Northern Luzon towns isolated

MANILA, Philippines - The aftermath of typhoon “Pepeng” has left several towns in northern Luzon isolated due to floods and landslides, leaving 193 people dead and damage to crops and infrastructure estimated at over P5 billion.

Several areas in Northern Luzon, particularly the Cordillera region, remained isolated yesterday due to landslides that blocked major roads going to Baguio City and other key areas.

The three major roads going to Baguio were closed due to about 40 landslides.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro earlier reported that Kennon Road, Marcos Highway and Naguilian Road going to Baguio City were not passable to all types of vehicles due to landslides.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which had been working overtime to repair damaged roads in the region, announced at 4 p.m. yesterday that Kennon Road was already passable to light vehicles only.

The Marcos Highway, on the other hand, would be opened on Tuesday, DPWH officials said.

There was no announcement, however, on the status of Naguilian Road but disaster officials stressed efforts to open up the road are still underway.

Since the bridge linking Sison town in Pangasinan to Rosario in La Union was damaged, motorists heading for Baguio City were advised to take the road through Urdaneta, Manaoag, San Jacinto, and San Fabian before going to Damortis town in La Union.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the onslaught of Pepeng in the region left 134 people dead in Benguet, nine in Pangasinan, one in Ilocos Norte, 38 in La Union, two in Ifugao province, three in Nueva Ecija, one in Quezon province and four in Camarines Sur.

Initial reports from the field, however, said the total death toll might climb to over 200.

The NDCC also reported a total of 101 persons injured and 46 still missing.

The estimated cost of damage to infrastructure and agriculture in the region reached P5.08 billion.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director Olive Luces said 39 landslides occurred in the Cordillera region isolating major population centers, including Baguio City.

Luces said the DPWH is working round the clock to clear the landslides blocking Naguilian Road. She said DPWH personnel have to remove boulders “as big as cars.”

Luces said the landslides had cut some portions of the highway, which made it more difficult to restore the roads.

Transport firms have agreed to pool their resources to transfer commuters from one bus to another. Commuters going up to Baguio City and down have to negotiate the treacherous terrain of loose rocks to board another bus waiting for them on the other side of the road.

Luces said government agencies and volunteers are working hand in hand to clear up the roads for delivery of much-needed relief goods.

She said the US military is helping in the efforts by flying relief goods to Baguio City.

Teodoro also announced the roads in Camiling, Tarlac as well as the national highway in Urdaneta and Binalonan going to Manaoag in Pangasinan are already passable.

However, some major roads in the region, particularly in the towns of La Paz, Moncada, Paniqui and San Manuel in Tarlac are still underwater.

All major roads leading to Cagayan Valley, on the other hand, have been restored, officials added.

The province of Pangasinan, meanwhile, is still reeling from the widespread floods brought by Pepeng.

Disaster officials said 70 percent of the province is still underwater, isolating major population areas and several towns.

The heavy rains brought by Pepeng forced the San Roque Dam to release excess water that inundated 70 percent of the province.

Officials said the initial damage on crops and infrastructures left by Pepeng could reach P221 million.

A total of 13 people perished in the floods, according to disaster officials in the province.

Two power transmission towers also toppled during the floods, rendering the towns of Alcala, Bautista and Bayambang without electricity.

Power and communication lines were also cut in La Union and the rest of Region II and Central Luzon, making it difficult to confirm reports of casualties and injuries.

Officials of Region I, comprising the provinces of Pangasinan, La Union, and the Ilocos provinces, reported a total of 49 people had perished during the storm.

Officials in Cagayan region, on the other hand, said 76,000 families have been affected by the storm. Pepeng also destroyed P2.2 billion worth of crops, they said.

Teodoro said efforts are underway to rehabilitate damaged areas in Central and Northern Luzon.

“We need and we have just to rebuild. We have to rebuild because productivity will also suffer. We have to focus on rehabilitation but we still don’t know how much because we have to assess (the damage),” Teodoro said.

Teodoro said the country sustained P15 billion worth of damage from the two storms Pepeng and “Ondoy.”

He said the partial assessment of damages brought by Pepeng along could reach more than P5 billion and could go higher.

Teodoro said rehabilitation efforts would continue while providing relief and assistance to all affected residents.

Pepeng had been hanging over northern Luzon for almost a week after initially arriving as a typhoon on Oct. 3.

The tropical storm, which had been downgraded from a super typhoon, hit the country exactly one week after tropical storm Ondoy dumped the heaviest rains in more than four decades in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, killing more than 300 people. –With Helen Flores, Eva Visperas, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Charlie Lagasca, Roel Pareño - By James Mananghaya (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com

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Blast hits Basilan; 2 hurt

An explosion ripped through a store in Lamitan town, Basilan province on Wednesday night, leaving two persons injured.

The military's western Mindanao command said the explosion took place around 7:20 p.m. in front of a store at the Pedro Kalun Cuevas Plaza in Barangay Malinis.

The store's owner, Ester Culumbres and a certain Kalbi Abiboy were hurt in the blast.

