February 6, 2012, Monday - At around 11:45 am. Intensity 7 hit the city of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental. It's origin, according to the Philippine Institue of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOCS) was an unmapped faultline discovered at Tayasan, north of Negros Oriental. The quake was due to tectonic movements of the earth's surface.
Even if I was just on the street, I felt the ground as if the island's going to tear apart. I was outside the city's Police station, processing my clearance when I felt dizzy and then immediately felt the ground shaking. When I looked around, the gates of the police station and all the other signages were already swinging out of control.
The earthquake lasted for a minute or so but it felt like it was the longest 1 minute. Ironically, when I got the chance to ride a tricycle, what's inside it was a newsletter/magazine by the Jehovas' Witness sect about Armageddon. The driver then started preaching and asked me if I was afraid of it. I told him no, I'm not because it is the "Divine plan" and I accept it.
Meanwhile, Tsunami alert level 2 was raised for those living near the shorelines of Cebu and Negros. They advised people here to evacuate and leave their homes. But the problem is where should they go? Clearly, the municipality wasn't prepared for this kind of calamity. Over at Cebu, a lot of people panicked, leaving their homes and heading the mountainous side of the island. Confusion and madness struck the city also because of those false messages and scares. Ironically here in the city, as most people packed and left for the hillsides, there were also those curious spectators who went to the boulevard to see if the waters retrenched for a possible tsunami. To their dismay, it was widely announced through the radio and a roving speaker box that the tsunami alert has been lifted.
From Monday and as of this writing, the recorded aftershocks have reached more than a thousand. It's the strongest the country has experienced in six months. More than a thousand aftershocks were recorded, one after the next. Parang nasa Japan tayo nakatira! (It's as if we're residing in Japan!)
MOST AFFECTED
Municipalities of Guihulngan, Jimalalud and La Libertad suffered the most - continuous strong aftershocks, damaged properties, loss of lives and livestocks, scarcity of food and water due to isolated bridges and damaged roads. Within the week, heavy rains poured and once more, the island was in a deeper state of calamity as vast area in the mountains of Guihulngan and La Libertad collapsed resulting to a landslide. The toll for dead and missing or buried persons rapidly increased.
(Photos courtesy of Hulagway ug Kasikas sa Dumaguete)
THE REAL AFTERMATH
As the nation - the private sector, non government groups, the Phil. army, the Philippine Red Cross, WHO, and other government agencies - sent their refuge through relief goods, medical missions, cash donations and other pledges; so did the Overseas Filipino workers, the Filipino immigrants and even the foreign retirees in Negros Oriental.
It was a grand display of what we Filipinos call as "Bayanihan" (in Dictionary.com, it's translated as "cooperative endeavor"). And once again, Filipinos were resilient and displayed the "never-say-die" attitude that we're known for.
Yet on the other hand, while some still chose to keep their spirits up inspite of adversities, the true face of disaster showed - people resorted to looting for food, cellphones and credits for their phones (we call it "cell phone load") to reach their loved ones, and others. Due to lack of clean water to drink, it's either some didn't drink at all or some drank water from the river that soon developed into illnesses.
But the real shock of all was that of strong allegations about politicians taking advantage of the situation. This is a very sad reality.
I for myself had talked to people who were from Guihulngan and all of them claimed that their now well known mayor (because of the day-to-day interviews by the media) has been hoarding all donations. They said that they heard their mayor announced that rice donations, for example, had to be placed in the bodega (warehouse) for safekeeping. The bodega is actually located in their house.
Too bad, the 5 Million Pesos check given by president P-Noy landed on his palms. God, take over this man, please. Makonsensiya naman siya! (may his conscience bother him!)
Also, why does the governor of Neg Or have to repackage each relief bags with his name on it?
Ay grabe naman, ang kakapal! Matakot naman kayo sa karma! Diyos na bahala sa inyo. Kung ang pinakamatataas na opisyal ng bansa nga sinisingil na sa pagiging kurakot at magnanakaw sa lipunan, kayo pa kaya?
Excerpts from an article written about this on a print and online newspaper called The Visayan Daily Star says:
Bring the food and water directly to the people of remote earthquake hit areas of Negros Oriental before they die from hunger.
That was what representatives of non government groups delivering aid to the area appealed yesterday.
The people of La Libertad and Guihulgan are also urgently in need of psychosocial therapy to lessen their trauma, especially the children, they also said.
