Tag Archives: typhoon ondoy
Relief Operations Updates
Dear Donors, TAO-Pilipinas Inc. wishes to extend its gratitude and thanks to those who donated funds to help the victims of tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana) and more recently typhoon Santi (Mirinae). Dear Donors, TAO-Pilipinas Inc. wishes to extend its gratitude … Continue reading
Woman Urban Poor Leader shot in Quezon City
At 4:00 pm of 09 October 2009, a Mother, Disaster Victim, Urban Poor Leader, Women’s Rights Advocate, and Development Activist was brutally shot and killed, along with her teenage son, by security forces of a private landowner claiming a parcel of land at Pechayan, North Fairview, Quezon City, Republic of the Philippines.
Myrna Porcare was a long-time leader of the Samahang Magkakapit-bahay sa Pechayan, North Fairview (SAMASAPE), an affiliate grassroots organization of the Damayan ng Maralitang Pilipinong Api (DAMPA). Her community was recently devastated by severe flooding from the typhoons Ketsana and Parma, where close to 100 families, including herself, lost their homes. Within the week after the flood, while the people were still rummaging through the wreck of their houses to salvage the few remaining things that were spared by the flood, about 200 security forces representing an unidentified individual claiming to own the property swooped down on the community and proceeded to build a fence around the area. Continue reading
WHO CAUSED THE FLOOD
Ondoy no sooner began to subside than government once again blamed the poor families- estimated to number about 80,000 families (400,000 men, women and mostly children) — for the unprecedented flooding.The government prohibited these poor families from returning to their homes from evacuation centers. Lastly, housing officials talked publicly about evicting all 80,000 families and relocating them outside the city, far from jobs and basic services.
These government actions are based on the belief that the poor cause the floods by blocking the esteros and rivers. Luckily there were other explanations for the flooding. Architects, geologists and urban planners reminded us that the causes of the floods were much more complex, cabinet and city officials conniving with developers to violate sensible planning rules played a big part. So, too, those who logged and quarried in the mountains around Manila. Climate change played a role. Guilty, too, are those city officials who ignored the instructions of the Urban Development and Housing Act (1992) that each city should set aside land for social housing. If that had been done 17 years ago, there would be fewer families on the rivers and esteros. Continue reading
Appeal for Help for Typhoon Affected Families
Dear Friends, We are all aware of the damage that Typhoon Ondoy has brought to Metro Manila. Many of us have spent sleepless night stranded in floods and traffic, and monitoring the progress of rescue operations. But others have to … Continue reading
Post-Disaster Rapid Damage Assessment
Last September 26, 2009, Typhoon Ondoy struck Metro Manila. It started with a minor rainfall to downpours equal to that of nearly 3 months of rainfall. People underestimated the typhoon which nearly killed hundreds of Filipinos living in Metro Manila. Houses of the rich and especially the poor where damaged. Some even lost their homes.
Last September 30, 2009, after the disaster, TAO-Pilipinas, together with its partner community organizations, conducted a Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Assessment of three sites in Navotas City: Road 10, Barangay Tangos, Barangay Tanza. The assessment aimed to determine how many were and the extent of the damage to communities in the aftermath of typhoon Ondoy. Continue reading