November 20, 2020

MANILA, Philippines — There is no place for intolerance, bigotry, and red-tagging in the University of the Philippines, UP Diliman Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo said on Friday.

Nemenzo pointed out that the premier state university is a “safe haven for civilized and intelligent discourse,” in keeping with its tradition of academic freedom.

“But it has no place for intolerance, bigotry, and red-tagging. Red-tagging, in particular, is dangerous because it focuses on labels over substance and encourages intimidation and violence,” he said in a statement.

Nemenzo made the remarks after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to cut the funding of UP following calls of academic strike due to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent typhoons. Duterte also accused the state university of recruiting students to join the communist insurgency.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque later said that Duterte might have been “a little confused” and that he clarified to the Chief Executive that students of the private Ateneo de Manila University were the ones calling for student strike and not those of the state-funded UP System.

Nemenzo also said that the threat to cut the funding of UP stemmed from the “misunderstanding that UP does nothing except to recruit communists.”

He added that “those who blame UP for breeding communists forget that UP has bred more scientists, artists, doctors, lawyers, diplomats, and civil servants.”

“What the UP critics brand as subversive comes from discontent at the way things are, and a desire for change. UP education exposes our students to a wide range of perspectives,” said the chancellor.

“During their time in UP, students learn to think on their own, to think critically, to reason out, and distinguish truth from lies, right from wrong,” he noted.

For  Nemenzo, “vociferous critics” of UP are welcome to espouse their ideas but added that they have to be prepared to defend these before the UP community.

He likewise pointed out that the choice of faculty and students to express their grievances, criticize the government, and call for policy changes, is their fundamental right as Filipinos.

“And whatever one thinks of their call to ‘end the semester,’ it should not be construed as an abandonment of one’s education, but as a legitimate expression of their commitment to teaching and learning, which has undeniably suffered due to the pandemic and recent spate of typhoons,” he said.

Nemenzo said they recognize and will defend the UP faculty and students’ right to protest.

“But UP, as an institution of higher learning, cannot renege on its responsibility to educate,” he added.

“We will strongly defend the University’s time-honored traditions of academic freedom and critical thinking. UP’s proud history of service and activism has shown that we can do both,” he concluded.#

‘P1B can build 120 permanent evacuation sites’

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‘P1B can build 120 permanent evacuation sites’

By: Krixia Subingsubing – Reporter / @KrixiasINQ, Philippine Daily Inquirer /November 20, 2020

An allocation of P1 billion for the next three years could help build 120 permanent evacuation centers, according to disaster risk experts who are crafting a disaster response framework to help minimize typhoon deaths.

In the aftermath of the destruction wrought by Typhoon “Ulysses” (international name: Vamco) last week, the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI) and private organization Agap Banta called on the government to start investing in safer evacuation centers.

This follows President Duterte’s own directive to Congress to prioritize funding for evacuation centers given the increasing frequency and severity of typhoons passing through the Philippines.

‘Not entirely fit’

The two groups agree that not all city governments have well-built evacuation sites.

Out of the 270 municipalities in vulnerable provinces identified under the Climate Change Adaptation Disaster Risk Reduction Cluster, more than two-thirds still do not have permanent sites.

Of these, 96 belong to fourth- to sixth-income class municipalities, they noted.

Most still used schools, gyms and government halls to shelter displaced typhoon survivors.

“But reports show that [these] are not entirely fit to ensure the safety of evacuees, especially at this time when we have to enforce physical distancing and minimum health standards to curb the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” the experts said.

‘Guidelines’

They urged Congress to channel at least P1 billion yearly for the next three years to cover as many as 120 permanent evacuation sites in highly vulnerable local government units (LGUs).

By Agap Banta’s estimate, these sites can accommodate about 13,500 families or 67,500 displaced individuals.

“We reiterate our call to congressional leaders to fund a National Evacuation Center Investment Program starting with the 2021 budget, which will target highly vulnerable LGUs affected by the typhoons,” the experts said.

They added that “the budget should be governed by guidelines to include audit, standards, validation, construction and/or upgrading of evacuation centers, given our intersecting challenges with COVID-19.”

