Global News Post: Philippines

Philippines Muslim Rebel Chief Pursuing Peace after Decades of War

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">By
Simone Orendain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In
October, the leader of the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group signed a
preliminary peace accord with the government, aimed at ending decades of war
that have killed some 120,000 people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">When
Murad Ebrahim was 21, he quit school and joined Muslim rebels fighting against
the government.  His older brother, then
his guardian, was not happy with the decision, Murad tells VOA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I
feel the necessity at that time, that maybe what came into mind is schooling
can wait, but this situation cannot wait," he said. "So I had to
decide on that, a very hard decision.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Despite
only being months away from completing a civil engineering degree, Murad took
up arms in 1969, motivated by the reported killing of more than a dozen Muslim
military recruits by Christian officers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He
joined the Moro National Liberation Front, which battled the military in the
south and was accused of carrying out terrorist attacks and assassinations as
part of its separatist campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Speaking
in the boardroom of the rebels’ committee office in <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place>,
the 64-year-old says in a few years he rose up the ranks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I
was designated as zone commander.  This
zone commander embraces part of Maguindanao and Lanao and after one year I
became commander of the entire Cotabato region," explained Murad.
"So, under the MNLF I was the overall military commander.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">In
1977, Murad’s group split from the MNLF and later formed the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front, which would become the country’s biggest rebel group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Using
experience he gained while fighting alongside Osama bin Laden in the Afghan war
with the <st1:place w:st="on">Soviet Union</st1:place> in the 1980’s, Murad
shaped the MILF into a more disciplined force, with modern, powerful weapons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“He
was known to be a very good military tactician. 
That earned him a lot of respect from many Bangsamoro rebels,” said
Rommel Banlaoi, head of research with the Philippine Institute on Peace
Violence and Terror.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">During
the 1990s and 2000s, Murad’s forces fought fierce battles against the
Philippine military and were also accused of terrorist attacks including deadly
bombings of shopping malls and airports.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
group publicly disavowed terrorism and were never listed by the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>
as a terrorist group. But they allowed terror groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah
to operate bases and training camps in territory they controlled in <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place>.  They are
also accused of links to Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group active in the southern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>
notorious for bombings and kidnappings. Murad denies there are any ties.  <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Steven
Rood of the Asia Foundation says Murad still needs to demonstrate a wiliness to
cooperate with government counterterrorism efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“By
now there are basically no terrorists being harbored in mainline MILF
camps," said Rood. "They’ve all been shooed away.  But the government’s point would be, ‘If
they’ve been shooed away, you knew where they were and you could have helped us
get them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Although
the <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> rebel groups and the government
have decades of failed peace talks, there is hope that the latest agreement may
succeed because of Murad’s influence and skill as a negotiator with other
insurgent groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“He
was projected as a peace champion now with the framework agreement signed… I
think he has the best opportunity to lead not only the transition of the MILF
but also the Bangsamoro,” said Rodolfo Mendoza, a retired police general.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Bangsamoro,
which means Muslim nation, is a term coined by the rebels to describe
themselves and all natives of the lands they claim as their own. Murad says the
goal has always been the authority to rule themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“But
even [when] we go for armed struggle, at the very start we are already open for
negotiation because we believe this is a political problem.  And, the solution is still political,” said
Murad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
recently signed peace “framework” opens the door to such a solution by allowing
the Bangsamoro to generate their own revenues, exploit natural resources and
form a ministerial government. Murad says he hopes the two sides can finalize
the deal by 2016. ---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Philippines Muslim Rebel Chief Pursuing Peace after Decades of War

By Simone Orendain In October, the leader of the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group signed a preliminary peace accord wi...

