What did we learned from the two typhoon Ondoy & Peping?
This is my observation:
1. That the Philippine government is inutile and completely useless in time of disaster. You may say this is nature that is completely impossible to predict and comprehend, I agree but what if this is man-made disaster like war. Can the Philippines cope with it? We already know from previous history that the Philippines is prone to weather disturbances that is why in my previous question why not charge MMDA with a crime and now a news report stated that a billion peso weather early warning flood controlled is just rotting in one of the MMDA offices donated to the Philippines through a Japanese donor to be used obviously for giving signals to every town in cases they opened the flood gates of every dam situated in the affected area. But MMDA didn’t used the equipment and abandoned it long time ago. Imagine a billion pesos once again just wasted in one of the bodega just like the billion of peso equipment bought by Comelec before for automation. Remembered this controversy with Mr. Abalos? That is why we should have accountability and transparency in our government. Those who neglect their responsibility should be charge in the court of law. Senator Miriam Santiago also came up with the idea to charge the Mayors of the affected area of negligence. But many Filipinos here do not believe in it, meron nga nagsabi rito sa question ko why not charge them. Puro daw ako putak. This is how lowly some Filipinos are. Meron pang sumasagot dito ng ‘tae mo’. Imagine a forum like this, we should be expanding our horizon with every question or answer we ask or give. Parang iba pinabili lang ng suka and end up in the forum. Those private sector like ABS-CBN tv station through Sagip-Kapamilya is doing what the Philippine government should be doing for the people at large. We even asked the help of the US government for helicopters & trucks to delivered the goods to the far flung country side. Yet we hate the Americans for staying or doing business in our country. What kind of mentality we have? I conclude the US is our inseparable partners through our history. From Spanish-American war toWW2 to EDSA revolution and until now.
2. And since the global warming is a clear indication that the world is not getting better and will become much hotter why not harness the potentiality of the sunlight for our advantage. I suppose we all know the solar energy, it has been tested in some parts of the Philippines through the help of the Japanese scientific institution. So why not make the most of it by using it through cars and our own homes so that we would not be dependent on fossil fuels and make our air clean for the next generation.
3. Make the calamity fund solely distributed to the Mayors of each municipality but with responsibility and transparency clause. Once caught sleeping in their job or natutulog lagi sa pansitan they can be charge with a crime for making the money vanished into thin air. What we need are not magician in the government but competent leaders.
4. We are such a poor country, kelan nga ba tayo uunlad? I kept asking why and how but couldn’t come up with a credible answer. Maybe the answer lies in all of us. But what is it we will never know.
Tagged with: From • learned • Ondoy • Peping • typhoon
Filed under: Solar Energy
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Hi Im also a Filipino. I just learned to be prepared at all times and to love our nature as well. All of us should be blamed. Eventhough we have the best officials, if we don’t have concern citizens, we would not have this “harmonious relationship” in our country so as eventhough we have the most concern people in our country but bad politicians, our country will have no way to go. I hope this 2 calamities taught us Filipino a lesson to move hand in hand and avoid pointing others for these faults but instead put these as one of the million of faults WE FILIPINOS DID.
i learned that when it rains, it pours.. it pours hard in the philippines
we should keep a rubber boat or tire tube handy.
foods for emergency use only.
Adversity brings out the best and worst in people.
It was clear to see the Government failed the people once again. What we saw were people helping each other and showing compassion for their fellow man.
The large company I work for had those who could help out collect used clean children’s clothing, sheets, blankets and some baby items to ship via LBC balikbayan box. We collected an entire container of goods to ship!
LBC told us they could not accept used items and will not ship used items.
The Darn Philippine government said they will only accept CASH, food, or NEW CLOTHING WITH THE PRICE TAGS STILL ATTACHED.
Hi delive_rance, I’m also a Filipino here in Quezon City. Your observations were almost right because the Government should have done something about this, but we humans cannot change time. As you see, the government is doing their best to help us, but do they know months earlier of the disasters to happen here? No. I mean, do our government knew months earlier that six straight typhoons will strike to the RP for 2 months? No, but they’ve done everything they can at that amount of time. Also, you can observe during the typhoons our government is already thinking ways how to help citizens who were affected by the flood. Also, our country is one of the Third-World countries, meaning to say our economy and GDP is very low. So, only little amounts of food could be delivered each day. Also, we couldn’t yet afford solar energy for every regions because there are several problems are government is still facing like Ondoy and Pepeng (yes, it’s E). Also, mayors are victims also of disasters, so they couldn’t yet help their communities because they have to help first their families and themselves.
i learned that in life, we are not sure of what would happen next and that material things can be lost in just one snap.
After all the mud, clean up and garbage, the ’snakes and crocodiles’ will go back to the streets as predators going after its suffering masses. And the politicians will be sitting in their comfortable offices looking for photops and ways of spending their pork barrel funds enriching themselves at the expense of the population.
You bet nothing will be learned from this tragedy. They will blame the poor weather forecasting equipments and nature and urge the people to pray more. And people will say AMEN. And vote them again to office next elections.
1. Fujiwara Effect
2. Batya can save
3. Jacque Bermejo’s facebook account was hacked.
4. Filipinos are great heroes(saving others risking their own life) – hats off esp to the CAFGU units of the AFP
5. The 2010 elections can help(imagine all those people who have plan to run on 2010 providing food/shelter/etc)
—
to the asker
1. Hurricane Katrina – even the most well equipped and prepared country was brought to its knees. So in times of natural calamity, no country is prepared rich or poor.
2. Solar energy is clean but with a high price. The technology to harness the sun’s power is still not at its prime.
Technically, fossil fuel also came from the sun(but it is not considered solar energy).
Nothing.
