booboos and chichangs

According to Blog Ni Ella, these goods have not been distributed to the typhoon survivors. WHY?

Dear friends,

I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos.

Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mga nag-donate. Kung sa ganitong paraan, matutulungan natin ang mga nasalanta, then by all means, let’s do it.

For those who have the time, please try to volunteer sa DSWD warehouses. Getting in was not easy. A friend had to put in a word for us. Let’s see kung madali nang makapasok sa DSWD warehouse ang mga volunteers.

Please read on and good luck to us.

Ella

(This post was last edited Oct 22, 12:30 pm)

Kahapon, tinanong ng Philippine News si DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral:

Editor of Philippine News: Why are the relief goods in DSWD warehouses not moving?

DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral: Wala kasing volunteers.

This short interview was done over the phone. Philippine News wanted to hear her side pero ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa press. After four tries, pinasabi na lang niya ang maikling sagot na ito sa secretary niya - “Walang volunteers”.

I don’t want to accuse her of corruption but at the very least she is showing signs of being totally incompetent. We are in a state of calamity where every second counts. May namamatay araw-araw dahil sa sakit.

In my opinion, these deaths could have been prevented if Secretary Cabral had tried a little harder to do her job.

 

Deaths from Philippine storms nears 1,000

“Tropical Storm Ketsana left 420 dead and 37 missing when it flooded 80 percent of Manila on September 26, a disaster the government said affected 4.35 million people.

 

Some areas are still flooded three weeks later and 189,000 people remain in evacuation centres,


 

Typhoon Parma hit the northern Philippines on October 3 and lingered as a tropical storm for a week, triggering landslides that killed 438 people and leaving 51 missing mostly in mountain communities.

 

The government agency said Parma affected 4.16 million people, including more than 32,000 who remain at evacuation centres.”

During the first week after the storm, lumabas ang “bayanihan spirit” ng mga Pinoy. “Makatulong lang kahi’t konti,” katwiran nila.

kung walang volunteers, ano ‘to, komiks?

From Stella Arnaldo’s blog:

“At the offices of many civic groups and private organizations, hundreds of people showed up to volunteer in packing relief goods.

At the Tulong Bayan center at the Expo Centro in Cubao, Most of the volunteers were adolescents as young as 10 years old, along with their kuya or ate in high school and college.

 

They came in huge numbers, many of them barkadas, classmates or siblings, dressed just in their tees and shorts, wearing their Havaianas. All were just enthusiastic to do their share!
Photos by Leah Navarro





Even grade school kids pitched in to help!




Youth volunteers repack detergents for distribution 

 


Making beds from carton boxes

Our government begged the world for more donations. Sumagot ang buong mundo sa ating panawagan. In less than three weeks, dumaong ang mga barko, ibinaba mula sa mga cargo planes, i-diniliver ng mga trak at container vans ang sandamakmak na relief goods. Cash donations were in the millions of dollars.

But these donations must be coursed through DSWD

Nagpalabas ng directive ang pangulo. Individuals, private companies and other nations were ENCOURAGED to send their donations to DSWD. I blogged about it here and the video of her announcement here.

This PGMA directive sounded suspicious to me then. Now I know why. Here’s the story.

A group of eight people, your ate Ella included, went to one of DSWD warehouses to help in repacking relief goods. We know they need volunteers pero hindi namin akalaing WALANG TAO TALAGA SA LOOB NG WAREHOUSE!

As in sa isang humongous warehouse (1000++ sq.m) NA PUNONG-PUNO NG RELIEF GOODS HANGGANG BUBONG, ISANG DSWD employee lang at ISANG SECURITY GUARD ang tao!!

Kailangang magpa-register at i-schedule ang volunteering

1) UNICEF Registration (as a volunteer)

The warehouse can only take as much as 50 volunteers at a time or per shift. Here you will find that there is a 4-hour shift, and an option for a 6-hour shift for the volunteers to indicate their availability.

What “volunteers”? Nasaan?

