It looks like actress Elizabeth Oropesa couldn’t contain her emotions and opinions to herself anymore. An open letter was released by the veteran actress through her Facebook account about the viral video of Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez on December 11.

It can be recalled that there has been a boiling issue about the two officials exchanging accusations on their meeting in Tacloban City after super typhoon Yolanda severely hit the town.

In the said letter, Oropesa expressed her deep disappointment on Roxas. She said that the DILG secretary is taking partisan politics instead of just helping the Filipino people who were mostly affected by the fortuitous event.

Here is the letter:

Pauna ko na po ang paghingi ng paumanhin sa mga maka-Mar Roxas.

Hindi lang ako mapakali dahil kahit saan ko tingnan ay mali ang kanyang katwiran.

Walang dahilan para pahirapan at huwag tulungan ang mga pobreng nasalanta ng bagyo, kahit sino pang Pilato ang nakaupo—kalaban man o hindi.

Kung galit sila sa mga Romualdez, dapat parusahan nila ang mga Romualdezes!

Hindi kailangan ang legalidad bago nila tulungan ang mga tao!

Pare-pareho tayong mga Pilipino!

Nakalimutan na ba ni Mar Roxas ‘yan?

Sobrang pumapapel sa presidente na kung tutuusin at kung siya ay may puso at tama kung mag isip… hindi po ba napakagandang halimbawa kung ora mismo ay tumulong siya sa kalabang partido, alang- alang sa mga nasalantang kababayan?!!!

Eh ano kung Romualdez yun at Aquino ang Presidente?

Hindi ba Presidente siya ng lahat? Hindi ba sabi niya “Boss” niya tayo?

Sana tama na ang palusot. Huli na eh! Nasaan ba ang puso mo sir?

I’m sure meron naman kaya lang mukhang tumigas na at naluto sa ambisyon.

Alam n’yo po, walang pulitika sa langit. Dedma rin sa apelyido.

Ang importante ay kung paano ka magpatawad, magpakumbaba at tumulong ng buong puso at kaluluwa, hindi dahil sa pera o dahil sa boto.

Nakita n’yo naman ang mga pinagdaanan ng LAHAT na presidenteng inabot ko.

Si Apo Marcos..napakatalino! Pero ano ang nangyari sa talino at dami ng pera?
Hindi rin niya nadala ng mamamatay siya.

Marcos baby po ako at siya ang unang presidenteng nakilala ko.
Sumunod ay si Ramos. Mukha bang masaya? Hindi rin.

Si Pres Cory Aquino na ang sumunod.
Ano po ba ang ikinamatay? Old age? Hindi po ba cancer?

Kahit naging presidente, kahit naging hero ang asawang si B. Aquino, hindi pa rin nakaligtas sa cancer!

Tapos si Erap. Sikat na artista at mahal ng masa. Kaso pumalpak din. Kulong!
Si Presidente Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo..nakakulong pa rin
.
Oh?.anong pruweba pa ba ang kailangan?
Hindi ba kahit sino ka, kahit gaano ka ka powerful..kahit ano pa ang apelyido mo hindi ka lulusot???

Sana po, kayong mga may kapangyarihang tumulong sa kapwa, bigyan ninyo ito ng tamang pagpapahalaga dahil hindi kailanman natutulog ang Dios.

Gamitin ninyo ng tama ang kapangyarihan at perang hawak ninyo para mailigtas ninyo ang inyong mga kaluluwa sa pamamagitan din ng pagtulong sa mga nangangailangan.

Tama na po ang gantihan ng gantihan. Maawa na kayo sa atin.

Nakakahiya sa Dios at nakakahiya sa mga bansang tumutulong sa atin.

Hindi po ako nagmamalinis o nagmamarunong.

Marami din po akong kamalian pero malayong gawin ko ang mga ginagawa ninyong mga kabastusan at kahiya-hiyang pakikitungo sa inyong kapwa tao.

Yun lang po.”

Meanwhile, netizens reacted on Oropesa's open letter:

Hands down to Elizabeth Oropesa's open letter to Mar Roxas. Finally someone stood up for the Filipinos!
— Celine (@suhleyn) December 13, 2013

Just read Elizabeth Oropesa's Open Letter to Mar Roxas. Indeed. She nailed the problem.
— joanna (@wannadiaz) December 13, 2013

Elizabeth Oropesa is tumpak with her open letter to Mar Roxas. http://t.co/Jv6JvPL5hJ
— Andrew Espera (@AndroidEspera) December 13, 2013

Elizabeth Oropesa just became sexier. http://t.co/hOucN3TB9H @Lolapinang
— MMM (@melvinmangada) December 12, 2013

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A video posted by Josemari Gonzalez, the father of Tacloban City Councilor Cristina “Kring Kring” Gonzalez, is now circulating online regarding the meeting between Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez.

In the video, Sec. Roxas is telling the Mayor Romualdez: “You have to understand, you’re a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino.”



