James Christian J.

Yuchongco 2B-MT More than 10,000 feared dead in Philippines MANILA, Philippines As rescue workers fan out across the Philippines, they have found whole towns destroyed by Super Typhoon Haiyan, which battered the country on Friday. Authorities said they now fear that as many as 10,000 people or more could be dead. More than 150,000 people have also been left homeless so far by the biggest storm of 2013. Tacloban, a city on the eastern island of Leyte, took the brunt of Haiyan's fury and was practically leveled. Homes and bridges were destroyed and sturdy structures like the Palo Cathedral had their roofs ripped away by record-breaking winds. Electricity providers had cut power as a preventive public safety measure. The storm also knocked out communications in Tacloban and destroyed roads and bridges, delaying efforts to deliver relief goods to the city and its suburbs. One evacuation center in the city's Palo district was swept away by storm surges. Local media reported isolated looting in Tacloban, broadcasting footage of the scene at Gaisano's, the city's largest shopping mall, and at smaller stores nearby. The nearby provinces of Samar, Bohol and Zamboanga were also hit hard by the massive waves and winds. Samar and Bohol were still in the process of recovering from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake on Oct. 1. Some 95 percent of houses in the town of Mambusao, in Capiz province, were damaged by Haiyan. Almost all houses in the coastal town of Sapian, also in Capiz, were completely washed away; 90 percent of the town's infrastructure was damaged. Authories estimate at least 10 million Philippine pesos' ($232,000) worth of damage to agriculture and fisheries in Capiz province, said Melvin Fabiana, field officer at the Department of the Interior and Local Governments. On Saturday, Filipino netizens frantically searched social media for information about family and close friends in the most devastated cities and towns.Users turned to a variety of social networks to follow the storm's progress in the Visayas islands and Mindanao, and to share news about where rescues were needed and information on how to help. Filipinos online comforted one another, prayed together and gathered donations of clothing, food, toiletries and other basic goods to send to the Central Visayas. Haiyan exited the Philippines at 2 p.m. Manila time, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomic Services Administration (PAGASA). The typhoon left the Philippines a weaker storm, packing winds of 185 kilometers per hour en route to Vietnam. Meterologists warned, however, that the storm could pick up speed as it crossed the seas. PAGASA has since issued a wind warning for Luzon and the Visayas, saying that "strong to gale force winds associated with the surge of northeast monsoon enhanced by Typhoon [Haiyan]" are expected to affect the seaboards. More from GlobalPost: As Haiyan makes landfall, disaster-ready Filipinos know exactly how to respond Casualty counts continue to trickle in. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman will visit the worst-hit areas on Sunday. Aerial reconnaissance and damage assessment is ongoing, the military said. The Department of Health has had all medical professionals in the affected areas working 24/7 in both operational medical facilities and in the field with rescue and relief crews. It has also dispatched 15 million pesos' worth ($347,000) of medicines and medical supplies. The military said it will continue to assist the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in re-establishing command post operations, assessing damage, and carrying out rescue and transport operations. Source:

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/131109/the-biggest-storm-2013-strandsmore-150000-filipinos Philippines investigates alleged abuse in Saudi crackdown on illegal workers The Philippines said Tuesday it had deployed teams to check on reports of abuse in Saudi Arabia's crackdown on illegal workers, after one woman complained they were treated "like animals". Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Filipino diplomats were in touch with the oil-rich kingdom's human rights council to ensure the protection of Filipino workers there. "We have sent rapid response teams there, we have formed teams to visit jails, detention centres, police stations to make sure that our people are okay, and if necessary to issue them travel documents," Del Rosario told reporters. "In terms of our meeting with the head of the human rights council in Saudi Arabia, we hope to be able to clarify (that we expect) that our people will be treated well," he said. Del Rosario said there were believed to be 660,000. Del Rosario said they were seeking to interview the women to check on their complaints. Embassy staff in Saudi had said that they had not seen signs of abuse in an initial inspection of detention cells. Nearly 10 million Filipinos about a tenth of the population live and work abroad, and their remittances are a vital pillar of the economy. The vast majority work as unskilled labourers or domestic helpers and are exposed to situations in which they are prone to abuse. Source: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/131105/philippines-checking-reports-abuse-saudicrackdown Philippines reels from catastrophic damage as Typhoon Haiyan heads to Vietnam By Andrew Stevens and Holly Yan, CNN Tacloban, Philippines (CNN) -- After laying waste to huge swaths of the Philippines, flattening villages and washing bodies into the water, Typhoon Haiyan is set to bring more devastation to Vietnam. While the massive storm barreled across the South China Sea on Sunday, many Filipinos grappled with devastation like they've never seen before. Entire houses leveled to pieces. More than 100 bodies scattered on the streets of one city. Thousands more residents stranded, grieving and hungry. The Philippine Red Cross estimated at least 1,200 people were killed by Haiyan. Sharee Tan, the governor of Samar province, reported 370 dead and 2,000 missing in her province alone. But the full death toll could be significantly higher as officials make their way to remote, nearly inaccessible places pummeled by the cyclone. Tacloban city Mayor Alfred Romualdez told CNN it is "entirely possible" that 10,000 people may have died in the storm in Leyte province. His statement came after a top provincial police official, Elmer Soria, said local estimates suggest as many as 10,000 are feared dead in Leyte, according to AFP. Complicating the search efforts is the lack of electricity in many parts of the storm's path. The northern part of Bogo, in the central Philippines, suffered a blackout Sunday, and authorities said it will take months to restore power. Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/10/world/asia/philippines-typhoon-haiyan/index.html?hpt=hp_t1