The military said an ordnance team of the Marines have been sent to the area to investigate on the blast. With a report from Noel Alamar, radio dzMM

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TG Guingona leaves Villar

MANILA - Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto "TG" Guingona III is leaving Senator Manuel Villar's senatorial team and the Nacionalista Party (NP). Guingona told reporters Tuesday that he has resigned from the party. He also denied reports he would be joining the Liberal Party (LP), which is fielding Senators Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino and Manuel 'Mar' Roxas in May 2010. "I'm not joining LP," he said in an ambush interview at the sidelines of the House plenary session. Guingona refused to elaborate. He said he will speak at a scheduled Wednesday press conference at Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan. Rumors have been rife the last two weeks that the son of former Vice President Teofisto 'Tito' Guingona will abandon Villar to support the presidential bid of the LP's standard-bearer, Noynoy Aquino. The former vice president was close to the late President Corazon Aquino. He served as Mrs. Aquino's Commission on Audit (COA) chief and became a senator under Mrs. Aquino's senatorial ticket in 1987.
Rep. Guingona earned the slot in the NP senatorial ticket long before Noynoy Aquino decided to run for the presidency. It is unclear if Guingona will join a political party or run as an independent.
On Tuesday, a non-government organization Kaya Natin (KN) announced that it will nominate Guingona to be included in LP's senatorial slate. A political party may adopt an independent candidate. The NP and LP are the country's two oldest political parties. Both parties are positioned against the administration even if they have coalesced with the administration in the House of Representatives. 'Not a loss'
NP spokesman Laguna Rep. Justin Chipeco said Guingona's move will not hurt NP. "It doesn't affect us. It's not a loss. It's not a game. At the end of the day, he is his own man....he is old enough to decide for himself," Chipeco said. Chipeco said he only learned of Guingona's decision on Tuesday.
"He told me about it--just now. He's leaving the party. He has his own political plans. Desisyon naman nya yun. ‘Di mo naman pwedeng pilitin ang tao ‘pag ayaw. I don't take it personally," he said. Although Noynoy Aquino may be getting the attention recently, Chipeco said NP is not discouraged. "One time you'll be down. Another time you'll be up. What's important [is] on the day of the elections, you'll get the vote. In politics it's a whirlwind," he said. "Good luck to him. He's a good friend of mine. I respect his position. Whatever his plans are, if he thinks he can win with another party, that is his position," he added. Chipeco said the NP is ahead in forming its senatorial slate. "I think significantly ang party has, at this time, the most number of senatoriables," he said. However, the NP has yet to choose Villar's running mate. "Madami nag-a-apply at mahirap mamili. We have to consider also political affiliations and coalitions," he said.

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Senators oppose government calamity plan