In the news last Monday, Mayor Romualdez publicly broke down in tears while accusing President Benigno Aquino III as well as the Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II of “playing politics” at the height of the relief operations for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda particularly in the City of Tacloban.

Following this event, Sec. Roxas made some clarifications on his statement towards Mayor Romualdez and never denied the content of the video. The Interior Secretary reiterated that his statement is about telling the mayor on President Aquino’s being careful on his orders of taking over Tacloban given that their families are political rivals.

In another interview, Roxas denies he tried to edge out Tacloban Mayor Alfredo Romualdez. He also insists, Romualdez was never threatened because of his relations to the Marcos clan and it is the Tacloban mayor who is bringing politics into the issue.

Watch the video below.

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Walker was in a car show charity event for the Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines. Sources said that the actor just came from the said event together with a longtime friend, Roger Rodas riding in the latter’s red Porsche Carrera GT, when the accident took place.

The Fast and the Furious star, Paul Walker, died in a car crash accident and explosion at the age of 40.
Reports said that the actor together with a passenger passed away at around 3:30 pm Pacific time in Valencia, Santa Clarita, a town in California, USA.



TMZ reported that “According to multiple sources connected Paul… the actor was in a Porsche when the driver somehow lost control and slammed into a post or a tree… and then the car burst into flames”.

Rodas helped the actor establish the Reach Out Worldwide, the charity event for the victims of the said typhoon. He was the CEO of Always Evolving, a performance shop for high end vehicles owned by Walker, located in Valencia.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced both of them dead on the spot.

The sad event immediately raised words of condolences from netizens.

The star’s followers and fellow stars express their deep sympathy on the social media. Some are even saying that the The Fast and the Furious will not be the same without the actor starring on the sequel.

#RIPPaulWalker -he was a lovely person -so sweet and grounded. My heart goes out to his family. pic.twitter.com/w8Ep7AcKOZ
— Jessica Alba (@jessicaalba) December 1, 2013

Paul William Walker was best known for his role as Brian O’Connor in The Fast and the Furious film series.

He left a daughter, Meadow Rain Walker, 15, with ex-girlfriend Rebecca McBrain.

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Humanitarian aid for victims of Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan keeps pouring.  A huge 30 million Kroners or approximately P210 million was raised by the Norwegian Public Broadcasting , a state-run public broadcasting network, during a more than an hour national telethon at the Nationaltheatret in Oslo, Norway.

Aired last Sunday at 8.15 p.m. Norwegian time, the live fund raising event was hosted  Nadia Hasnaoui on NRK1 channel.Prominent Norwegian artists Anne Grete Preus, Odd Nordstoga and Ingebjørg Bratland, Morten Abel, Ole Paus, Martin Halla, Eva & the Heartmaker, Agnete Johnsen and the all-male Filipino choir Advent Ambassadors performed for the event dubbed as "Dugnad for Filippinene, De Trenger Deg Nå: Støttekonsert."

“Dugnad” is a Norwegian term which means unpaid, voluntary work and is very similar to the Filipino “bayanihan” which also means actions done voluntarily for the common good.

The solidarity concert urged viewers to send at least 200 Kroners or P1,400 donations through calls and sending SMS. "Let this (donation) be your Christmas gift. We already have all we need in this country," program host Nadia Hasnaoui appealed to viewers. Two Filipinos Seth Sanderod and Isabel Lahorra, whose families in Capiz and Leyte were severely affected by the typhoon, were given the opportunity to be interviewed during the event.

Proceeds of this event have benefited five Norwegian aid organizations: Red Cross Norway, UNICEF, Save the Children Norway, Norwegian Church Aid, and Streetlight, an orphanage in the Philippines. These aid organizations are currently building temporary shelters, hospitals and classrooms for victims of super typhoon Yolanda and are now doing relief operations in hardest hit areas in the central Philippines.

Prior to this aid, around P1.5 billion in humanitarian aid for relief operations and rehabilitation was already given by the Norwegian government to the Philippines.

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Here’s the final cut of the 12-minute video of the horrendous morning in Tacloban City, Nov. 8, 2013 when super typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan hit the central Philippines.



The 43-year old American storm chaser Josh Morgerman, together with his fellow storm chasers Mark Thomas and James Reynolds were in Tacloban to document the super typhoon but ended up rescuing people.

“As a storm chaser, I always want to get in the cyclone’s eye. We knew Yolanda’s eye was going to cross the coast south of Tacloban City, we chose to stay in the city because the storm was so extremely powerful, and the towns to the south seemed too vulnerable. Although Tacloban City did not get the calm eye, it did experience the cyclone’s intense inner core, which passed right over the city.” Morgerman narrated to reporters.



The video is produced with love and sympathy for the Filipino people and victims of this storm - Morgerman.

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The CNN host made an appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” to chat about his experience during his Tacloban typhoon coverage.



When Letterman asked him about the lessons learned from Yolanda, Cooper raised the importance of preparing relief supplies early on.