The relief operations in Guihulgan has been very, very slow, the aid distribution in the first few days after the quake had been concentrated in the house of the mayor, Bayan Negros secretary general Christian Tuayon said.
He also noted that relief assistance from the Capitol bore the name of Gov. Roel Degamo on the packages.
“Don’t politicize relief operations, spare the victims of the earthquake from politics, prioritize the people,” he appealed.
Meanwhile, Guihulngan City Mayor has denied allegations of slow distribution of relief goods (Story on Oriental Page).
Tuayon also called on government agencies and the private sector to deliver the aid directly to the people. Don’t go through the politicians who are more interested in 2013 than the people, Evidente said.
Let us all help each other rebuild communities in Guihulgan without politics, he said.
To read the complete article, click on this link: http://www.visayandailystar.com/2012/February/13/topstory3.htm
MOST AFFECTED
Municipalities of Guihulngan, Jimalalud and La Libertad suffered the most - continuous strong aftershocks, damaged properties, loss of lives and livestocks, scarcity of food and water due to isolated bridges and damaged roads. Within the week, heavy rains poured and once more, the island was in a deeper state of calamity as vast area in the mountains of Guihulngan and La Libertad collapsed resulting to a landslide. The toll for dead and missing or buried persons rapidly increased.
(Photos courtesy of Hulagway ug Kasikas sa Dumaguete)
THE REAL AFTERMATH
As the nation - the private sector, non government groups, the Phil. army, the Philippine Red Cross, WHO, and other government agencies - sent their refuge through relief goods, medical missions, cash donations and other pledges; so did the Overseas Filipino workers, the Filipino immigrants and even the foreign retirees in Negros Oriental.
It was a grand display of what we Filipinos call as "Bayanihan" (in Dictionary.com, it's translated as "cooperative endeavor"). And once again, Filipinos were resilient and displayed the "never-say-die" attitude that we're known for.
Yet on the other hand, while some still chose to keep their spirits up inspite of adversities, the true face of disaster showed - people resorted to looting for food, cellphones and credits for their phones (we call it "cell phone load") to reach their loved ones, and others. Due to lack of clean water to drink, it's either some didn't drink at all or some drank water from the river that soon developed into illnesses.
But the real shock of all was that of strong allegations about politicians taking advantage of the situation. This is a very sad reality.
I for myself had talked to people who were from Guihulngan and all of them claimed that their now well known mayor (because of the day-to-day interviews by the media) has been hoarding all donations. They said that they heard their mayor announced that rice donations, for example, had to be placed in the bodega (warehouse) for safekeeping. The bodega is actually located in their house.
Too bad, the 5 Million Pesos check given by president P-Noy landed on his palms. God, take over this man, please. Makonsensiya naman siya! (may his conscience bother him!)
Also, why does the governor of Neg Or have to repackage each relief bags with his name on it?
Ay grabe naman, ang kakapal! Matakot naman kayo sa karma! Diyos na bahala sa inyo. Kung ang pinakamatataas na opisyal ng bansa nga sinisingil na sa pagiging kurakot at magnanakaw sa lipunan, kayo pa kaya?
Excerpts from an article written about this on a print and online newspaper called The Visayan Daily Star says:
Bring the food and water directly to the people of remote earthquake hit areas of Negros Oriental before they die from hunger.
That was what representatives of non government groups delivering aid to the area appealed yesterday.
The people of La Libertad and Guihulgan are also urgently in need of psychosocial therapy to lessen their trauma, especially the children, they also said.
The relief operations in Guihulgan has been very, very slow, the aid distribution in the first few days after the quake had been concentrated in the house of the mayor, Bayan Negros secretary general Christian Tuayon said.
He also noted that relief assistance from the Capitol bore the name of Gov. Roel Degamo on the packages.
“Don’t politicize relief operations, spare the victims of the earthquake from politics, prioritize the people,” he appealed.
Meanwhile, Guihulngan City Mayor has denied allegations of slow distribution of relief goods (Story on Oriental Page).
Tuayon also called on government agencies and the private sector to deliver the aid directly to the people. Don’t go through the politicians who are more interested in 2013 than the people, Evidente said.
Let us all help each other rebuild communities in Guihulgan without politics, he said.
To read the complete article, click on this link: http://www.visayandailystar.com/2012/February/13/topstory3.htm