MANILA, Philippines - Senators expressed yesterday strong opposition to Malacañang’s decision to declare the whole country under a state of calamity and even extending it to a year, saying it might lead to abuses on the part of the executive branch and misuse of funds.
President Arroyo last week issued Proclamation 1898 placing the entire country under a state of calamity.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Senators Benigno Aquino III, Manuel Villar Jr., Manuel Roxas II, Francis Escudero, Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Alan Peter Cayetano all warned against relaxed rules in the disbursement of funds during a state of calamity, which Malacañang and local government units might abuse.
The senators questioned why the entire nation was placed under a state of calamity when not all areas were affected by tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”
They said this would give local government units (LGUs) power to spend their calamity funds for other purposes. With the general elections approaching, the funds could be misused, the senators said.
They argued that the state of calamity should only be for a few months since prolonging it would give wrong signals to the international community and create a bad image for the country before prospective investors.
Aquino said the move was like “closing the barn door after the horses left” since government should have prepared for disasters.
He said rules in the disbursement and utilization of funds were more relaxed under a state of calamity because of the urgency for their use. “When you declare that is going to be for a year, there might be calls for augmentation as far as those funds depleted are concerned. (The question is) will all the funds really address the calamity or will be used for something else because the rules have been relaxed?” Aquino said.
Villar, for his part, said the task of rebuilding was needed to help typhoon victims to truly recover from the tragedy but this would not merit too drastic actions and sweeping calls from the government.
More bad than good
The Makati Business Club, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines and the Federation of Philippine Industries, among other business groups, also expressed alarm about the planned extension of the state of calamity status.
They said it could create more problems for the country such as job losses and supply shortage. Other business groups even fear that it may lead to a state of emergency and the exercise of police powers.
“It is understandable that we have to prioritize the needs of the flood victims but we have to take into account the repercussions of our actions to other sectors. In this case, if the business sector will be affected, it will have a chain reaction if our economy will slow down because of it,” Villar said.
He said there is a need to put a semblance of normalcy to the people’s lives as soon as possible.
“This early, the concerned government departments and agencies should already put in place mechanisms to ensure the stable supply of food until next year. At the same time, help should be extended to farmers who suffered losses due to the typhoons,” he said.
Roxas, for his part, said placing the whole country under state of calamity was a knee jerk and overreaction. “This was not carefully thought out. It was very clear that in Mindanao, there were no rains,” he said.
He agreed with Escudero and Santiago that funds for projects could be disbursed without bidding and checks and balances since the laws on procurement might be sidestepped.
“Price control should only be in areas affected be calamities,” Roxas said, adding that the extra powers and leeway for government under a state of calamity could be used for “last two minutes” or midnight deals and the coming elections.
Santiago, on the other hand, said that the prolonged declaration of state of calamity could be counterproductive in the long run since it would cause the release of the calamity funds of all the local government units.
She said the state of calamity could be limited to three months and make people return to normalcy the soonest time possible.
No need for supplemental budget
Santiago also objected to the passage of a P10-billion supplemental budget for the victims of Ondoy because the executive branch has more than enough funds to provide for them.
“We don’t need a supplemental budget. Last year, when we were discussing the budget for 2009, Congress allocated appropriations even beyond the amounts that were sought by Malacañang for certain government offices. If we take back all those amounts that were added to the budget of certain government departments, we will be able to source the much-needed funds for our rehabilitation efforts,” Santiago said.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri also said they were no longer sure if Congress could pass the supplemental budget before the break next week.
“It’s (joint resolution) being worked out by the House (of Representatives). It must emanate from the House. I don’t know if they have approved it,” Enrile said.
Asked about the chances of the budget being approved, Enrile said: “Malabo na ngayon (It’s a long shot).”
He said he could not remember if there was an agreement to have the budget passed before the congressional recess and would just wait for the advice of Sen. Angara, chairman of the Senate finance committee, regarding the matter.
Zubiri voiced the same concern but said a special session could be called if the budget was really needed.
But Santiago said it would be easy to augment the calamity funds simply by asking the President to exercise her power to transfer appropriations.
“I do not want a prolonged state of calamity, because in the same way that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely, calamity tends to corrupt. The longer the declaration of a state of calamity, the longer the corruption,” Santiago said.
However, Enrile said that placing the country under a state of calamity was okay to protect the public during times of crises.
He argued that a state of calamity was acceptable because there is a need to control the rise of prices, especially prime commodities, during such time.
“This is not the first time that that is done. It has been done post-Marcos many times. It has been done during the Marcos years and it was done also even before the Marcos years,” Enrile said, adding that it can be declared beyond the term of the President.
Palace: No excessive use of power
But Malacañang assured that there will be no excessive use of state powers for the duration of the nationwide state of calamity even if the Philippine National Police (PNP) has been mobilized to enforce price controls amid pockets of violence from some businesses defying orders not to increase prices of basic goods.
The Palace also appealed to critics to stop blaming the government for the destruction brought about by the two typhoons.
Deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez said that while different parts of the country, including Metro Manila, are facing numerous crises--health, garbage, and education-- the government will not go overboard in exercising its powers while the declaration of the state of calamity is in effect.
He said the main tools of the authorities, particularly local government units, in addressing the problems remain to be the use of their emergency funds and enforcement of price ceilings, both triggered once a state of calamity is declared.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Raul Gonzalez earlier said that under general welfare provisions of the Constitution, the state can take over vital installations during emergencies, and the current calamity can also be considered a national emergency.
He, however, said that the situation, while serious, does not warrant the exercise of extraordinary powers of the government.
“Those (violent incidents and threats) are focused on certain persons, groups of people with a certain interest so we don’t see any widespread disorder in the streets. We are focused on rebuilding communities as of the moment,” he said.
Mrs. Arroyo also ordered that lands near the permanent relocation sites for families displaced by the calamity be developed for agri-business to sustain the new communities.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, for his part, said it’s not definite yet if the government could prolong the declaration of a state of calamity in the entire country for one year.
“That’s speculative,” he said.
Admin lawmakers lashed at MBC
Coming to the defense of the President, administration lawmakers appealed to the Makati Business Club (MBC), a perpetual critic of President Arroyo, to be humane enough and understand the sorry plight of victims who were hit by the typhoons.
“This is an extraordinary time and extraordinary steps are required to be taken. I think the one-year period (for state of calamity) is necessary to impress upon the people and businesses about the depth of the situation and the need to do something about it,” Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao said.
The MBC is a group of businessmen based in the financial district of Makati City. Its members are mostly employers of big companies in the Philippines, who employ thousands that generate jobs locally.
Rep. Marcelino Teodoro of Marikina, however, lashed out at MBC, saying the group should set aside its “self-serving financial goals” and realize that the people are rebuilding their lives after the two typhoons.
“They should be more contributive to the restoration of devastated areas than to be anarchic moguls,” he said, seeing the government focus on slowly bringing things back to normal in the country.
Lanao del Norte Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo, on the other hand, said the MBC should not paint a grim picture of the government’s plan to extend the state of calamity for a year. It would be better for them if they could come up with a counter-proposal, he suggested.
“The MBC should first check with the administration and recommend constructively. For example, we have seen how President Arroyo handles crises, (and it’s) definitely not dictatorial. To them, the President is always wrong or bad, and has done nothing right. Is MBC gearing up to be a political party?” he said.
One of the perceived effects of the planned extension of the declaration of a state of calamity would be price controls of goods, business groups like MBC fears. If carried out, it said the plan would spawn more problems like job losses and supply shortage.

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GMA gives mayors 72 hours to clean up Metro

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo gave local government officials of the National Capital Region and Region 4-A to start cleaning their areas of jurisdiction of garbage and restore vital public services within 72 hours.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman Anthony Golez said the President gave the order during last Saturday’s National Disaster Coordinating Council meeting at Camp Aguinaldo, though the Department of Interior and Local Government issued its own order for local government officials only the following day.