Captured Crocodile World’s Largest

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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUBc8WjKKhsQp4wQ4xBOZeGKXmMeK-vH5hr7KRN67ZO3eWsjUz5qRijOZY0B2TtaBj-1EpCDKGC4D_VXfTuSTTTMgTKxnNPkDduFxQKnaUHtYgoqvIyzvBvSTrlbrHYM0N5MFp143FLw/s1600/2012070214183988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUBc8WjKKhsQp4wQ4xBOZeGKXmMeK-vH5hr7KRN67ZO3eWsjUz5qRijOZY0B2TtaBj-1EpCDKGC4D_VXfTuSTTTMgTKxnNPkDduFxQKnaUHtYgoqvIyzvBvSTrlbrHYM0N5MFp143FLw/s1600/2012070214183988.jpg" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 22.5pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">NNN--- Resident looking at the largest crocodile captured along a creek in Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur province, southern Philippines on 1 July 2012. Guinness World Records has declared that the huge crocodile blamed for deadly attacks in the southern Philippines township is the largest in captivity in the world. The giant reptile has brought pride, fear, tourism revenues and attention to the remote town where it was captured. The saltwater crocodile named Lolong, measures 20.24 feet (6.17 meters) and weighs more than a ton, Guinness World Records spokeswoman Anne-Lise Rouse said. The reptile took the top spot from an Australian crocodile which measured more than 17 feet (5 meters) and weighed nearly a ton. Bunawan Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said the news sparked celebrations in his farming town of 37,000 but also fostered concerns that more giant crocodiles might be lurking in a nearby marshland and creek where villagers fish. Photo courtesy thejakartapost---NNN<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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Captured Crocodile World’s Largest

NNN--- Resident looking at the largest crocodile captured along a creek in Bunawan town in Agusan del Sur province, southern Philippines...