Anderson Cooper told Dave Letterman that the Philippine government was not set up to provide relief after super typhoon Yolanda hit the Visayas region.

It is easy for reporters to come in and be critical because relief is never going to be fast enough. That said, if you know that the biggest storm ever to hit is going to hit, the Philippine government talked about prepositioning supplies. Well clearly, whatever supplies prepositioned were not enough. Nobody food and nobody had water, he said.

The Philippines is a poor country, and the government is not set-up to give relief in this kind of way. But it was upsetting to the people there who were searching for their children not to have sustenance. There were people coming up to us asking for water, he related.

Watch the video:




Comments on the video are now pouring in, we catched some of it:

It is now clear how unprepared the Philippines government was. they could have those tools and equipments reserved for a bigger disaster. so if for instance LGU is gone the national government can immediately take over. it's like having several contingency plans. - Rio Grabato

Anderson also criticised the officials behind the Katrina relief. I don't think you get the point he was trying to make that THOSE JAPANESE TROOPS ONLY HAD STICKS YET DID THEIR BEST TO RESCUE/RELIEF WITH ONLY WHAT THEY HAD AT THAT TIME. - Rachel Plays

Mr Cooper Japan did not get the 220 mph wind that hit the Philippines. Stop comparing please. You are starting to piss me off. -cmontall

His message is about how government are organized… so deal with it!!!! Because Philippines are only organized in the field of corruptions! -Jules Lee

I have high regards with Anderson. He did his best. What I find unfair is to compare the reaction of the Philippine government to the typhoon victims with Japan (the tsunami). Why don't you compare what happened in Tacloban with that of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans? I reviewed the CNN and CBS reports way back in August 2005 and it was as if they were describing Tacloban. That's the best comparison not with Japan. - Sindulfo Sumagang

Have something to say to this story? Share it in the comments.

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Japan on Monday dispatched two warships carrying some 650 troops to the typhoon-ravaged Philippines, the first major contingent of its military’s largest overseas aid deployment.

The two vessels, also carrying six helicopters, left the port of Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, and are scheduled to arrive on Friday, said a Defense Ministry spokesman.

Aside from an emergency medical team dispatched, Japan has donated $10 million to the Philippines for emergency aid to victims of Typhoon Haiyan.




On his Facebook page, Mr. Abe said the troop deployment for emergency aid in the Philippines was "the largest ever."

"We are supplying aid in rapid succession to rescue the people of the Philippines from the enormous typhoon damage," he said.



Overwhelmed by the appreciation shown by Filipinos, the Prime Minister published another message on his Facebook account:

I was taken by surprise at the immense response from the people in the Philippines to my English language Facebook entry the other day regarding the dispatch of the Japan Disaster Relief Team to the Philippines. Astoundingly, the number of “shares” surpassed 30,000 and the number of “likes” reached roughly 70,000. I felt very acutely the enormousness of people’s expectations towards Japan.

We are providing medical treatment on the islands of Leyte and Cebu and transporting supplies to the ravaged areas by airplane. There are already about 100 Japanese conducting relief activities. They will soon bey joined by approximately 900 members of the Self-Defense Forces, who are now aboard a ship headed for the Philippines.

We need to help each other when times are tough. We will face up to this disaster united in our thoughts with the people of the Philippines and the people of the countries extending support.

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Earlier today Miss World Megan Young appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America to continue her fundraising efforts for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan that struck the Philippines earlier this month.





Joining anchors Lara Spencer and Josh Elliott, Megan spoke at length about the current situation in the Philippines, how international relief efforts have been coming along, and the need for continued support for her country in its time of need. Appealing to GMA’s vast national audience, Miss World urged the watching audience to pledge donations to help save lives.

Megan Young was crowned Miss World 2013 last September 28, besting 126 candidates from all over the globe and earning the Philippines its first ever victory in the beauty contest. (Source: Missworld.Com)

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It’s exactly 11 days since Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) slammed the central Philippines which largely affected Tacloban City. Recorded as the world’s strongest storm, Haiyan caused thousands of deaths and left the victims nothing but debris.

And with the aim of documenting the typhoon-ravaged Tacloban City and other affected areas, one of the first few foreign correspondents who flew to the Philippines is CNN’s anchor Anderson Cooper.



Covering the aftermath, Cooper started to make noise on reporting what he saw and experienced in Tacloban narrating, “There’s no evidence of organized relief and rescue operation around Tacloban. I haven’t seen much of relief efforts; I haven’t seen a large military presence.”

This fearless comments made by Cooper has triggered ABS-CBN's broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez to react on the reputedly government's slow response to Yolanda/Haiyan's aftermath. This created varied reactions from the social media group of which some have sent comments to both Anderson and Sanchez.

And here’s an open letter addressed to Anderson Cooper written by a retired Filipino executive giving his stand on the controversial issue.





Dear Sirs:

I just wanted to make some comments on the reporting of the CNN International crew here in Manila, regarding the relief efforts for the victims of super-typhoon Haiyan (which we locally call typhoon Yolanda).