Aside from the 8 of us? Nope, there was nobody there. Bakit kailangan ang scheduling? Feeling hindi ba magkamayaw at nagu-unahan ang mga volunteers?

I know somebody who wanted to volunteer many times. She was always bumped off, laging nirere-schedule kasi “there were too many volunteers” daw. At tuwing Sunday lang daw puwede. What the hell is going on here?

Nakatambak ang donations ng UNICEF sa warehouse, local and international

Mga banig na dapat ay nahihigaan ng mga nasalanta. Mga imported camp beds na hindi na yata masisilayan ng mga biktima. Mga kumot na hindi naman nakabalot sa katawan nila. At mga pagkaing hindi sumasayad sa sikmura nila.

The relief goods are not going anywhere

We arrived at about 8 am and left by midafternoon and yes, you guessed it right. Kami pa rin ang tao bukod sa isang DSWD employee sa loob ng warehouse maghapon. Walang ibang dumating.

The relief goods are not moving. By the way things look, they are not going anywhere. Hindi maglalakad mag-isa ang mga donations na ito papunta sa mga evacuation centers.

LET THE PICTURES DO THE TALKING

Note: Pinagbawalan kaming kumuha ng pictures sa loob ng warehouse. I wonder why.

“Not a creature was moving, not even a mouse.”

Parang haunted warehouse ang dating. May multo na yata.

 

Kahit na daig pa ang tindahan sa Divisoria sa dami ng naka-stack na kaldero

 

At walang katapusang kaldero pa ulit

 

Kahit halos natakpan na ang mga bintana sa dami ng mga kahon

 

Kahit umabot na hanggang kisame ang stack ng mga kahon

 

(Close up ng Coleman camp beds sa previous photo) Hindi ito kasama sa ni-repack naming goods. Para sa mga “special victims” kaya ito? Ire-repack kaya ang mga “imported” camp pads na ito ever?

 

Sabagay, may BANIG naman para sa “ordinary victims”. Ito ang kasama sa inimpake namin. Sayang ‘yung imported.

 

Ano kaya ang laman nito? Hindi rin pinabuksan. Pang-special victim din kaya ito? (teka, dito nga pala galing ‘yung mga kumot)

 

Mahiwagang mga kahon from Japan Aid.

 

(close up ng mahiwagang kahon) Hindi rin ito kasali, of course. Hindi namin alam kung ano ang laman nito. “Imported” are not included, we have concluded.

 

Marami ito, mga laruang kasinlaki ng tao. Hindi nakunan ng pic kasi nasa tabi ng sikyo.

 

PORK AND BEANS? Yup, you’d think kasama ito sa relief bag. Pork and beans lang ‘to, puwede na sigurong ipamigay,

 

Naaah! “Imported” pork and beans from Spain po ito. Sorry, hindi pa rin included

 

Now let’s take a look at what a victim will get from DSWD

Look Ma, sampung lata ng sardinas! How generous! Kaldero ang unang ilalagay sa sako. Sabong panglaba (bar soap) at sampung sardinas sa ilalim. Siyam na sabon sa gilid ng kaldero. Local goods lahat syempre.

Tapos papatungan ng isang tuwalya at isang pack ng sanitary napkin.

 

Sisiksikan ng tatlong rolyo ng kumot(?) ang blue water jug tapos ipapatong sa kaldero sa loob ng sako.

 

Last but not the least, lalagyan ng dalawang banig.

 

Sabay tatahiin na ang sako. O di ba, parang asong tinapunan ng buto ang mga nasalanta? Eniwey, busog naman sila sa SAMPUNG lata ng Mega sardinas

Do not delay

YOU THINK?? WTF is the matter with these people? Mag-iisang buwan na mula nang masalanta ang mga kababayan natin. ISANG BUWAN!! Do you mean “do not delay ang dati nang delayed”?? Shet.

Anong ginagawa ng mga donations na ito sa warehouse?? APAT na warehouse ang nasa loob ng compound na ‘yon! APAT na warehouse na punong-puno ng inaalikabok na relief goods! Relief goods na ayaw yata ibigay sa mga nasalanta. Halatang-halata.

