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| Resident make their way through a destroyed neighborhood in Tacloban in Nov. 13 (Photo: CNN) |
"In the aftermath of supertyphoon Haiyan (Yolanda) there are many reasons to grieve. Over the past few days, however, the Filipino people have seen many reasons to be grateful as well. Filipinos at home and abroad have, once more, come together to render aid and assistance to hard-hit areas," the Chief Executive said in his message issued on Wednesday.
Several international donors have already pledged assistance either in monetary form or in-kind to help the Philippine government to speed up relief and rehabilitation efforts for the disaster victims.
"The thought that the community of nations stands in solidarity with our nation has also greatly eased our burdens. On behalf of the Filipino people, I thank the governments and peoples of so many nations-- 28 as of last count-- as well as the donor organizations, who have pledged or already provided assistance, whether technical, financial, or in kind, for the relief and rebuilding efforts that we are undertaking in Leyte, Samar, and other provinces devastated by typhoon Yolanda," he said.
President Aquino also reiterated his gratitude to every Filipino who has extended help to fellow countrymen in their time of need.
"The companies who have offered their services for free or at a great discount, the groups and institutions who have mobilized their members for relief drives, individuals who have volunteered time, knowledge, and resources: You have my deepest thanks." he said.
"The well of strength and compassion that characterizes us as a nation has time and again proven to be bottomless. Solidarity born of faith and prayer, combined with a steadfast resolve, is showing the world that nothing can make the Filipino spirit yield. The Almighty has granted us the resilience to withstand such tragedies, secure in our belief that God will continue to guide us as we provide care for our countrymen, rebuild our nation, and prepare for the future," the President said. PND
Aquino government working hard with international humanitarian partners to bring emergency assistance to Yolanda typhoon victims
The Aquino government is working hard with its international humanitarian partners to bring emergency assistance to the typhoon victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (internationally known as Haiyan), particularly in Tacloban, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said on Wednesday.
President Benigno S. Aquino III directed concerned government agencies to come out with a mechanism that coordinates humanitarian action with the international community to speed up relief and rehabilitation efforts for the disaster victims, Almendras said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang
Almendras said the Chief Executive convened on Tuesday some of his Cabinet members to discuss the logistic and relief operation for the communities devastated by the super-typhoon.
"This will come out to be one of the largest logistic and relief operation that the Philippine government has ever done in history and the President wanted to make sure that we have aligned everything," Almendras said
"We need to coordinate how we are going to work with the international community. The past two or three days, quite a number of head of states have been calling the President, have talked to him, offering the aid that they want to do and asking how and in what best way they can help," the Cabinet Secretary said.
The President wants to ensure that the assistance from the international community will be used to rebuild the lives of disaster victims.
"What we have agreed on is for all international aid coordination must be coursed through Department of Foreig Affairs. The process will require that once DFA gets the information, DFA will have to determine kung ano po ‘yung klase ng tulong na ibibigay nila. For example, the German government sent us a team, which is a self-contained team that can do search, rescue, health, and medical services. As we speak, that team is now landing in Guiuan in Samar," he said.
"Ang napagkasunduan, the minute the DFA gets the information they will transmit to the appropriate agency. If it has to do with medical aid—either hospitals, medicines, or whatever related to medical—it will be simultaneously referred to both the Department of Health and to Natural Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council —being the central point," Almendras said.
"So if it were a donation of goods, simultaneously, the DFA will coordinate directly with the DSWD to determine kung ano itong mga contents na ipinamimigay nila at saan dapat dadalhin, and also with NDRRMC," he said. PND
Aquino eyes ecological engineering to minimize impact of climate change
The country is adopting ecological re-engineering to minimize the effects of climate change, President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Tuesday.
The President told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview that it is an accepted reality for the Filipino community that global climate change is indeed happening and it need not be debated.
The Chief Executive said ecological re-engineering is one of the best scientific methods available for vulnerable countries to cope with the climate change. It is an emerging study of integrating ecology and engineering, concerned with the design, monitoring, and construction of ecosystems.
“For instance, climate change has changed the season in the Philippines,” he said, noting that seasons that are supposed to be dry experience rains and vice versa.
Before, the country never had typhoons in December, but today, strong storms hit the country at the tail end of the year, he said.
Climate change wreaks havoc on agriculture affecting the farmers’ planting season and many couldn’t adjust to these changes, he added.
As the Philippines grapples to rebuild in the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda, the President told CNN that his administration will have to plan its communities to make them more resilient to all the ravages of nature in the future.
"There will be ecological reengineering like planting mangroves as a defense against tsunamis, and investments in the sciences, particularly the way the country’s weather bureau gather and analyze data," he said.
One of the major components is the ongoing geohazard mapping being done by the government to make communities safe.
The President also acknowledged that the real challenge after the relief efforts is rebuilding the houses of tens of thousands of families affected by the typhoon.
The construction of these new houses has to be better to withstand the ravages of nature, he said.
The government will also later map areas prone to storm surges to protect the people, the President said
That I think is the next phase of the studies that we have to do to make our country more resilient to all of these natural disasters,” he noted. PND
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