Mrs. Arroyo, Golez said, was concerned as garbage remains scattered throughout the flooded parts of the metropolis, particularly along secondary roads.

The President said local governments should push their garbage contractors to work harder and take the initiative of getting more trucks to augment their existing fleet.

She also said garbage haulers could voluntarily hire more trucks, considering they have huge contracts with the local governments for the collection of garbage.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando assured the President that the garbage is being collected, but admitted the bulk of the operation has been centered in areas hardest hit by tropical storm “Ondoy,” which left 10 times more garbage than usual.

Almost all areas of Metro Manila has been suffering from the absence of garbage collectors since Ondoy struck last Sept. 26.

The piles of garbage have slowed down the government’s cleanup and rehabilitation efforts because trucks and other heavy machinery cannot pass through secondary roads.

Golez asked residents to pack their garbage and keep them in the house until haulers arrive. Fernando, on the other hand, said biodegradable trash may be flushed down the toilet since septic tanks are able to handle biodegradable garbage.

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System has been going around Metro Manila to desludge septic tanks that overflowed during or after the flood.

Acting DILG Secretary Melchor Rosales also directed local officials in typhoon-stricken areas to prepare primary evacuation centers – such as national or local government-owned buildings, gyms, or multi-purpose halls, or even those owned by private entities – so evacuees could be transferred from public schools buildings and other overcrowded centers.

He said these primary evacuation centers should have adequate supplies of potable water and electricity as well as health and sanitary facilities.

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Zambo cops recover another landmine

MANILA - Another landmine was recovered along the highway of Baliguian town, Zamboanga del Norte, police said Tuesday.

Superintendent Jose Bayani Gucela, Zamboanga Peninsula regional police spokesman, said the landmine was recovered in Sitio Dawa, Barangay Upper Kauswagan, the same area where a cargo truck owned by town Mayor Gani Esmali hit a landmine on Monday morning.

Gucela said they also seized 2 gallons of ammonium nitrated mixed with kerosene, electric blasting caps and wires near the second landmine.

Meanwhile, Mayor Esmali clarified that he was not on board the cargo truck when it hit the landmine on Monday.

Hurt in the blast were Rommel Fernandez, 19; Rene Fernandez, 18; Anastacio Angalon, 32; Requeren Lumarang, 21; Leonardo Angalon, 42; and Albert Villarente, 39.

Esmali said the victims were his workers. He said the workers were on their way back to Baliguian town proper when the cargo truck hit the landmine.

The police and the mayor could not still identify the group responsible in the planting of the landmines.

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Earthquake strikes near Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines -- A magnitude 6.6 quake struck at the ocean near the southern Philippines Sunday night, the United States Geological Survey reported.

The quake was recorded at 6:58 p.m., the epicenter was traced 57 miles southwest of this city.

No casualty or damage to infrastructure was reported so far. No tsunami alert was issued

The Philippines sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

The worst earthquake in the country happened on August 16, 1976 after a tsunami caused by a quake killed between 5,000 and 8,000 people in the Moro Gulf region in southern Philippines.

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After Ondoy, festive bar exam atmosphere returns to Manila

One week after tropical storm “Ondoy" (Ketsana) flooded Metro Manila, a festive atmosphere returned to a stretch of Taft Avenue in Manila as Bar examinees took their last examinations on Sunday.

Traditionally, family and friends line the street and cheer as examinees arrive at the De La Salle University (DLSU) campus to take the rigorous exams over four Sundays in September. But the main thoroughfare was one of the many streets in the metropolis flooded last Sunday when the scheduled last day of the Bar exams was postponed by the Supreme Court, which administers the exams.

Radio dzBB’s Lito Laparan reported that examinees' supporters from various law schools in the country, including fraternities and sororities, were in the usual celebratory mood as they set up booths and tents near the DLSU campus, holding vigil until their friends exit the campus. Most examinees spend four years or more studying law and preparing for the Bar, which less than one fourth end up passing. The drumming and the cheering as examinees enter the campus for the exams are intended to raise morale and calm nerves.

The stretch of Taft Avenue from Quirino to Vito Cruz was closed to traffic to keep the examinees from being distracted, even as supporters stayed near the avenue’s center island, often under tents.

Many of the supporters who came from nothern Luzon – which typhoon “Pepeng" (Parma) battered over the weekend – arrived as early as 5 a.m.

Examinees on Sunday were to take the exams for remedial law, legal ethics, and practical exercises. The exam was to end at 5 p.m.

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Toni leads relief operation in Taytay

MANILA – Actress-host Toni Gonzaga is leading a relief operation in her hometown in Taytay, Rizal, one of the affected areas when tropical storm Ondoy (international codename Ketsana) hit the country last week.

During the press conference for ABS-CBN's "Pinoy Big Brother Double Up," Gonzaga was thankful that she and her family had been spared from the wrath of Ondoy.

However, a big number of her town mates have been displaced by the storm, prompting the actress and her family to come to their aid.