PHILIPPINES: Shelter Key Issue for Washi Survivors

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdC3hTj8wfprF9onoxMpZEMU0W5O86wLrBrOqvcZJqXrOxJPK1FTeBCLbUj0vRVgtLLl3zKJEZDVPC9Aboxbf0dkM1kJr6ms1RsGYpUHEdCx8kT0Od731hmfaSNzFwCPNDpVnc-XYr2Uw/s1600/201112221206520385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdC3hTj8wfprF9onoxMpZEMU0W5O86wLrBrOqvcZJqXrOxJPK1FTeBCLbUj0vRVgtLLl3zKJEZDVPC9Aboxbf0dkM1kJr6ms1RsGYpUHEdCx8kT0Od731hmfaSNzFwCPNDpVnc-XYr2Uw/s1600/201112221206520385.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo: <a href="http://www.unicef.org/philippines/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Courtesy of UNICEF</span></a><o:p></o:p></i></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: xx-small;"><i>One month on, thousands of survivors are still in need</i></span></div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family: "\0027Trebuchet MS\0027";">MANILA<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(IRIN) - One month after tropical storm Washi pummelled parts of the southern<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place u1:st="on"><st1:placetype u1:st="on">island<span class="apple-converted-space"></span></st1:placetype> </st1:place>of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:placename u1:st="on">Mindanao</st1:placename>, shelter remains the key challenge facing tens of thousands of survivors.</span></i></b><b><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Tropical storm Washi hit two major cities, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in northern <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place>, and 800 neighbouring villages on 16-18 December, triggering large-scale flooding and landslides that affected more than one million people. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">With more than 50,000 houses damaged or destroyed, some 26,000 survivors remain in 56 overcrowded evacuation centres, the country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on 17 January.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), another 200,000 are in makeshift shelters or staying with host families. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">"Our top priority at the moment is to ensure that shelter solutions are provided to all the displaced, including families from informal settlements and those living in areas deemed the danger zone," Jacqui Badcock, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>, told IRIN. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">In the aftermath of the storm, the government declared strips of land within 20m of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Cagayan</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">River</st1:placetype></st1:place>, the country's longest, and its surrounding islets as "no-build zones". Many of the displaced lived in these areas. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The government and aid groups are now working to identify available land that could be used as temporary relocation sites while permanent sites are being constructed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">"We [the humanitarian community] are working closely with the government to ensure the relocations are voluntary, safe and dignified," Badcock added. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Relocation is being done on a staggered basis. An initial 350 of the most vulnerable families, who were living along the riverbanks, have been moved to tents at a temporary relocation site in Cagayan de Oro. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Permanent relocation sites for those who lost their homes and those who cannot return to their areas of origin (declared by the government as "no build" zones) are due to open in July 2012, according to OCHA; however, the exact number of people to be provided with shelter or shelter-repair assistance remains unconfirmed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Availability of land and property rights are an additional challenge, shelter experts say. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">"Although a few relocation sites have already been identified and are being prepared, acquiring land for temporary and permanent shelters is a huge challenge," Anna Pont, International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) shelter cluster coordinator in Mindanao, said. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">"The land secured should optimally be close to people's livelihoods or has to provide them with new livelihood opportunities," Pont said. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Accessing remote areas <o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyYfgzGCvsD5l5iCDO0cFHs1pmtU-bWzs1UkilOZRcAIGmjNvhplWZ-zSN9l3QipEnqogOVmWRNV7icEuHtzoRQp-2ML9Gjol-KZC8S3hT4C1UqGWuD1tYZZREJUJHUjjYTZrm4Et_hc/s1600/201201170908310920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyYfgzGCvsD5l5iCDO0cFHs1pmtU-bWzs1UkilOZRcAIGmjNvhplWZ-zSN9l3QipEnqogOVmWRNV7icEuHtzoRQp-2ML9Gjol-KZC8S3hT4C1UqGWuD1tYZZREJUJHUjjYTZrm4Et_hc/s1600/201201170908310920.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">Photo: <a href="http://ochaonline.un.org/PhilippinesCountryProfile/tabid/4261/Default.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">OCHA/The Philippines</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">Tents at a temporary shelter site in Cagayan de Oro<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Meanwhile, local government and aid agencies are still struggling to reach those outside evacuation centres, particularly in remote and isolated areas.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">One month on, communities outside Iligan and in parts of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) remain cut off and accessible only by air. Already affected by internal conflict, Washi has aggravated the vulnerability of these areas, aid workers confirm. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">"The urgent needs are food, clothing and shelter," Ben Aspera, head of the sub-office for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Iligan, confirmed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Helicopters provided by the Philippine Army fly in supplies twice daily; however, their capacity is largely limited by both quantity and weight. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">"We are able to fly in food, clothing and sleeping supplies. We cannot bring in heavy shelter supplies at the moment," Aspera said. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">And while local and national authorities continue to work to clear roads to better access those affected, incessant rains are making that difficult. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">"We are continuously working on clearing the roads, but we are hampered by rains. We need to be careful because this area is prone to floods and landslides. Likewise, rains sometimes delay us from airlifting supplies," Benito Ramos, head of the NDRRMC, told IRIN. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">"Our immediate concern is to sustain these communities until they can be given permanent shelter," Ramos stressed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The government declared a state of national calamity in the most devastated areas on 20 December to hasten relief and rehabilitation efforts as well as facilitate international aid. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">On 22 December, the UN and humanitarian partners called for US$28.6 million to support the government. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">To date, $7.4 million (26 percent) has been provided for shelter, food, water, sanitation and hygiene and logistics. This includes a $3 million disbursement from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">An estimated $9 million is needed for shelter requirements alone, of which $2.7 million or 30 percent has been funded.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

PHILIPPINES: Shelter Key Issue for Washi Survivors

Photo: Courtesy of UNICEF One month on, thousands of survivors are still in need MANILA (IRIN) - One month after tropical storm Washi ...