UPRI research director Kristoffer Berse also called for a review of the location of evacuation centers nationwide, to take into account “the impacts of climate change and the cascading effects of multiple hazards, including epidemics.”Doing so would not only help displaced families but also reduce vulnerabilities to Covid-19 contagion, they said.#

LOOK: Jennylyn Mercado, Dennis Trillo to send truckload of donations to Cagayan

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LOOK: Jennylyn Mercado, Dennis Trillo to send truckload of donations to Cagayan

Jennylyn Mercado and Dennis Trillo are calling for donations as they prepare to send a truckload of relief goods to the Typhoon Ulysses victims in Cagayan.

Mercado announced their effort on her Instagram page last Wednesday, Nov. 18, alongside photos of the large “StarTruck.”

Along with the truck, the two are also already preparing 1,000 bags of relief goods. They are inviting others to donate as well since there is still room for more items.

Montery donations can be transferred to the following bank accounts:

BDO
Litterbucks Cafe
006520232245

GCASH
Jan Kristoffer E.
09173272086

Meanwhile, in-kind donations should be dropped off at 128 Animat Bldg., Maginhawa St., Teachers Village, Diliman, Quezon City. Those interested in helping should send their donations before the couple’s team heads for Cagayan next Friday, Nov. 27.

Aside from giving donations, the actress also encouraged others to support their effort through her and Trillo’s cat cafe called Litterbucks. The cafe will use 50% of their sales to buy relief goods for those affected by the recent typhoon.

“Wala pong maliit na tulong (There is no help too little)! YOUR HELP WILL GO A LONG WAY,” she assured her followers.

Trillo also shared their initiative on his own page, noting that the vehicle is a 25-ton truck.

“Kung may sobra kayo, pwedeng pwede kayong sumali!” he said. “Dream, Believe, DONATE.”

(If you have excess, you can join!)

The couple have already raised P50,000 as of 12 midnight yesterday, Nov. 19.

Along with the Mercado and Trillo, their fellow celebrities such as KC Concepcion, Ruffa Gutierrez and Ivana Alawi have distributed relief goods to typhoon victims in Cagayan.#

Dolly Parton ‘happy’ after finding out donation went to promising COVID-19 vaccine

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Dolly Parton ‘happy’ after finding out donation went to promising COVID-19 vaccine

By: Niña V. Guno, INQUIRER.net /November 19, 2020

Dolly Parton was just as surprised as the rest of the public when she learned that she helped fund a COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna.

The country music icon shared her joy at the results of the vaccine trial on Today last Tuesday, Nov. 17.

“I’m just happy that anything I do can help somebody else,” she said. “When I donated money to the COVID fund, I just wanted it to do good and evidently, it is. Let’s just hope we find a cure real soon.”

Back in April, Parton announced on social media that she donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center for research to find a coronavirus cure. Unknown to her, part of it went to an early-stage trial of the Moderna vaccine, BBC reported yesterday, Nov. 18.

Months later, social media users were quick to notice that Parton was among those who funded the vaccine when Moderna published its findings on Nov. 12 at the New England Journal of Medicine.

Moderna announced this week that its experimental vaccine has been 94.5% effective in preventing COVID-19, based on interim data from a late-stage trial.#

PH celebs explode in anger over Duterte’s ‘meltdown’ vs Robredo

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PH celebs explode in anger over Duterte’s ‘meltdown’ vs Robredo

By: Katrina Hallare – Reporter INQUIRER.net /November 18, 2020

MANILA, Philippines — Alessandra de Rossi, DJ Chacha, and several celebrities slammed President Rodrigo Duterte as he lambasted Vice President Leni Robredo for allegedly “grandstanding” and lying to the public for allegedly spreading talk he was missing in action during the height of Typhoon Ulysses.

“Magpasalamat ka na lang kaya? Contest pala ito. Di ako na inform,” de Rossi said on Twitter regarding the   President’s late-night address.

Magpasalamat ka nalang kaya? ? Contest pala ito. Di ako na inform.