"Alam ko na may nangyayari dito sa Manila, sa ABS-CBN, but instead of bringing my stuff there and 'yong mga goods na mayroon kami, since nasa Taytay na din ako, kami na ang nag-organize ng sarili naming pagtulong, ng pagbibigay ng relief goods," said the actress-host.

The former village councilor added: "Hindi naman kailangan kang maging pulitiko o hindi ka kailangang maging miembro ng anumang organization para makatulong in your own special way. Sa sarili mong paraan pwede kang tumulong sa mga kababayan mo.

"Up to now, my mom is still organizing some stuff na pangtulong naman sa ibang mga staff namin sa 'Entertainment Live' na naapektuhan."

Gonzaga, who is one of the hosts of the upcoming “Pinoy Big Brother Double Up,” said she's happy that a lot of stars are also helping the flood victims.

The lead star of "Precious Hearts Romances: Ang Lalaking Nagmahal Sa Akin" added that people should now take a more proactive stance in taking care of the environment.

“Tayo din naman siguro ang dahilan kung bakit nagkakaganito, kung bakit binabaha dahil sa sarili din nating kapabayaan. Siguro ginigising lang tayo na mas maging aware at mahalin ang ating lugar, ang ating bayan," Gonzaga said. -Reyma Buan-Deveza, abs-cbnNEWS.com

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Voter Information Available At EC Website

PORT DICKSON, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- Voters in the Bagan Pinang state constituency can check their status on the Election Commission (EC) website, short messaging service (SMS) or from the Negeri Sembilan election operations room.

EC secretary Datuk Ngah Senik said the public can obtain voter registration details such as polling centre, voter channel number and serial number using one of the three methods.

"The public can visit the EC's official website at www.spr.gov.my. We have also provided SMS facilities for them to get the information.

"The SMS service will operate until polling day. To use this service, type SPR IC number and send to 15888," he said during a briefing to media personnel covering the Bagan Pinang by-election, here Thursday.

Ngah said voters can also contact the Election Operations Room during office hours at 06-7639975, from today until Oct 9.

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Laguna Lake showing abnormal rise of water

MANILA, Philippines - The Laguna Lake’s water level has risen abnormally, threatening to further inundate some eastern Metro Manila towns especially as a super typhoon looms.

Jun Mystica, officer-in-charge of the Laguna Lake Development Authority’s special concerns division-shore land management program, told The STAR of the “abnormal rising of the lake water” to 13.81 meters at the height of tropical storm “Ondoy’s” onslaught in Luzon last Saturday from its normal level of 12.5 meters. The water level went down to 13.33 meters as of 3 p.m. yesterday.

He said a huge volume of the lake’s water moved “landward” and flooded many outlying communities, including those that had never experienced flood before.

Mystica said the “slow recession” of the water in the lake has left many communities still under water since Saturday.

“What happened last Saturday was not the normal rising of the lake water but an abnormal rising of the lake water, which was not expected,” Mystica said.

He said the previous times that the Laguna Lake breached the 12.5-meter average level were in 1978 at 13.58 meters and in 1919 at 14.62 meters, also during typhoons.

Mystica said the arrival of super typhoon “Pepeng” might push the lake’s water level to 14.62 meters or more.

“It is not far-fetched that Laguna Lake’s water would reach that highest point in history or that the so-called 100-year phenomenon would occur,” he said.

“Although we don’t expect it to happen sooner since it is supposed to happen by 2019, it could be that the rise in the water level of the lake now is just the start of a possible trickle effect,” Mystica pointed out.

He said the volume of water that the Marikina watershed brings to the Marikina River is 3,300 cubic meters per second “at peak flood flow” while the Pasig River could only catch around 600 cubic meters per second of water.

Laguna Lake, he said, can only hold a little more than two billion liters of water.

“There really is some choking. Flooding is inevitable since water from Marikina River flows towards the Pasig River,” Mystica explained.

“And then there’s slower receding of water from Laguna Lake because from Saturday, the water decreased only by 0.48 meters,” he said.

“It could be that the volume of water that went to Laguna Lake was really big and if there are more rains over the watershed areas within the Laguna de Bay basin (including Metro Manila, Laguna and Rizal), then there will really be slower receding of water in Laguna Lake,” he said.

“Possibly because of this, certain areas in the eastern portion of Metro Manila remain submerged in water.”

In a separate interview, Gerry Carandang of the public information office of the LLDA said the abnormal rise in the water level of Laguna Lake displaced around 100,000 households in Lupang Arenda in Taytay, Cainta and Pasig.

Carandang said that the LLDA has repeatedly warned the communities in Lupang Arenda of the risk of flooding.

He said the residents ignored their warning and claim they have been paying fees to the National Housing Authority for “permit to stay” in the reclaimed area.

Fish pen ban

Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza on Wednesday ordered the LLDA to impose a total ban on the repair or reconstruction of fish pens and other structures in Laguna Bay that had been damaged by Ondoy.

He said Ondoy’s onslaught was a “welcome help” in efforts to rid the lake of structures that caused pollution.

He also scored the LLDA for its “inability to take control of the lake.”

“I have personally instructed LLDA General Manager Edgar Manda to make sure that destroyed, including submerged, fishpens will not be allowed to be repaired or reconstructed by their operators and owners,” Atienza said.