First, full disclosure: I am a retired Filipino executive and computer person. I was born in the Philippines and spent all my life here (save for some very short overseas stints connected with my career). I have worked with a large local Philippine utility, started up several entrepreneurial offshore software service companies (when outsourcing was not yet in vogue), and also served as the Philippine country head for a multi-billion dollar Japanese computer company. This diverse work background allows me to always see both the local and global point of view, and to see things from the very different standpoints of a third-world citizen, and a person familiar with first-world mindsets and lifestyles.

I appreciate CNN's reporting, as it brings this sad news to all corners of the world, and in turn, that helps bring in much needed charity and aid. The tenor and tone of CNN's reporting has not been very palatable for a local person like me (the focus seems to be on the country's incompetence). But I shrug that aside, as there is probably some truth to that angle. And in reality, what counts now is that help arrives for the people who need them most; recriminations and blame can come later. Last night, I listened to a CNN reporter wondering about the absence of night flights in Tacloban, in the context of the government not doing enough to bring in relief goods. It was like listening to newbie executives from Tokyo, London or the USA with no real international experience, yet assuming that their country's rules and circumstances applied equally to the rest of the world. That was the proverbial last straw: I knew I had to react and call your attention to a few things (with some risk, since these topics are not my area of competence):

1. The airport in Tacloban is a small provincial airport: when you get two commercial Airbus flights arriving simultaneously, you are already close to straining that airport's capacity. Even under normal operations, the last flights arrive in Tacloban at around 6pm, partly because of daylight limitations. Considering that the typhoon wiped out the airport and the air traffic gear, and killed most of the airport staff, you basically have nothing but an unlit runway which can handle only smaller turbo-prop planes. You can only do so much with that. I would assume that our Air Force pilots are already taking risks by doing landings at dusk. Take note that in the absence of any working infrastructure, the cargo will have to be off-loaded from the plane manually, while it sits in the tarmac. If you do the math, I wonder how aircraft turn-around's can be done in a day? How many tons of supplies could theoretically be handled in one day?

2. The Philippine air force has only three C130 cargo planes (I am not sure if there is a fourth one). This is supposedly the best locally-available plane that is suited for this mission: large enough to carry major cargo load, but not too large to exceed the runway limitations. We do not have any large helicopters that can effectively move substantial cargo. I am happy to read in the newspapers that the USA is lending another eight C130 planes. I am not the expert, but I would suspect that even with more planes, the bottleneck would be in capacity of the airport to allow more planes to land and be offloaded, as discussed above.

3. A major portion of the road from the Airport to Tacloban City is a narrow cement road of one lane in each direction. With debris, fallen trees, toppled electric poles, and even corpses littering the road, it took time to clear the airport itself, so that they could airlift heavy equipment needed to clear the roads. Then it took even more time to make the roads passable. Listening to our Interior Secretary on CNN, he disclosed that the Army was able to bring in 20 military trucks to Leyte. Half of them were allocated to transport relief goods to the different villages in the city, and the rest were assigned for clearing, rescue and other tasks. With very little local cargo trucks surviving the typhoon, I guess this would be another bottleneck. Again, I assume that if I do the math, there is only so much volume that can be moved daily from the airport to the city.

4. The Philippines is an archipelago. Tacloban City is in Leyte island, which has no road link with the other major cities/islands. The only external land link (the San Juanico bridge) is with the neighboring island of Samar, which was equally hard hit by the typhoon, and which is just like Leyte (in terms of limited transportation infrastructure). The logistics of getting relief, supplies and equipment to Tacloban is daunting. Not too long ago, my company put up a large chunk of the communication backbone infrastructure in Leyte province. It was already a challenge to get equipment onto the ground then. This has always been the challenge of our geography and topography. What more now, when the transportation/communication systems are effectively wiped out in Tacloban?

5. There is an alternate land/sea route from Manila to Leyte: down 600 kilometers through the Pan-Philippine highway to the small southern province of Sorsogon, taking a ferry to the island of Samar, and then 200+ kilometers of bad roads to Tacloban City. I was told that some private (non-government) donations are being transported by large trucks through this route. So many trucks are now idle in Matnog town down in Sorsogon, waiting for the lone ferry which can carry them across the very rough San Bernardino Straits to the town of Allen in Samar island. The sheer volume probably is over-whelming. Again I do not have the exact numbers, but my educated guess is that the low-volume Matnog ferry needs to transport in a few days what they would normally do over one or two months.

6. The government administrative organization in Tacloban is gone. Most local government employees are victims themselves. This adds to the problems of organizing relief efforts locally. Even if augmented with external staff, the local knowledge and the local relationships are hard to replace. In some other smaller towns (where the death toll and/or damage has not been as bad), local governments are still somehow functioning and coping. They are able to bury their dead, set up temporary makeshift shelters, organize and police themselves. Short term, they need food, water and medical supplies to arrive; medium term, they need assistance in clean-up, reconstruction and rebuilding. But Tacloban is in a really bad condition. What can you expect from a city that has lost practically everything?