At Least 25 Killed In Philippines Landslide

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</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><st1:city w:st="on"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;">MOSCOW</span></span></st1:city><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;"> (RIA Novosti) - At least 25 people have been killed and many others remain buried in rubble after a landslide in a mining area in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region>’ southern <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> region, regional media reported.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The landslide hit the gold-rich <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">village</st1:placetype>  of <st1:placename w:st="on">Panganason</st1:placename></st1:place> in the early hours of Thursday, the Philippine Star said on its website, quoting a police official.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rescuers have recovered 25 bodies from the rubble, with 15 people still missing, the official said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Civil defense chief Benito Ramos was quoted by AFP as saying some 100 people remained unaccounted for. The figure is based on village officials’ accounts, he said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Between 700 and 800 people are believed to reside in the stricken village.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rescuers have hard time in reaching the area due to its unfriendly terrain, reports said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: double windowtext 2.25pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The region where the disaster occurred saw devastating floods last month triggered by a tropical storm which killed more than 1,250 people.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></div>

At Least 25 Killed In Philippines Landslide

MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) - At least 25 people have been killed and many others remain buried in rubble after a landslide in a mining area i...

Philippines: UN agencies boost relief effort for storm survivors as death toll rises

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">Residents of Mindanao, Philippines, survey<br />
damage caused by tropical storm Washi Photo: UN News</span></i></td></tr>
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</i></span></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">United Nations agencies stepped up relief efforts in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region> today to help survivors of tropical storm Washi, which the country’s authorities say has killed nearly 1,000 people and left hundreds of thousands of residents of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">island</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:placename></st1:place> in need of humanitarian assistance.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The World Food Programme (WFP) said it is providing urgently needed food aid and other supplies, as well as logistical support to boost the Government’s emergency response to help people rendered destitute by the devastating floods caused by the weekend storm, also known locally as Sendong.WFP’s initial assistance includes the rapid delivery of high-energy biscuits, enough to feed more than 7,800 people in evacuation centres in the stricken cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The storm swept across the <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> region between Friday and Sunday bringing gusty winds and heavy rains that spawned massive flash floods and landslides.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called the Philippine Foreign Minister Albert F. del Rosario to deliver his sympathies to the people and country’s Government and to express UN readiness to provide any assistance required.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Government has accepted the offer of assistance from the international humanitarian community conveyed by the UN in the aftermath of the storm, Vanessa Huguenin, public information officer with UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Geneva</st1:place></st1:city>. OCHA is revising its humanitarian action plan for <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> to include needs resulting from the latest storm, she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The President of the General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, expressed his condolences to the people and Government of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> for the loss of lives and urged UN Member States and the international community as a whole to increase assistance to those affected. He also stressed the need to improve disaster preparedness across the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Stephen Anderson, WFP’s Country Director in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region>, said the agency is rapidly moving food from its warehouses in <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> for delivery to those made homeless by the floods.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“We are working with the Government to provide vital emergency food rations to help those who have lost their homes and belongings in areas where there has been the most extensive devastation from the flooding,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">WFP’s initial assistance includes the rapid delivery of high-energy biscuits, enough to feed more than 7,800 people in evacuation centres in the stricken cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. Additional high-energy biscuits for 65,000 people are currently being mobilized, according to an update issued by the agency.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Supplies of the nutritious ready-to-use supplementary food are also being distributed to some 15,000 children under the age of five, according to WFP.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Logistical support provided to the Government by WFP include the deployment of a mobile storage tent and delivery of water tanks, blankets, tarpaulins and tents for people who have been displaced by storm waters.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that of the 285,000 persons displaced by floods, some 43,000 are sheltered in 62 evacuation centres.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">WFP voiced concern over those who remain in inaccessible areas, saying it will work closely with the Government’s Department of Social Welfare and Development and other agencies to reach them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The official death toll rose to 957, with dozens of people still listed as missing. OCHA reported that an estimated 338,000 people had been affected by the floods.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A joint rapid assessment by UN agencies and national authorities has identified the immediate needs of those affected as food, non-food items, water sanitation and hygiene facilities and shelter.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it has launched an appeal for $4.2 million to assist families affected by the storm for the next three to six months, according to Marixie Mercado, the agency’s spokesperson in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Geneva</st1:place></st1:city>. Those affected by Washi include an estimated 200,000 children, she added.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that preliminary reports showed that 12 health centres in Cagayan de Oro, and 10 community health facilities in Iligan were put out of service after the storm.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Major hospitals in the two cities are still functioning and there were no major public health concern, except the risk of communicable diseases due to a lack of clean water and sanitation facilities, Tarik Jasarevic, a WHO spokesperson in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Geneva</st1:place></st1:city>, said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Malaria and dengue fever are endemic in the flood-affected areas and WHO will send mosquito nets to evacuation centres, he added.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">WHO is also working to roll out a disease surveillance system for communicable and non-communicable diseases and the training of local health workers, which had already been planned before the storm, Mr. Jasarevic said, adding that the health cluster is seeking $1.6 million to ensure that flood-affected communities continue to have access to essential public health services.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> —UN News</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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Philippines: UN agencies boost relief effort for storm survivors as death toll rises