He said nature did “the gargantuan work for us in liberating the lake of fish pens and fish cages” and that it is now imperative for the LLDA “to learn from typhoon Ondoy’s lessons.”

While climate change was also to blame for the disaster, Atienza said the people’s improper disposal of garbage as well as their building of structures in the lake exacerbated the situation.

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Teodoro eyes presidency while battling floods

MANILA, Philippines—Little known to many Filipinos a week ago, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has suddenly become one of the nation's most recognizable figures while leading flood disaster relief efforts.

But for the Harvard-educated lawyer who was just recently named the ruling coalition's candidate in next year's presidential elections, even he admits being the government's crisis pointman could be a politically poisoned chalice.

"You know, I have a dual role here. I also act as the shock absorber for the people's frustrations," Teodoro, 45, told Agence France-Presse in a brief phone interview following a Cabinet meeting to discuss the relief operations.

The record deluge that fell on Metro Manila and surrounding areas on Saturday has claimed the lives of at least 246 people and affected more than 2.2 million others.

The government is facing an angry public backlash, amid criticism that it did not do enough to prevent the disaster and was then completely overwhelmed in trying to help survivors.

"It has elevated his profile, but I am not sure if it's the profile he wants to have," Jaime Garchitorena, a spokesman for advocacy group YouthVote Philippines, said when asked about Teodoro's disaster relief leadership.

"It is a double-edged sword. People would either recognize you as the guy who saved them, or the guy who did not do enough to save them."

Garchitorena said Teodoro could become the lightning rod for criticism that the government was woefully unprepared for the storm.

Nevertheless, Teodoro had little to lose politically considering he polled just 0.2 percent public support in the last independent national surveys of presidential contenders taken last month.

And Teodoro has hardly slept since Saturday, when the storm triggered six-meter (20-feet) high floods that swallowed up entire districts of Manila. The swollen bags under his eyes are puffed to the size of coins.

Dressed down to rain jackets, blue jeans and rubber-soled shoes, he has even waded into the chest-deep muck.

President Gloria Arroyo's chief aide, Eduardo Ermita, insisted the young politician's stock was now rising, according to private polling data commissioned by the ruling coalition.

"You will be amazed at how fast he has improved. My confidence is enhanced that in due time, Secretary Teodoro will be faring very well as far as surveys are concerned," Ermita told reporters.

Meanwhile, two main political rivals now topping the popularity charts, Senator Manny Villar and deposed former president Joseph Estrada, are also keeping their profiles high.

The multi-millionaire legislator has been seen handing out relief goods at government-run shelters housing people who lost their homes in the deluge.

Estrada has taken the same tack, getting himself photographed with flood survivors.

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Hundreds stranded in Albay port

MANILA - Some 300 passengers were stranded in Tabaco port, Albay province Thursday morning after the Coast Guard banned sea travel for all passenger vessels below 1,000 gross tonnage.

The Philippine Ports Authority said sea travel to Catanduanes was suspended after weather bureau PAGASA hoisted Storm Signal no. 1 over Catanduanes and the Camarines provinces in the Bicol region.

Aside from the passengers, two buses, seven cargo trucks and some light vehicles were also stranded at the port.

Coast Guard commandant Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo said he has placed all Coast Guard units in affected areas of typhoon Pepeng (international codename Parma) on heightened alert.

He said all sea vessels below 1,000 gross tonnage have been barred from sailing in Catanduanes, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte as of Thursday morning.

"If Storm Signal no. 2 is hoisted, no vessel will be permitted to sail. We are warning fishing boats and smaller vessels not to venture out to sea. Maritime travelers going to the affected areas are advised to delay their trips," he said.

Commodore Jose Luis Alano, Naval Forces Northern Luzon commander, said all Philippine Navy units were also placed on red alert and prepositioned in key areas.

He said a disaster relief response team was fielded in Cagayan Province, two teams in La Union, one team in Pangasinan and two teams in Zambales. Each DRRT is manned by an officer and 15 enlisted personnel and are equipped with rubber boats, portable generators, life saving kits, and M35 trucks.

Naval Reservists residing in Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, and Nueva Ecija were also placed on alert status.

In Albay, the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council headed by Gov. Joey Salceda also conducted a meeting to prepare for the possible effect of the typhoon in the province.

Although the typhoon will not directly hit the province, local officials are already readying plans for possible preemptive evacuation of residents in lahar, flood and landslide-prone areas.

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LGUs along ‘Pepeng’s’ path told to prepare for forced evacuations

Malacañang on Thursday urged local government units that are in the path of supertyphoon “Pepeng" to prepare for possible forced evacuation of residents in villages that may be at risk.

Categorized as a severe typhoon, Pepeng (international codename: Parma) is feared to caused widespread destruction in northern Luzon. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, Pepeng was located at 440 km east of Catarman, Northern Samar and was headed west-northwest in the general direction of Isabela province in northeastern Luzon.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said the typhoon packed maximum sustained winds of 195 kph near center and gustiness of up to 230 kph.


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At its current speed, it was estimated to be 100 km northeast of Virac in Catanduanes on Friday afternoon and would make landfall along the borders of Aurora and Isabela provinces on Saturday morning.