I am told of the comparison with the Fukushima earthquake/tsunami, where relief supplies arrived promptly, efficiently, and in volume. I think there is one major backgrounder that CNN staff fail to mention: that Tacloban is not Fukushima, that it is not Atlanta. And the Philippines is not Japan, and certainly not the USA. Even before the typhoon, this region was one of the less developed in the country, with limited infrastructure. There was only a small airport, limited trucking capacity, a limited road system, and a small seaport servicing limited inter-island shipping. And with the damage from the typhoon, that limited infrastructure has been severely downgraded. It is easy to blame the typhoon. But the truth is: Tacloban is a small city in a third-world country. If you had to bring in that volume of cargo in that short window of time in pre-typhoon Tacloban, it would already have been a challenge. It is easy for a first-world person to take everything for granted. The reality (or sometimes, the advantage?) of growing up in a third-world country is that you do not assume anything, you take nothing for granted, you are grateful for what little you have (and you do not cry over what you do not have).

I understand and sympathize with the desperate needs of the victims. Every little bit counts. The smallest food or water package can make the difference between life and death. I think every Filipino knows that. And that is why I am very happy with the national display of compassion and civic duty. Everyone, even the poorest, even the prison inmates, is donating food and money. People are volunteering their time. All the local corporations are helping. In the Philippines, Christmas is the most important holiday, and the annual company Christmas Party is probably the most important company event for most employees. Yet in very many companies in Manila, employees have decided to forego their Christmas party, and instead divert the party budget to relief/aid.

From what I see on TV, the situation on the ground is not pretty. I do accept that efficiency needs to be improved, that service levels have to go up. I do acknowledge that our country's resources are limited, that our internal delivery capabilities may not be world-class. I do understand that there may be ineffective policies/processes and even wrong decisions made by government. But what I cannot understand is the negative tenor of CNN reporting. I suspect that CNN reporters are viewing this through the eyes of a first-world citizen, with an assumed framework of infrastructure and an expectation of certain service levels. I suspect these are expectations that we would have never met, even in the pre-typhoon days.

Or perhaps it is a question of attitude: a half-empty glass rather than a half-full glass. At my age, I have experienced and lived through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and at least twenty really bad typhoons (but admittedly, none as bad as Yolanda). From my experience, what we have now is not just a half-filled glass, I personally view it as probably at least 75% full (meaning, I think this is a big improvement over past efforts in past calamities). But please do not fault us for being a third-world country. Please do not explicitly or implicitly attribute everything to our incompetence, what might be due to other factors (such as those that result from limited resources or infrastructure, or those conditions that God or nature seems to have chosen for us). Our people are doing what they can, so let's give them a break. More so in these difficult times, when suffering is high, emotions are feverish, and tempers are frayed.

It breaks my heart to see my countrymen suffering so much. I will do my share, whatever I can do to help. I will bear insults and harsh words, if this is the price for my people to receive the aid we need. I make no excuses for my country's shortcomings, but I just wish that some positive slant (the many small tales of heroism, the hard work of our soldiers, the volunteerism and compassion of the typical citizen, etc) would also be mentioned equally. I just needed to let you know how this particular Filipino reacts to your reporting, and I suspect there are many, many other folks who feel the same way that I do.

For whatever the limitations, I still sincerely thank you for your coverage, and the benefits that it will bring my countrymen.

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Rumors and speculations on suspension, vacation of broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez from her radio and TV programs a couple of days ago have come to end. Sanchez told DZMM’s news magazine show “Rated K” that the only reason she’s away is her task to do a special feature on the typhoon-ravaged Visayas .

“Maraming espekulasyon kung bakit wala ako sa studio last week. ‘Yung mga espekulasyon, hindi naman totoo ‘yan. Matagal na kasing naka-schedule ang ‘Rated K’ na iikot sa iba’t ibang nasalanta ng delubyo. Ito ay trabaho,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez, in the past few days, starred in social media and got criticisms from netizens for her comment on CNN anchor Anderson Cooper’s report about Tacloban. Anderson was alleged to have said that the Philippine government was responding slowly in the ‘Yolanda’-hit areas.

Korina Sanchez's last TV appearance was on Nov. 14 when she reported live from Ormoc City.
According to her, Sanchez’s team was supposed to visit Tacloban City but was diverted to Ormoc City for safety reasons.

“Nakahanda na kaming lahat, kasama ang crew namin. Pinigilan kami ng kumpanya (ABS-CBN) kasi delikado daw. So, na-divert kami sa Ormoc. Dalawang araw kami do’n. Papunta kami dapat ng Zamboanga, naiwanan kami ng eroplano. Ngayon naman, papalipad kami ng Capiz, Iloilo. And this was scheduled from a while ago, dahil kasama talaga ito sa aming ruta — Capiz, Iloilo, tapos Palawan,” Sanchez further narrated.