Residents of Mindanao, Philippines, survey damage caused by tropical storm Washi Photo: UN News United Nations agencies stepped up...

Philippines: Hundreds Dead in Mindanao Storm as Authorities Caught Off Guard

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 8pt;">A woman salvages her belongings in <br />
Mindanao Photo © Contributor/IRIN</span></i> </td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><st1:city w:st="on"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">MANILA</span></span></st1:city><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (IRIN) - A tropical storm which hit the southern Philippine <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">island</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:placename></st1:place> on 17 and 18 December, leaving over 650 dead and hundreds missing, caught the authorities largely off guard. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“This is not something we expected,” former army General Benito Ramos, the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>' top civil defence official and head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), told IRIN on 19 December, citing the unusual path the storm (named Washi) took. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"The northern part of <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> was never a storm path, so local officials were left unprepared," Ramos said. "Everyone was sleeping when the floods struck before dawn. Chaos followed in the darkness."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Most of the 20 or so typhoons to hit the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region> annually strike the northern <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">island</st1:placetype>  of <st1:placename w:st="on">Luzon</st1:placename></st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Washi dumped a record amount of rainfall across some 13 provinces, causing landslides, flash floods and overflowing rivers, said NDRRMC. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"It happened in the evening and it was very dark. The power was cut off, and many of the victims lived near rivers," said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine National Red Cross. "It was a combination of many things: There was heavy rainfall over mountainous areas; the rivers were swollen and it came on a high tide… People were taken by surprise and are unprepared for such disasters,” she said, citing climate change. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Hardest hit were the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro on <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place>’s northern coast which have not seen such powerful storms in living memory. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">According to NDRRMC on 19 December, some 143,000 people were affected, with 46,561 sheltering in 47 evacuation centres, and more than 1,500 others staying with friends or relatives. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Ramos said this was the worst storm since Ketsana, which left 400 people dead in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Manila</st1:place></st1:city> in 2009. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Gushing water <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">More than 140,000 were affected Photo © Contributor/IRIN</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Alicia Mapuyag, a mother of five from Iligan, said the sound of gushing water inside the small family home woke them up, and within minutes they were wading in murky water.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"There was no time to retrieve dry clothes and supplies. We just grabbed each other and went outside," she said, adding that her teenage sons tied a rope round a tree to help them cross the street and reach a two-story building where they waited for help. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"Everyone was in the same situation. People were crying out the names of their missing loved ones. It was terrible." <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">According to Save the Children, at least 50,000 children have been caught up in the flooding. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“We fear that many children were split up from their parents as this disaster unfolded, and our priority is to reach them as soon as possible,” said Anna Lindenfors, Save the Children’s country director in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>. “We are especially worried about children trapped in areas we cannot access due to damage caused by the storm.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">With key water supplies contaminated by floodwater, Ramos said drinking water was also becoming a problem, and appealed for donations from the public. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The tragedy comes just days after the UN put out an appeal for US$38 million for nearly 700,000 people in central <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> where floods earlier in the year displaced hundreds of thousands. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Complicating the situation is a decades-old insurgency on the island which perennially leads to the displacement of thousands, including families already affected by disasters. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), a government-led assessment team and the Humanitarian Country Team are on the ground in <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place>; preliminary findings are expected later in the day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div>

Philippines: Hundreds Dead in Mindanao Storm as Authorities Caught Off Guard

A woman salvages her belongings in Mindanao Photo © Contributor/IRIN MANILA (IRIN) - A tropical storm which hit the southern Philip...