— alessandra de rossi (@msderossi) November 17, 2020

(Can’t you just say thank you? I wasn’t informed that this was a contest.)

DJ Chacha, or Czarina Balba in real life, likewise shared her reaction on Duterte’s rant of Robredo: “Wala naman nakikipag-unahan sayo, lagi ka lang talagang late.

(Nobody’s trying to compete with you. It’s just that you’re always late.)

Actress Mela Franco Habijan, meanwhile, said that Duterte was only ruining himself.

“Digong, ang totoong sumisira sa’yo ay ang sarili mo. Hindi ka naman hahanapin kung umaaksyon ka,” Habijan told the Chief Executive.

(Digong, the only person you are truly ruining is yourself. People won’t look for you if you just took action.)

“At doon lang tayo sa totoo: si VP Leni, maraming gawa. Ikaw, maraming ngawa,” she added.

(And let’s side with the truth: VP Leni has done a lot You just run your mouth.)

For singer Bituin Escalante, she asked Duterte what his role really was.

“Puro ka reklamo, tsismis at kabastusan. President ka ba o tambay sa kanto? Magtrabaho ka na Lang. #DuterteMeltdown,” she said.

(You just rant, gossip, and are full of profanities. Are you a president or a lollygagger by the corner?)

And Janine Gutierrez, quoting a tweet from organization #MentalHealthPH that read “11:11 it’s okay to unfollow/unfriend for your mental health”, had this to say in response: “How to unfollow president? pls advise.”

In his address to the nation that was originally about the government’s COVID-19 response and the recent spate of typhoons, Duterte lashed out at Robredo to allegedly criticize him for his absence the onslaught of Ulysses.

“I would like to give a caution to the Vice President. She made a blunder, a big one, and she practically lied, making her incapable of truth. Iyong pakana niya na wala ako noong bagyo (I wasn’t here during the typhoon), I was here. I was attending the Asean Summit,” he said.

During the onslaught of Ulysses, the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo trended on social media as netizens questioned the absence of Duterte, who was attending the 37th ASEAN Summit via teleconferencing.

At one point, a visibly irked Duterte also threatened Robredo that he would get in the way of her chances should she decide to run for the presidency in 2022.

Robredo then shot back at the President, saying that his claim that she criticized him for his whereabouts was not true. The Vice President also told the Chief Executive that helping Filipinos during a calamity was not a contest.

In a chance interview with reporters on Wednesday, the vice president then advised the President to stop being onion-skinned when it comes to criticisms.

“Pero iyong para sa akin, dapat kasi hindi tayo balat-sibuyas sa ganiyan kasi traditionally naman kung sino iyong nakaupo, marami talagang reklamo iyong tao. Pero sa atin, hindi dapat siya nagiging dahilan para mag-away-away lalo na sa panahon na dapat nagtutulong-tulongan,” Robredo said.

(For me, we shouldn’t be onion-skinned about these things because traditionally, people have complaints about whoever is seated as President. It should not be a reason to fight, especially during a time when we should be helping each other.) #


‘Meron akong boses’: Miss Trans Global Mela Habijan hits back at bashers dissing her fame after remarks vs Panelo, Duterte

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‘Meron akong boses’: Miss Trans Global Mela Habijan hits back at bashers dissing her fame after remarks vs Panelo, Duterte

By Jeline Malasig – November 19, 2020, Philstar.com

Miss Trans Global 2020 Mela Franco Habijan responded to her bashers after she aired her comments about chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo‘s apology and President Rodrigo Duterte‘s speech aired on Tuesday night.

The Filipina transgender, who is the first-ever winner of the particular international beauty pageant, shared that while she might not be “famous,” she does not need to be a local celebrity to speak out on society’s issues.

“Totoo, hindi ako sikat. Pero hindi ko [kailangang] maging Angel, Liza, o Catriona para magsalita. Maliit man ang aking pangalan, meron akong boses at paninindigan. Botante kasi ako. Pilipino ako! At alam kong may makikinig sa akin. Kahit kaunti lang sila,” Habijan tweeted.