Marami pang pabubulukin

Wow! May bagong shipment na naman! At the rate DSWD is moving, next year na madi-discover kung ano ang laman ng mga kahong ito.

“The first of two of the largest high-energy food shipments from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) arrived in the country two days ago for victims of storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”




The biscuits were fortified with essential vitamins and minerals for supplementary feeding to children, pregnant women and the elderly in evacuation camps. Another 100 tons of biscuits will arrive on Oct. 24, in a continuing effort to provide food assistance to flood victims.

Sige, ideretso ‘nyo ulit ‘yan sa DSWD warehouse. Para AMAG naman ang abutin ng biskwit… at sapot ng gagamba.

Conclusion

Sa maghapon namin sa warehouse,nakagawa kami ng 150 sacks of relief goods. 150 bags of relief goods lang ang lumabas sa warehouse na ‘yon that day. At nandoon pa rin sa loob ang mga imported relief goods, safe, sound and packed as the day they arrived.

Nakisakay kami palabas sa isang DSWD delivery van. Gusto sana kaming ihatid ng driver hanggang Makati pero wala raw siyang sobrang gasolina. Ibinaba na lang niya kami sa gitna ng EDSA. Millions of dollars in donations, walang extrang pang-gasolina.

Susulpot din siguro ang laman ng mga mahiwagang kahon at mapapasakamay din ng mga tao…sa ARAW NG ELEKSYON. O mabibili na nila ang mga imported goods na ‘yon sa mga puwesto sa Quiapo at Divisoria.

Suggestions lang po sa DSWD:

The University of the Philippines Institute of Creative Writing (UP ICW) announces the fellows to the 48^th UP National Writers Workshop to be held from April 12 to 18 in Camp John Hay, Baguio City. The fellows and associates of the UP ICW selected twelve writers in mid-career to participate in the annual workshop. This year’s workshop director is National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario.

This year’s fellows for English are Angelo Suarez and Carlomar Daoana for Poetry, Felisa Batacan and Dean Francis Alfar for fiction, and Criselda Yabes and Carljoe Javier for creative nonfiction.

Fellows for Filipino are Mikael Co and Ayer Arguelles for tula, Norman Wilwayco and Alvin Yapan for kuwento, and Jing Panganiban and Vladimeir Gonzales for sanaysay.

The workshop panelists are all advisers, fellows, and associates of the ICW. Aside from National Artist Almario, the panelists are National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera, ICW director Jose Dalisay, Jr., Gemino Abad, Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, Neil Garcia, Charlson Ong, Conchitina Cruz, Jun Cruz Reyes, Victor Carmelo Nadera, Rolando Tolentino, Mario Miclat, and Romulo Baquiran, Jr.

Unlike most national writing workshops, the UP National Writers Workshop is only for advanced writers. The UP ICW is the only institution that holds a workshop of this kind in the country. The current workshop format was borne out of the need to address the dearth of venues for writers in mid-career to exchange ideas on their craft and their current literary projects.

Prior to the new format, the UP ICW has held the annual UP National Writers Workshop for the country’s most promising beginning writers since the 1960s. Through the years other writing centers of other universities have instituted their own workshops for beginning writers, thus freeing the UP ICW to address other concerns.

To qualify for the workshop, writers must satisfy the following requirements. (1) must be writers in English or Filipino; (2) must have attended at least one creative writing workshop (national/regional, including the UP National Writers’ Workshops), or earned a degree in Creative Writing/Malikhaing Pagsulat, or won at least one national/international literary award; (3) must have published at least three poems or two short stories or two pieces of creative nonfiction (e.g., essays, memoirs, profiles) in reputable collections or anthologies, journals, magazines (including campus publications), or refereed Internet web magazines, or have had a play staged.