When the flood waters have subsided and after all these things pass, everyone’s gonna stop talking about it, the country will move on, every body’s gonna throw their garbage everywhere and government flood control projects, if there ever would be, will again become the milking cow of our dishonorable thieves dressed as public servants. Everyone will say it’s the dams’ fault, will blame the government, and will point to the heavens as an act of God.
I overheard a foreigner who observed that during times of floods and crises, the government has measures and puts them in place. What he couldn’t understand is that if such measures may be made, why is there no program to prevent future disasters to avert significant damages and losses.
somebody said it right. we, people never learned our lesson. and we’ll never do…”ningas kugon” a perfect filipino trait.
as long as money is here and controls everything…
“Ang kapal ng SSS, di nagbigay ng calamity loan, sa PAGIBIG naman, may calamity loan nga, pero di naman lahat qualified, kailangan daw ung may mga 24 mos ng contribution”…tapos mahal pa ng CEDULA sa munisipyo ng pasig…ang bagal kumilos ng gobyerno, lubog parin karamihan sa baha.
Bullshit na sistema…panu tayo kaaawaan ng DYOS at kalikasan…gud luck nalang sating lahat! tnx!
all your statements are true..
Philippines is a poor country and also one of the most corrupt in the world..
I think it would take some time for Philippines to rise again..
we have to get rid of the generation of today’s government officials, and replace them with new one’s with fresh and innocent minds..
Even if we enumerate all the wrong things we see, it will not go away IF the citizenry will not stand up and demand better accountability from our leaders. (Do something!)
The best concerted effort I could think of is to change the majority of politicians in ALL levels of government in the coming elections of 2010. (and thereafter)
In just one day the people have the power to change their future and that of their children. If we stay at home and not vote, or sell our ballots, or vote for Mr. Popular, Mr. Rich, or Mr. Kumpare, then we will have to wait for another Ondoy or Pepeng to wake us up again.
By then it might be too late.
2. And since the global warming is a clear indication that the world is not getting better and will become much hotter why not harness the potentiality of the sunlight for our advantage…..
~~~~~
From the BBC…
What happened to global warming?
By Paul Hudson
Climate correspondent, BBC News
This headline may come as a bit of a surprise, so too might that fact that the warmest year recorded globally was not in 2008 or 2007, but in 1998.
But it is true. For the last 11 years we have not observed any increase in global temperatures.
And our climate models did not forecast it, even though man-made carbon dioxide, the gas thought to be responsible for warming our planet, has continued to rise.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8299079.stm
i learned that Filipinos have really poor English grammar these days.
i’d rather that we Filipinos should quit stating the obvious and do our part in restoring our country instead of whining helpless by blaming EVERYTHING on the government and dictating how things should be done. Ondoy & Peping proved how resilient the Filipino people are in the face of calamity, but it also showed how embarrassing it is to be of a nation that takes advantage of other people even at a state of calamity.
I LEARNED THAT LOW LYING LANDS WILL GET FLOODED MORE COMPARED TO THE HIGHLANDS. ISN’T THAT AMAZING?
That we shouldn’t wait for adversities to happen to display the spirit of bayanihan. If we can improve ourselves through conscientious efforts, share what we have and work together with a common purpose and sense of community during normal times, the Philippines can be prosperous.
that the tri-media should have warned in RED ALERT all sectors that would be affected and state what should be expected when dams are overflowing so that people would have prepared themselves for the inevitable, or go to high safer grounds.
I am in Malabon and has adapted to the level of normal floods but not this time, it was 500% more. If there were warnings, we would not have lost so much materials or lives this struggle.
About that multi billion warning devices, what good is it if the affected places are not prepared.If if was really effective, why would the japanese or those donors get rid of it and give or sell it to others even for a low price?
nung sept 26, 2009
naistranded ako kaya nilakad ko mula pasay hangang tagig!
ang masasabi ko lang,
walang ginawa ang gobyerno naten!!
well i’m also a filipino and yes first time i experienced this i discovered that:
we need more equipment and supplies especially at this time of calamity
our government needs to find more supplies and do more than just what they are doing right now parang gusto nila magpayabang or show of we need change and change we will have if the government stops trying to become the master and become the servant, after all, dapat sila ang pinaka unang mamayanan at tagapaglingkod ng bayan lalo na ang pangulo
we lack equipments sapagkat kung mayroon tayong sapat na gamit maaaring marami na ang nasagip na buhay ngayon nga 264 na ang namatay sa bagyong pepeng kung mayroon tayong sapat na kagamtan, it could be lowered nto 100 below or even none! Kailangan natin ng sapat na kagamitan katulad ng kagaawang bansa na barko pupwedeng 10 hanggang 15 na taon to stay
we need a righteous government that’s where it all leads to, and that we need to be prepared and let God be in control, yes i’m Christan at gusto ko lang sabihin:
GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES! PRAISE THE LORD FOR THIS LESSON!
No doubt Manila and Luzon will learn a lesson about flood control and disaster pre-paredness. .. for a time. Same thing happens in the USA, coastal communities go a long time without a big storm and become very relaxed and fail to prepare even when a major storm appears to be heading right toward them. Hurricane Andrew did a lot of damage to south Florida in 1990, so Florida was very concerned abour hurricanes and flooding, changed the building codes, and other precautions.. which may explain why Katrina and other storms in 2004 did relatively little damage to Florida, who had flooding, evacuation and releif plans well rehearsed. New Orleans had not seen a major storm for a very long time, and unfortunately was unprepared for Katrina, which caused a lot of damage and loss of life. Storms happen. Everyone and every home, and every community should have a plan on what to do when they happen. The Red Cross /Red Cresent is really good at helping communites to prepare for disasters, and they need volunteers to do thier job.