She shared screengrabs of some negative comments from social media users following her reactions to recent issues, including her opinion on Duterte’s remarks about the “#NasaanAngPangulo” hashtag.

“Sinong actress ‘to? ‘Di ko kilala e. Kaya siguro (nagpapapansin) kasi ‘di naman sikat. Laos? Aw ‘di naman pala sumikat, paano malalaos?” a Facebok user commented to Habijan after a news outlet reported on her reaction to Duterte’s recent speech.

“Binisita ko lang page mo kasi ‘di ka naman sikat kaya nag-search na ako. Akala ko naman (kung) sino,” wrote an Instagram user.

On Panelo 

Habijan on Thursday responded to Panelo who defended himself after the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo disputed his claim that she boarded a government-owned C-130 plane when she provided relief goods to the Bicol Region.

Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesperson, said that Panelo “should get his facts straight” after the latter claimed that the vice president “rode a government plane” instead of going to Catanduanes on her own.

“It’s sad that Vice President Leni is helping those affected by the typhoon and floods and instead of support, defamation and lies are being thrown. What are they? Public servants or trolls?” Gutierrez said.

Panelo previously claimed the following: “VP Leni, I thought that you went on your own when you went to Catanduanes. Turns out you rode a government plane and went along with relief goods. So it looks like you were the one who brought them.”

He was quoting Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana who also claimed that Robredo rode a “military plane” when she traveled to Bicol to help victims of the recent typhoons.

Lorenzana has since apologized.

Panelo, meanwhile, said that he was “not peddling false news.”

“Ang mali ko is nag-react ako on the basis of the information, which I would not even say false, (but) not totally correct. Kasi sabi ng report kay Sec. Delfin Lorenzana, ‘Sir mayroong pong relief goods na under the care of VP Leni na isinakay din doon sa relief goods na dinala sa Catanduanes,’” he said.

Military spokesperson Major General Edgard Arevalo said that there is nothing wrong with the vice president using their “naval, land, or air assets” for typhoon-related efforts, as long as her office properly coordinates with them.

Habijan learned about Panelo’s response where he denied “peddling false news” and then tweeted the following as her comment:

“Ano po ang pagkakaiba ng false sa not totally correct? Para po bang malamig pero hindi masyadong malamig? Ito ‘yung abogadong gagawin ang tayong tanga para makalusot. This administration sucks.”

On Duterte 

Habijan also shared her reactions to Duterte’s recorded speech aired Tuesday night where he insinuated that Robredo was supposedly the one behind the viral “#NasaanAngPangulo” hashtag.

It trended when Typhoon Ulysses severely affected parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila and other regions, as Filipinos asked for updates about the national government’s response in terms of rescue efforts.

The similar hashtag also gained traction when the public asked about former president Benigno Aquino III‘s whereabouts when his lack of presence was noticed upon the arrival honors of the slain SAF 44 of the Mamasapano clash.

Robredo, meanwhile, has never asked about Duterte’s whereabouts on Ulysses’ onslaught. She also shared updates on her office’s relief operations following his accusations to her on national television.

Habijan tweeted the following amid the chief executive’s Tuesday speech when he addressed the hashtag:

“Digong, ang totoong sumisira sa’yo ay ang sarili mo. Hindi ka naman hahanapin kung umaaksyon ka. At doon lang tayo sa totoo: si VP Leni, maraming gawa. Ikaw, maraming ngawa.”

Duterte said that he attended the 37th ASEAN Summit and that government resources have already been deployed “two or three days” before “Ulysses”‘ onslaught over Luzon.

“Ngayon kung sabihin mo may emergency, natutulog ako sa umaga, hindi ako natulog noon. Gising ako ng umaga because of the summit. At same time, I would go and whisper to the military guys in the room of how was it developing and what was the reaction of our government people there and the resources,” he said in a national address that aired Tuesday evening.#

Duterte places Luzon under state of calamity

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Duterte places Luzon under state of calamity

By the Inquirer Staff /November 19, 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte has placed the entire island of Luzon under a state of calamity to enable the national and local governments deal faster with widespread devastation caused by three successive typhoons and respond quickly to pleas for help from residents whose lives have been upended by the disaster.