Philippines: Over 700 Feared Dead In Mindanao Flash Floods Due To TS 'Sendong'

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city w:st="on"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">MANILA</span></span></st1:city><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> (NNN-PNA) -- The death toll in the killer flash floods that inundated several areas in Mindanao could reach over 700 as officials said more than 400 people are still missing after tropical storm “Sendong” battered southern <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region></st1:place> Saturday. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Maj. Jim Osias, spokesman of the 4th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, said figures released Sunday by the City Disaster Reduction Management Center (CDRMC) in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, confirmed 346 dead and over 400 missing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The CDRNC also said more than 2,000 families have been affected by the floods that caught most victims in their sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin was expected to arrive in Cagayan de Oro Sunday to supervise the relief operations. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The rampaging flood waters toppled trees, inundated houses up to rooftops and overturned vehicles. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center (NDRRMC), said that relief and search operations have been in full blast but they are in need of coffins and body bags as they did not expect the number of fatalities to reach such a high figure. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Aside from Cagayan de Oro City, another area badly hit by the floods was neighboring <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Iligan</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place> in Lanao del Norte. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A priest, Fr. Dan Nunez, who hails from <st1:placename w:st="on">Butuan</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype> but is now assigned in the San Roque Parish in Tandang Sora, <st1:city w:st="on">Quezon City</st1:city>, said it was the first time in 49 years that such floods struck <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> in such fury. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">During his homily Saturday night, Fr. Dan lamented that it was the destruction of the environment, particularly the unabated and indiscriminate cutting of trees over the years, that is now taking its heavy toll in the form of floods which could have been prevented had the trees not been cut by unscrupulous loggers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Television footages showed rampaging flood waters sweeping away debris of all kinds to the streets and many areas. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Iligan and Cagayan de Oro cities are not on the usual path of typhoons that when storm signals were raised, the people apparently did not mind at all until flood waters had awaken them, which was too late, Ramos was quoted as saying. -- NNN-PNA <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Related news item: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">FLOOD DEATH TOLL IN <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">PHILIPPINES</st1:place></st1:country-region> HITS 497: RED CROSS <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">MANILA, Dec. 18 (NNN-Xinhua) -- The death toll from tropical storm Washi (or local name Sendong) in the Philippines rose to 497, with 162 others still missing, the Philippine Red Cross said Sunday. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon and his team will leave for <st1:placename w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Island</st1:placetype> in southern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> on Monday to personally assess the aftermath of the flashflood. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Meanwhile, the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in its report issued at Sunday noon that the death toll from typhoon Washi has climbed to 332, with 281 missing and 7 injured. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The tropical storm has made another landfall near Puerto Princesa city in Palawan and is now heading toward the <st1:place w:st="on">South China Sea</st1:place>. – NNN-XINHUA <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div>

Philippines: Over 700 Feared Dead In Mindanao Flash Floods Due To TS 'Sendong'

MANILA (NNN-PNA) -- The death toll in the killer flash floods that inundated several areas in Mindanao could reach over 700 as officials ...