Notwithstanding, the broadcaster stressed that her being absent is not associated to anything. She assured that she will be back soon on her TV and radio programs.

“Tatapusin ko lang ito, babalik ako diyan. Inaayos ko lang itong for airing namin sa darating na Sunday. Uulitin ko lang, matagal nang naiplano itong paglilibot na ito. Huwag lang sanang pilit na ikinokonekta sa iba pang bagay, ha? So, at least, nandiyan na ang status report at alam niyo na kung nasaan ako,” she finally uttered.

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The Vice President of the Philippines, Jejomar Binay, is taking advantage of the calamity according to international news agency CNN’s iReport.

The report published on November 17, said "Binay is putting his name on the foreign relief goods for his campaign for the next presidential election".



Binay has been the subject of ridicule in social networking sites, and is always been tagged as traditional politician.

In a 7.2 magnitude quake that hit Bohol and Cebu on October 15, Binay's team went to affected areas to distribute 8,000 bags of relief goods, Netizens lambasted Vice President Jejomar Binay when a photo of relief goods stored inside blue bags with his name circulated online. Cybercitizens are wondering if Binay used his own money for those packed goods. They also see it as a form of early campaign for presidency.



And now at the height of typhoon Haiyan, another photo as shown below of relief goods with sticker of the vice president attached to the white plastic bag is also circulating online. And as before it hit public clamor, Binay’s spokesman Joey Salgado issued clarification via Twitter.

“Per report of the OVP relief team, relief goods were in plain white plastic bags. Matter is being investigated” “To clarify, OVP relief goods are in plain white plastic bags, no markings. Thanks” he said in another tweet.

“Relief bags with stickers were donated by Engr. Nelson Golez of Iloilo. Plain white bags are from OVP,” Salgado tweeted later on Friday.



What can you say about this?

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As local and international donations continuously poured in for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, some individuals and organizations opt to put fundraising activities.

In the local scene, a video cover of the song Still by Hillsong United was posted on Youtube last November 12 by internet sensation Jamich. The said cover turned out to be a controversial video having used it for reputedly wrong purpose.



 
As you watch the video cover, there's nothing unusual in it until you will notice towards the end of the video flashing  “For every 10,000 views of this video we will donate 1,000 pesos to Yolanda victims.”



Jamich is behind the real life couple Jamvhille Sebastian and Paolinne Michelle Liggayu. The couple has 357,047 Youtube subscribers and has an almost 62 million over all views.

As of this writing, the video already gained 75,208 views which means cash donation equivalent to Php7,000. The video also got 775 comments, many of which aren’t favorable.

Congratulations for both of you! You always used creative ideas and novel concepts to host numerous successful campaigns in order to gain "Popularity". Deep inside, its not the helping that you want to promote but only on promoting yourselves. Please don't take this event as an opportunity for you to showcase your personal motives. Thank you. - wheebzify

Wasting of time, why don't just donate an amount you can afford. People need actions, not videos. - Nhell Cayubitt

You should just donate and help out in relief efforts instead of coming up with this crap. As Youtubers with mass following, you should encourage people to volunteer and help out, not furthering your own agenda by disguising it as helping out. If you want to really help out, just shut up and help out! Don't beg for 'likes' - Bianca Victorio

Just got goosebumps watching the 1st part of this video. Had to stop when their singing part started. Do you think people would really fall for this trick? If you've seen the news, Yolanda's victims need help URGENTLY! They don't have time to wait for you guys to have 10k views! - roozterchick 

After receiving negative comments from Youtube viewers, Jamich updated the video description saying that it wasn't their intention to earn from number of views and explained that the video wasn't monetized due to copyrighted song.

Jamich further explained that the video is for those people who don't have the opportunity to help, and by watching the video, somehow on that simple way, they already contributed on the donations that Jamich will give out from it.

But negative comments are continuously filling in

Was my view counts? I just got here only for comments.. and let me say this once Jamich. Just help them if you really are into it. Don't use this tragic event just to earn views for fame..you're more irritating than before. - Jean Allado

No matter what the explanation or the intention is, this is a classic example of exploiting a tragedy to gain fame.  - Leonard Matindig

People on Twitter also reacted on the video:

Why on earth do we have to watch their video for them to donate? Nonesense!#famewhores #Jamich .l.
— P e t e r P a n ! ▲ (@Ghiioyaneh) November 15, 2013

I don't know about you pero yung sa video ng jamich for yolanda, it's kinda pathetic. Fame para makatulong? Di kailangan ng milyon na views.
— Katerina Petrova (@meeyaaaa) November 18, 2013

1K pesos for yolanda victims per 10K views? KAASAR GRABE. FAMEWHORE!! #JAMICH 👎👎👎
— Vea Saturno (@veeeaaasaturno) November 14, 2013

The only disappointing thing is what if no one viewed your video? You wouldn't donate at all? How self-serving is that? #Jamich
— Bea Regala (@BeaRegala) November 13, 2013

Here's the video, (In case you want to be counted on its number of views)




Odd thing is that, Jamich didn't tell when they will stop counting views and proceed with the donations.

