Safety for Residents in banks of Rivers, Lakes

Malacañang is going in right direction

 

In the vicinity of Fairview on the way towards SM and Robinson’s, one passes by a relatively long bridge at the bottom of which could have been a river in the past. The supposed river is now dry and a densely populated place. Someone with a nice lawyer, goons and other hirelings, collect rent or sell parcels of that dry river bed. To make the river bed a homely and respectable place, it was dubbed by this “owner” and possibly his family, as Fair Lane. Sounds like a wealthy subdivision, no? The owner has an enemy. The enemy also has lawyers and hired goons, etc. When Ondoy came, these two quarreling owners became invisible. Naturally, the river bed was first to be inundated with powerfully rushing flood waters. Ondoy did not wait for the residents to haul their appliances and houses. The residents were even surprised why suddenly everyone was in panic, shouting, Malapit Na!!! Gissiiiing!!! Likaaaas!!! What was happening to Fairlane Village?

Most of the homes went stampeding with the surface runoff water together with personal belongings. And now the owner of the river bed is collecting rent again. Dear Pres. Arroyo, Sec. Teodoro, Sec. De Castro, could you please have these owners of our river beds arrested and exiled to the gallows for the rest of their lives?  How many people are they fooling and how many will suffer from the acts of these evil doers?

Finally, the Office of the President is wizening up to the impact of calamity not only in Metro Manila but on a national scale. On October 15, 2009, Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed an Executive Order stopping squatters or informal settlers in Metro Manila and other provinces’ riverbanks. This dovetails with our recommendation to remove and not to allow these settlers anymore from living in the sewerages, major or minor rivers or any place at the bank of a body of water.

It is only hoped that Malacañang will do the same to our sewerages. But understandably, that is the problem of Chairman Bayani Fernando of the MMDA, that he heads and the DPWH.

16/10 10:14AM

GMA orders relocation of waterway settlers

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo will implement the forced relocation of thousands of families living on riverbanks and other high-risk areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces even if it would mean losing the political support of local government officials, presidential spokesman Cerge Remonde said yesterday. Read the rest of the article here.

They’re Killing Americans in Jolo now

There is a wave of bombings in Sulu Province. And now, it’s Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos all over. American troops are the target. And this only happened now. This time the culprits employed a high explosive. And the method of delivery was a landmine. Something that is never done traditionally by Abu Sayyaf. And sure enough, quick to the interview, were the opposers of the visiting forces agreement. While the victims of Typhoon Ondoy in Manila are crying, American soldiers are dying in Sulu. What do they have to kill the Americans for? They’re building water facilities for Muslims who need water each time they pray, and that’s five times a day, sometimes more. They’re even helping build Islamic schools out there. They built a disaster response center at the back of the Provincial Capitol Building for God’s sake! Still the terrorists and bandits want them dead. What, for VFA to be kicked out the door? Spare the young and helpful US soldiers assigned there please, calling on our Muslim brothers. The enemy is greater from within (greater Jihad). Those that help bring prosperity cannot be the enemy.  When we were in Sulu, we thought we stepped on a different planet. We were set back about sixty to one hundred years backward!!! Why? Isn’t there an agenda to that?

RISE UP SULU!  RISE!
TAKE UP THE CUDGELS FOR PROGRESS!
PEACE!
DEVELOPMENT!
RISE BROTHERS, SISTERS, RISE!

Typhoon Ondoy

There is nothing more exciting for rescuers at heart than to have another emergency!  It warms up their blood, their adrenalin starts pumping, they soar into the midst of danger and risk their lives — sometimes plunging into the center of the hazards never to return.  Ordinary people like us, would just as soon pee in their pants.

I wrote this post with several people today.  I hope Pres. Arroyo and Sec. Teodoro will read it.  And take a little cue from there.  Or else, the lives of our heroes, the rescuers at heart, will all be in vain.

In the Eye of the Storm

Pres. Arroyo and Sec. Teodoro: Will they measure up to Ondoy?

It’s now a wee bit sunny.  The common dialogue and buzz words yesterday was a narration of one’s and others’ personal heroic effort for helping save lives with shaky voices to boot, lunod, anod, baha, flood, water and nature’s stampede, patay, ilalim, tubig, walang tubig, walang ilaw, taas ng tubig, ligtas, global warming, perwisyo, perdisyon, parusa ng Diyos, bata, dasal, matanda, babae, lampas taong tubig, walang pasok, di makaalis, hate weather, masamang panahon, kawawa, may sakit, ebakwit, evacuation center, iskul, etcetera. Etcetera. Etcetera.

An old woman was shouting at her supposed rescuers why they arrived so, so late. Bakit ngayong lang kayo dumating, ika niya. Di niyo ba alam, wala na kaming kain-kain? Tingnan ninyo ito, wala na nga akong panloob, o! (Why did you arrive only now? she asked. Didn’t you know we don’t have anything more to eat? Look here, I don’t even have any panties to wear!)  Read more about this post here…