The UP ICW is setting up a blog hub to keep the public abreast of the developments in the workshop. The hub will bring together blogs of the panelists, fellows, and staff. It will also contain more information on the workshop participants. The blog hub is accessible at http://upwritersworkshop09.tk.

it's only a few minutes until the chinese new year, so i've checked out moonslipper.com to know what's in store for me this coming year. i'm a wood rabbit and this is what i got.

The Rabbit

Cuddly, warm and affectionate are the attributes of the Rabbit. Mysterious and a great party-giver and host, the Rabbit enjoys being the centre of attention once in a while. The Rabbit is occasionally over cautious and can be a bit boring. He is also one of the luckiest signs in the Chinese Astrology chart.

PISTANG PANITIK 3 AT THE 29th MANILA INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR IN MOA

The third Pistang Panitik will be held during the 29 th Manila International Book Fair at the SMX Mall of Asia . This year's format should prove to be quite unique. On September 12 , 14, 15 and 16, writers/artists/performers will have morning and afternoon sessions dedicated to them, wherein their works will be discussed and presented. Critical discussions, storytelling sessions and poetry readings will add spark to this literal literary fiesta.

The premiere writing institution in the country, the UP Institute of Creative Writing counts the College of Arts & Letters of the University of the Philippines-Diliman , the National Commission for Culture and the Arts , and Primetrade Asia as its partners for the week-long event. Fresh from the success of the Gawad Likhaan: the UP Centennial Literary Awards, the UP ICW initiated Pistang Panitik in 2006 with the help of Anvil Publishing House, National Book Development Board, and Book Development Association of the Philippines.

Pistang Panitik is a brainchild of former ICW Director Prof. Vim Nadera who said that Pista is a way of sharing the beauty of the written art with the public by celebrating our own literature.

On September 12, 2008, 2:00-3:30 p.m. at the Meeting Room 6, Writers' Cafe will host Charlson Ong , Ophelia Dimalanta, Benilda Santos, Dinah Roma-Sianturi, Jaime An Lim, writing greats who will talk about their craft over a cup of coffee. On that same day, 4:00-5:30, writers speak on writing and joining writers' groups in Writers are not Loners with Beverly Siy of Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA), UP Writers Club, The Varsitarian (UST), Heights ( Ateneo de Manila ) and Malate ( De La Salle University ). At 7:00 p.m on Stage Area 1, Literature will be performed the alternative way by Ony Carcamo, Lourd de Veyra, Khavn de la Cruz , Charms Tiamzon , Girl Valencia and Cynthia Alexander.

In Ganito Kami Ngayon , renowned writers (the new ICW director) Jose Dalisay, Roland Tolentino, Romulo Baquiran, Jr., Jose Neil Garcia, Nicolas Pichay and Jun Lana will update literature lovers on current literary practice in the Philippines on September 14 , 10:00am-12:00nn. Pop Lit on September 15 , 10:00am-2:00 p.m. at the Stage Area 1 will have comic book artists , performance poets, storytellers, independent film directors and literary innovators like Romancing Venus, Teatrong Mulat, Angelo Suarez , and Jim Libiran with TRIBU rappers Raynoa Aguillon, Billy Cruz, Lloyd Labastida, and Shielbert Manuel will present emerging forms in Philippine literature.

And for the finale, the business of blogging will be discussed on September 16 , 10:30am-12:30 pm, at the Stage Area 1. The activity called Blog! will be handled by Dean Alfa , Marne Kilates, Bobby Añonuevo, Sonny Villafania, Dino Manrique, and Vlad Gonzales.

For more details, contact the UP ICW at 922-1830 and visit panitikan.com.ph.

• greens tofu and vegetable kebabs
• greens barbecue
  
• greens sisig
  
• greens mango lassi
  
• greens chocolate cake
  
• greens caramel custard
  
• friuli tre formaggi pizza
  
• yellow roses
  
• fully booked gift certificates
  
• powerbooks gift certificates
  
• green chucks, size 9
  
• blue chucks, size 9
  
• chocolate kiss dayap chiffon cake
  
• good massage