What do you think of this? join us in the discussion.

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More than a week after the devastating storm, local and international relief continuously pour in and authorities in the Philippines are still trying to cope with getting aid to those affected.

There are many ways on how you can help victims of Typhoon Haiyan. As tons of food have arrived in the Philippines, thousands of volunteers now play a major part and serve as back bone of the relief operation centers.



The Philippine Air Force said volunteers are welcome at its repacking site at Villamor Airbase. The Public Information Office (PIO) of the PAF told that the repacking of relief goods is ongoing at the Villamor Air Base gym, and that volunteers could just walk in.

We had a conversation opportunity on one of its volunteers, Dhar Aradanas, he told that though there are so many volunteers now helping at the venue, PAF is still in dire need of more volunteers to repack relief goods. There still lots of unopened relief packages. Dhar mentioned that volunteers are now doing the four-hour shifting schedule and grouped into team with 10 persons each, designated in different tasks, their team needs to load at least 1,000 sacks of re-packed relief goods in PAF C-130s and helicopters in a daily basis.





The Tent City at Villamor Airbase Elementary School is also in need of volunteer Doctors and Nurses, currently they are sheltering 31 individuals and another 50 is on the way. They need practitioners as some evacuees need medical assistance. If you have the capacity, you can directly visit the Tent City.





Volunteering gives you an opportunity to change lives, including your own. If you're in Manila, tag your friends, Philippine Air force Gymnasium is located inside the Camp of Villamor Air base, Pasay City beside Resorts World Manila and adjacent to NAIA Terminal 3.

And to all incredible volunteers out there, who continue to lend their time, for lifting up the spirit of Bayanihan, we say.. Thank you!

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In the recent episode “The Colbert Report”, Political satirist Stephen Colbert made fun of China’s USD 100,000 donation for the Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) victims in the central Philippines. A video clip from the said episode got praises and laughs from Filipinos which the same has starred over Facebook and Twitter.



Stephen Colbert was quoted saying, “Seriously, the nation of China pledge only USD 100,000? I bet the Colbert nation can give more than that! You know what folks, nation, let’s do it. Let’s out-donate China! Let’s kick China’s ass at being compassionate because we’re a brotherhood of men, you stingy jerks!”

To prove his worth, Colbert then encouraged all his viewers to support Convoy of Hope’s mission to provide food and water to the typhoon victims. He requested to send a text message “Colbert” to 50555. And each SMS sent is equivalent to a $10 donation to the mission. Come Saturday, Colbert was able to raise more than USD100,000 in just one day immediately after the said episode was aired.

At some point, China’s donation also became a mocking thought for some political analysts saying that the puny move of China maybe something associated with its territorial dispute against the Philippines.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive

On Saturday, Colbert announced that they’ve already amassed over $100,000, beating China’s pledge.

Colbert Nation beats China! $100K+ for Philippines relief! I demand a seat on the UN Security Council! Text COLBERT to 50555 to donate $10.

— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) November 15, 2013

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National Football League (NFL) wide receiver Doug Baldwin Jr. of the Seattle Seahawks carried the Philippine flag before the start of a match with the Minnesota Vikings in a bid to raise funds for victims of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) on Monday.

Baldwin has “too many family members to count” living in the Philippines, including his grandmother, The Seattle Times reported.

It was stressful at first just because you didn’t know what was going to happen. Most f them have been accounted for. One of my family member’s house is completely gone and the majority of my family members are staying in my grandmother’s sister’s house. The only thing is that it’s been difficult to get them food and water because it’s not been accessible to do so. Bust most of them we have heard from and they are doing okay. - Doug Baldwin

Asked by a Twitter user why the flag was inverted, the team responded:

@migzmoldez @DougBaldwinJr We are fighting the devastation of #Haiyan which has been worse than many war-torn regions of the world.
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 18, 2013

The Seahawks started a fundraiser among its supporters for the typhoon-stricken Visayas, having solicited over $24,000 for the relief operations to be coursed through the Red Cross in Washington.

For Monday's game alone, the team managed to raise $12,070, according to its Twitter account.

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No one could have anticipated the devastating impact of super typhoon Haiyan that hit central Philippines a week ago.

The video produced by CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper touched thousands of lives worldwide.

Anderson said, "all week long which seems so many remarkable things and that so many extraordinary people".



Anderson described the sadness, the situation of the victims, what they're going through, people that have lost their loved ones, who have lost their livelihoods, who have lost their houses, who are desperate for any help.

But in spite of all shortcomings, Anderson can't help but commend the resiliency of the Filipino people.

This week in Tacloban, Samar and Cebu, omits the hunger and thirst. The chaos and confusion we seen the best in the Filipino people. Their strength, their courage, it can't get it out of my mind.