More Than 180 Dead in Philippines Storm

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<div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Officials say the death toll from a slow-moving tropical storm has surged to more than 180 people, with around 400 missing across vast regions of the southern <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Tropical Storm Washi hit the southern region of <st1:place w:st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> overnight, blanketing the area with heavy rain and high winds.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">The chief of the national disaster rescue agency, Benito Ramos, said Saturday that officials are still getting reports from the field and that the number of casualties would probably rise.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">The storm has displaced thousands from their homes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Forecasters say Washi is expected to blow out of the country late Sunday.<br />
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Officials in the city of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Iligan</st1:city></st1:place> said many people were caught by surprise when floodwaters rose fast, forcing residents onto the roofs of their houses. Authorities say a popular radio commentator was among those swept away by the floodwaters.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> ---</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

More Than 180 Dead in Philippines Storm

Officials say the death toll from a slow-moving tropical storm has surged to more than 180 people, with around 400 missing across vast reg...

US Apologizes for Philippines Sex Tourism Remark

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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Philippines</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> officials said Saturday that U.S. Ambassador Harry Thomas has apologized for a remark last month that 40 percent of male tourists visit the country for sex.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said Thomas sent a mobile phone text message Friday to Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario saying he should not have used the 40 percent statistic without the ability to back it up.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> embassy in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Manila</st1:place></st1:city> confirmed Saturday that Thomas had expressed his regret at the remark.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Thomas made the statement during a discussion on human trafficking and sex tourism. ---VOA News<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

US Apologizes for Philippines Sex Tourism Remark

Philippines officials said Saturday that U.S. Ambassador Harry Thomas has apologized for a remark last month that 40 percent of male tour...

Philippines Economy to Grow 4.5% This Year - World Bank

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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">MANILA</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"> (NNN-PNA) -- The World Bank on Thursday said the Philippine economy is likely to grow 4.5 percent, driven by higher government and consumer spending in the second half of the year.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">In its Philippine Quarterly Update (PQR) the Washington-based lender also projected that the economy, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) for next year, is projected to grow 5 percent.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">“Private consumption is expected to grow steadily, buoyed by lower unemployment, higher government spending and sustained remittances,” Soonwha Yi, World Bank economist who led the team that prepared the PQU.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">“With ample fiscal space, the government is expected to boost spending in the second half and catch up on delayed implementation of infrastructure projects,” Yi said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">According to the PQU, government’s zero-based budgeting process has generated sufficient fiscal space to scale up spending on priority social and economic agenda.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The report said that domestic investment is projected to expand to 21.8 percent of GDP for 2011 from 20.5 percent in 2010, and to improve further to 23.1 percent in 2012, as the government accelerates the pace of its capital outlays and as business sentiment turns more positive.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">“On the supply side, growth for the full year 2011 is expected to come from the services and industry sectors, favored by a more upbeat business sentiment and with the full roll-out of infrastructure-related projects,” Yi said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Ulrich Lachler, lead economist of World Bank said the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> is currently enjoying relative political stability and a strong fiscal position. Capital inflows are expected to continue, but foreign direct investment (FDI) is projected to moderate as foreign investors have become more cautious in light of recent financial turmoil, he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">“To ensure inclusive growth or growth that benefits the poor, higher revenues through improved tax administration and reforms will enable the government to meet its priority spending targets, especially in public infrastructure and investment in human capital,” Lachler said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The PQU also said that the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>’ external position and macroeconomic fundamentals remain strong.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">The current account surplus increased by 20 percent in the second quarter (year-on-year), owing to higher remittances and net services receipts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">“Net foreign direct investments increased in the first half and foreign reserves have surged to record highs thanks to strong capital inflows as well as sustained growth of remittances and income from investments abroad,” PQU said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Attracted by relatively higher growth prospects and yield differentials, net foreign portfolio inflows soared through August, at $ 3.1billion, more than triple last year’s amount, the report says.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">“To better insulate the Philippine economy from external shocks, it is important to maintain strong macroeconomic fundamentals and improve its competitiveness through diversifying exports, strengthening domestic competition, and improving productivity of the services sector,” Yi said. -- NNN-PNA<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Philippines Economy to Grow 4.5% This Year - World Bank

MANILA (NNN-PNA) -- The World Bank on Thursday said the Philippine economy is likely to grow 4.5 percent, driven by higher government and ...