On Saturday afternoon, it is expected to be in the vicinity of Mountain Province and on Sunday afternoon, about 190 km northwest of Laoag City as it exits into the South China Sea.

Deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez said once the weather bureau detects Pepeng's specific pathway, “the LGUs must pursue the forced evacuation."

Golez said Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro is in the provinces to prepare local officials for Pepeng and pre-position rescue teams and equipment.

He said while Pepeng will not directly hit Metro Manila, which is still reeling from floods and landslides caused by tropical storm "Ondoy," but it might aggravate flooding. He said there is no more major rescue operation in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces because the activities have shifted to relief and rehabilitation.

Laguna de Bay

As Pepeng continued getting closer, the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) warned residents along the coasts of Laguna de Bay to brace for more floods in case the typhoon spawns more rains in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces such as Laguna and Rizal.

While the expected path of the typhoon is way up north, Pagasa said it could spawn rains over a wide area.

More rains could “cause more flooding and submerge wetlands," said LLDA general manager Edgar Manda in a text message to Palace officials. He said the water level of the country’s biggest lake is at an “all time high."

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando said places that are currently flooded are in for a long wait before the water level of the lake subsides.

Hazard mapping

Teodoro, who chairs the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), said agencies and LGUs should stockpile relief goods and place rescuers on standby so as not to be caught flat-footed.

Golez said the experience from Ondoy makes government more prepared.

“Because of our experience, we can always say the country is more prepared, but it depends on what kind of disaster the country will face. We never imagined what happened in Metro Manila. It's not in our contingency planning. With this experience, we can gear up to be prepared for this kind of experience. Next time another Ondoy comes to Metro Manila, we can say we are prepared," he said.

Golez said it will also now be easier for local officials to pinpoint the dangerous areas because the environment and science departments have conducted hazard mapping on about 80 percent of the country.

“The local officials know which areas to look out for. They know the dangerous and safe areas. The order was to identify as early as now the possible evacuation centers so people will know where to go just in case. Every province and city will have their own rescue team which are on standby alert," he said.

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Pinoys in Brunei offer prayers for Ondoy victims

While their counterparts in other countries sent home material contributions to victims of tropical storm "Ondoy" (Ketsana), Filipinos in Brunei offered spiritual ones.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Filipinos in Brunei held an "Ecumenical Prayer for the Nation" at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Bandar Seri Begawan.

In an article on its website (www.dfa.gov.ph), the DFA said Bishop Cornelius Sim of the Vicariate of Brunei Darussalam welcomed the members of the Filipino community from various religious denominations attending the Ecumenical Prayer for the Nation.

Sim expressed solidarity with members of the Filipino Community in Brunei and assured them of the parish church’s support for the flood victims, both spiritually and materially.

Philippine Charge d’Affaires Celeste Balatbat provided a situation report on the conditions in the Philippines, particularly in the heavily affected areas.

Leading prayers for the protection of the environment and natural resources was architect Ed Feliciano (Agape); prayers for the victims by Cris Medrano (San Lorenzo Ruiz); for the assistance from various government agencies and non-governmental organizations by First Secretary and Consul General Raymond Balatbat; and for OFWs worldwide for their contributions to the national development and support by Dan Roxas (Filipino Association in Brunei Darussalam).

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Sweet victory for Joma

The International Committee to DEFEND Filipino progressives in Europe announced yesterday the second landmark decision of the European Court of First Instance (ECFI) on the terrorist listing of Prof. Jose Ma. Sison, publicly acknowledged leader of the revolutionary movement in the Philippines. The European Court annulled all decisions and a regulation of the Council of the European Union (EU) that had maintained Prof. Sison in its so-called terrorist blacklist.

It is nothing short of sweet, unadulterated victory for Joma and his family, the world-wide network that championed his rights against the persecutory terrorist listing by the Council of the EU, the governments of the US, the Netherlands and other countries, and all who fight for national freedom and social liberation who have been unjustly and maliciously labeled as "terrorist."

The ECFI decision’s immediate effect is to unfreeze Mr. Sison’s small personal account that has been misrepresented by the Philippine and Dutch governments as a conduit for international support to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army that he had founded. It also restores his freedom to engage in financial transactions. For starters, it will allow him to finally seek employment and earn a gainful living, a basic right denied him by the Dutch government since it refused to grant him asylum.

The court decision also provides solid backing for Joma’s legal moves to claim back the social payments for living allowance, housing, health insurance, and old-age pension which have been withdrawn from him since 2002 by the Dutch government, citing the EU Council’s blacklisting.

According to Dutch lead lawyer Jan Fermon, the removal of the Mr. Sison’s name from the blacklist is the essence of the ECFI judgment. Thourt found that the Council of the EU had unjustly maintained him in the so-called terrorist blacklist without any concrete evidence for any specific act of terrorism. The ECFI finding that there is no basis whatsoever for freezing Prof. SIson’s accounts on the grounds of terrorism means he can no longer be maintained in the EU’s blacklist either for punitive or preventive reasons.