We've seen people with every reason to despair, their right to be angry.. instead find ways to laugh, to love, to stand up, to move forward.

A storm breaks would em bone, brings hurt and heartbreak. In the end, the wind, the water, the harriet greens is not the end of the story. With aid and assistance, compassion and care, this place needs people and will make it through, they already survived the worst. They're about perhaps tired, traumatized, but they are not broken.

The report ended with "Mabuhay Philippines, Maraming Salamat for all you shown us, Maraming salamat for showing us all how to live."

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News and talks were swirling over the weekend about ABS-CBN news anchor Korina Sanchez’s suspension for a week on her daily newscast TV Patrol. But in contrary, a source Philippine Entertainment Portal that she is currently on vacation for two weeks.

Sanchez was noticeably absent from the primetime news program since Thursday, Nov. 14. Her last appearance on the newscast was when she went live on TV Patrol last Thursday from Ormoc City. She was in Ormoc obviously responding to Cooper’s dare to visit Tacloban to assess the situation with her own eyes. Sanchez then participated in the relief operations where she donated slippers and relief goods. She was already absent the following day Nov. 15.

All of these started from Korina’s criticism over CNN journalist Anderson Cooper about his on-air report that there’s “no government presence” in Tacloban City, Leyte and other Yolanda-hit areas. She purportedly said to Cooper over the report saying, “he doesn’t know where he speaks of.”

Meanwhile, source confirmed that Sanchez went on vacation and no formal suspension from the management of ABS-CBN.

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More than a week after Super Typhoon Haiyan made landfall, wreaking unprecedented damage and killing thousands, the total death toll from one of the most powerful typhoons recorded, is still unknown.

Typhoon Haiyan survivors walk through the ruins of their neighborhood on the outskirts of Tacloban, central Philippines on November 13, 2013. David Guttenfelder/AP

In a two-minute video, CNN International rounded up the situation, 19 million people affected, 4 million of them children, 2 and a half million people desperate for food and clean water. Aid poured in from around the world. Nations have scrambled to deliver aid and assistance to the Philippines.

By day 5 one local official estimated that only 20% of victims in the hard hit city of Tacloban had been reached. The UN estimates that the area needs 3 million US dollars immediate relief, but it will take years for the area to fully recover, and there is one number that officials still do not know, the final death toll for typhoon Haiyan.. one week since the storm came ashore, they are still counting.

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The saga continues, following the controversial comment of Korina Sanchez on Anderson Cooper's Tacloban report about Yolanda recovery on Wednesday, CNN is backing up its premiere anchor.

In the photo and video below, Korina Sanchez‘s photo flashed on the big screen during CNN episode "The World Lead".





Korina Sanchez allegedly made a comment on her morning radio show about the report coverage of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper on Wednesday, November 13, 2013.

According to Cooper, there’s “No evidence of organized relief and rescue operation around Tacloban. I haven’t seen much of relief effort, I haven’t seen a large military presence.”

Korina Sanchez said Cooper “doesn’t know what he is talking about.”

In response, Cooper said, “Miss Sanchez is welcome to go there and urge to go there. I don’t know if she has but her husband is in-charge I’m sure she can arrange her flight.”

The news episode drew lots of mixed comments from Youtube viewers:

I must thank Mr. Anderson Cooper for his constructive reporting. His reports kept government on their toes to speed up order and system. After reading several explanation from Mr. Cooper. I hope he will keep the issue to rest and focus back to his reporting on what is happening on the ground. That goes true also with Ms. Sanchez. - Tere Cabal

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much Sir Anderson Cooper, CNN and to America, you are always willing to extend your help esp. in a most critical times. GOD BLESS AMERICA! - Janelle Chen

You’re right Mr. Anderson , Philippine Government is too slow. I don’t know if they are really helping the Filipinos who are affected. - Angela Feliz Alcantara

Thank you Anderson Cooper!! That's a wake up call to all the Government Officials in the Philippines!! They're more worried about their image than the lives of the people who are suffering from the typhoon.. Thank you for all the America and Other Countries!! The Filipino People are thankful for all the help you have given. - Beatrice Araneta

In fairness na CNN si Korina at ganda pa ng picture! haha kidding aside its Korina who doesn't know what shes talking about.period. -Fofo Honey

UPDATE: You can check Korina's explanation about her "Suspension Issue" 

(Source: Southomer)

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Another story of kindness and humanity as the whole world joins hand for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. On November 8, 2014, typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit the central Philippines leaving nothing but despair to millions of Filipino people.



Thousands of people perished and are still missing, many lost their homes and the Philippines is now in the midst of struggle to bring back the smiles to everyone.



This video “We are the world for the Philippines” made by Kevin Ayson salutes all nations that once again gathered all their resources: financial, human resources, and share with all generosity, all aiming to help the Philippines to immediately survive the aftermath of the devastating Typhoon Haiyan.

Thank you very much! The Filipinos are indebted and will be forever grateful with your generosity and kind hearts. God bless the whole world.

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