In a televised address on Tuesday night, Duterte said he signed the proclamation on Monday night.

Malacañang, however, has yet to release the text of the proclamation.

But presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a television interview on Wednesday that there would be a freeze on the prices of basic commodities, especially food.

The proclamation will also allow local governments to spend their calamity funds without restrictions, he said.

“[Places] under a state of calamity will become the area of top priority for all agencies in the provision of necessary relief goods and, of course, the task of rehabilitation,” Roque said.

Typhoons “Quinta” (international name: Molave) and “Rolly” (Goni) struck Luzon in late October and early November, and “Ulysses” (Vamco) swept across the island last week, worsening the damage to the provinces ravaged by the two earlier storms.

The three typhoons overfilled dams in the region, some of which spilled water to prevent catastrophic breaches. The spillage, however, worsened flooding in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Benguet, Cagayan, Isabela, Rizal and other provinces in Luzon caused by Quinta and Rolly.

Ulysses blew across the island overnight on Nov. 12, topping Magat Dam in Isabela province, forcing the operators to open the spill gates to release water and save the dam from bursting.

The dam held, but the spilled water ran into rivers in the region, which topped their banks and inundated swaths of Isabela and nearby Cagayan in what officials called the worst flooding they had seen in more than 40 years.

Lawmakers from both the Senate and the House of Representatives are looking into the flooding.

On Wednesday, the House agriculture and food committee, acting on a resolution filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, Majority Leader

Martin Romualdez, and Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano on Tuesday, set a hearing on the flooding in Isabela and Cagayan for Nov. 24.

The committee will summon local officials from the two provinces, as well as officials of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), who will be questioned about the release of water from Magat Dam at the height of Ulysses.

Guidelines followed

“Just to be fair to all as well, it would be very hard also to realize that maybe true enough, the NIA did their part, they were responsible enough in following their protocols, maybe the local government officials did not get the proper warnings. We will find out everything from this hearing,” Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga, the committee chair, said.

NIA chief Ricardo Visaya said he was open to any investigation into the release of water from the dam. Speaking at a news briefing on Tuesday, Visaya said the NIA had always been following guidelines dating back to 2006 that allow release of water from the dam on recommendation of the state weather service Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

“Pagasa will tell us that we are in a preemptive level so we have to release water, and that is about two to three days . . . before the arrival of the typhoon,” Visaya said.

He said the NIA sent written communication to local officials about the water release on Nov. 8, but “it’s as if our fellow countrymen did not believe it.”

Damage rises

Nevertheless, he said, the NIA, together with Pagasa, Department of the Interior and Local Government, National Power Corp. and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, was reviewing the guidelines

On Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture said the combined damage to crops and farms caused by the three typhoons had risen to P12.3 billion.

Quinta and Rolly had caused damage and losses amounting to P8.46 billion and Ulysses P3.84 billion, the department said.

The agency’s disaster council said 211,273 farmers and fishermen suffered losses, 325,676 hectares of farmland were damaged and 487,438 metric tons of produce destroyed.

Ravaged by the three typhoons were Bicol, Calabarzon, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.

In Bicol alone, Ulysses caused P2 billion in damage to agriculture and infrastructure, the Office of Civil Defense in the region said on Wednesday.

Gremil Alexis Naz, spokesperson for the regional office of the agency, said damage to crops, fisheries, and livestock reached P128 million, with the province of Camarines Norte losing P82.2 million; Camarines Sur, P38.5 million; Albay, P1.9 million; and Sorsogon, P308 million.

Infra damage

The Department of Public Works and Highways office in the region reported P1.9 billion in damage to national roads and P495 million to bridges. It also recorded P334 million in damage to flood control facilities and P1.1 billion to government buildings and infrastructure.

—Reports from Jerome Aning, Karl R. Ocampo, Julie M. Aurelio and Mar S. Arguelles

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