Specifically, the ECFI rejected the claim of the prosecution that judicial proceedings in the Netherlands, where Mr. Sison had applied for political asylum and a residence permit, were sufficient ground for his terrorist listing. To wit: "The Court finds that the procedures before the Raad van State and the Rechtbank clearly do not involve any ’conviction’ of Mr. Sison, nor do they amount to decisions to ’instigat[e] ... investigations or prosecut[e] for a terrorist act’. In fact, they were solely concerned with the review of the lawfulness of the decision of the Secretary of State for Justice refusing to grant him refugee status and a residence permit in the Netherlands. "

The latest favorable ruling by the EU Court reinforces its July 11, 2007, annulment of the freezing of Prof. Sison’s funds "on the grounds that that decision had been taken in breach of the rights of defence, the obligation to state reasons and the right to effective judicial protection."

Moreover, the ECFI recognized during the oral arguments the fact that the Dutch prosecution service, since March 2009, had already terminated its investigation into charges that Mr. Sison had ordered the killings of two former NPA commanders, for lack of evidence.

This decision was also in accord with earlier rulings by Dutch judicial authorities that found no probable cause against him and had ordered his release from detention while under investigation in September 2007.

According to DEFEND, "The termination of prosecution is relevant to the case before the European court. It shows the lack of concrete evidence for the allegation that Prof. Sison ... is culpable for any violent act of the New People’s Army, despite the close collaboration of Dutch and Philippine political authorities for several years in trying to criminalize him."

For seven long years, Joma has been unjustly punished by his being listed as a "terrorist." He was prohibited from having legal residence, earning an income, receiving a living allowance, holding a house, having sufficient insurance coverage, receiving old-age pension, and traveling freely.

By this victory, Prof. Sison and his lawyers have shown how it is possible to turn the tables on the political clout and legal machinery of the EU and The Netherlands, with the backing of the US, that was ranged against a revolutionary leader they had singled out for persecution and neutralization.

Joma and his defenders have prevailed by invoking basic human rights as enshrined even in the liberal bourgeois constitutions and other statutes of the EU and individual countries.

Joma’s legal victory must be celebrated by all freedom-loving peoples and be the occasion for renewed efforts to demand that the Dutch government and Council of the EU stop being a party to false charges against him and being complicit with the Philippine and US governments in his political persecution.

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ILO calls for probe into killings, training for police, military

A HIGH-level mission from the International Labor Organization (ILO) yesterday asked the Philippine government to investigate allegations of murder and abductions of trade union leaders, as well as harassment of labor organizers.

The ILO also urged the government to train and orient police officers and soldiers on the rights of workers to organize and to respect civil liberties.

In a press briefing at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel in Pasay City, Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, director of the ILO’s International Labor Standards Department, said the government must conduct independent investigations on the reported deaths and harassment of labor leaders.

"These are very serious allegations and these can have a long-term impact on the trade union workers’ exercise of the right to organize. It is up to the government how the investigations can be done in a fair way," she said.

Left-wing workers’ groups claim nearly 90 trade and union leaders have been either abducted or killed since 2001 when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo came to power. Official government records show about 35 cases.

Ms. Doumbia-Henry said the government must also implement a comprehensive technical cooperation program that would include training for the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police on civil liberties.

"There is an acknowledgment on their part (military and police) that they need this training and that they would like to help the ILO," she said.

Training should also be provided to judges and lawyers, whle there should be "continuing education" for the Department of Labor and Employment and the Civil Service Commission on international labor standards to improve understanding.

"A statement at the highest level that of the Government instructing all government actors to make special efforts to ensure that their actions do not infringe upon the basic civil liberties of trade unionists could go a long way in reassuring the workers that have brought their complaints to the ILO," she said.

The team conducted a mission from Sept. 22 to 29 to identify areas in which the ILO could provide support and technical assistance to the government for the effective application of the ILO Convention 87, or the Freedom of Association and the Protection of the Right to Organize.

Ms. Doumbia-Henry’s team visited factories in special economic zones and met government and workers’ groups, including those from the central and southern Philippines.

She said her team was confronted with conflicting statements "concerning violence against trade unionists and the sufficiency of the efforts made by the government to ensure that workers may exercise their trade union rights in a climate free from fear."

The ILO team’s visit was an offshoot of the recommendation in 2007 of the International Labor Conference Committee on the Application of Standards, which listed the Philippines among 25 cases of labor violations based on complaints filed by trade unions.

Other members of the team include Karen Curtis, deputy director of the ILO International Labor Standards Department, and Tim de Meyer, international labor standards specialist of the ILO subregional office for east Asia.

Ms. Doumbia-Henry said her team would make a report to the ILO supervisory bodies, which will make an assessment and come up with findings by March 2010.

Labor Undersecretary Rosalinda D. Baldoz said the recommendations by the ILO were "welcome."

"We will work closely with the ILO office in Manila to make the work of the mission very effective in terms of purpose. The training needs have been identified and we accept these recommendations very much," she said.

Labor Assistant Secretary Reydeluz D. Conferido said a body would be created to monitor responses to the training program.

Sought for comment, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Media Liason Officer Wendell M. Gumban said the recommendations by the ILO showed that the government is not exerting enough effort to protect workers’ right to organize.

The KMU is among labor groups that had raised complaints to the ILO.

"Implicitly, there is recognition by the ILO that the government is responsible for the oppression of workers," Mr. Gumban said.

Recommendations made were not enough, he said.

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