MEDICAL CLOWNING FOR VICTIMS OF HAIYAN IN BOGO CITY, CEBU PHILIPPINES

Tents built outside Severo Verallo
Memorial District Hospital in Bogo

International organizations continue to help the victims of typhoon Haiyan in northern Cebu, Philippines.

More than a month ago when the super typhoon Yolanda hit the Central Philippines also called the Visayas region affecting millions of the population.

Many people are still suffering from injuries brought by the devastation and are still recuperating from wounds.

Moshe Twito-medical clown giving a balloon to a patient in Bogo

Outside the Severo Verallo Memorial District Hospital in Bogo City, tents were built by the medical staff from Israel and from Myanmar. They are helping and monitoring illnesses in the affected areas in Cebu.

Records from the Department of Health region seven shows some illnesses affecting victims of Yolanda in northern Cebu. These includes acute respiratory tract infections, open and infected wounds, hypertension, skin diseases and even fever.

Sweet smile from a pupil affected by
typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda

Donors are giving free check-ups and medicines for the patients and to help them recover fast, the Israeli government brought a medical clown to make the patient smile.

Even the guardians of the patients laughed and smiled after seeing the medical clown doing tricks and jokes. 

Laughter is the best medicine for the
children in Bogo after Yolanda

Adam Levene, Deputy Ambassador of Israel to the Philippines said that they have been using medical clowning in Israel for ten years.

The said method is very effective in adults mostly children to recover before medical operations.  

Recovery rate reached 30% higher.

Moshe Twito, the medical clown also visited Bogo Central Elementary School 1 and the pupils laughed out-loud over his tricks.

HELICOPTER CRASHED IN RELIEF OPERATIONS IN LEYTE, PHILIPPINES

photo of UH1H helicopter displayed at
MBEAB, Lapu-Lapu City

Investigation continues after a UH1H helicopter of the Philippine air force made an emergency landing and crashed in the town of La Paz Leyte last Friday afternoon.

According to 2^nd Air Division Commander Major General Romeo Poquiz, the helicopter had 8 passengers including two pilots from the 205^th tactical wing based in Mactan Benito Ebuen Airbase, another two from Department of Social Welfare and Development and the rest were soldiers helping for the   relief operations in typhoon Yolanda affected areas.

Most of the passengers got minor injuries but the main pilot acquired fractured bones on its leg. Injured are still recovering in hospitals after the accident.

Poquiz emphasized that all air assets owned by the Philippines are well maintained and inspected.

Maj.Gen Romeo Poquiz
Commander, 2nd AirDiv,PAF

“They are inspected there is a mandatory inspection there is a mandatory 360 visual inspection and also our pilots are well trained” according to Maj.Gen. 

Poquiz on a press conference headed by the Philippine Information Agency 7 at MIP lounge in Mactan Airport , Lapu-Lapu City.

The official added, even the helicopters were bought second-hand, they buy and change spare parts for the maintenance of the helicopters.

The incident did not affect the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Leyte and Samar and other areas affected by super typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda in the Philippines.

STORM SURGE DANGER ZONES

Hundreds of people living near the coastal areas in Bantayan Island in Cebu Province were told not to go back to their houses.

The local government executives are preventing the people to rebuild their houses near the shore after super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the three municipalities last December 8, 2013.

The local executives will follow the implementing rules from the, The Department of Environment and Natural Resource’s(DENR), the 40 meter no build zone from the shorelines.

Portion coastline of Sta Fe, Bantayan Island in Cebu Province 

This is to prevent the same eventuality in Tacloban City after storm surge destroyed houses and structures in the area. The unexpected storm surge also killed thousands of people in Tacloban City.

According to Sta. Fe mayor Jose Esgana, the local council agreed to buy lots intended as relocation sites for the families to be relocated.

Out of the ten barangays in the town of Sta Fe, three were identified as coastal barangays. These include Okoy, Maricaban and Talisay.

The LGU will be asking assistance and help from different humanitarian organization, and to other countries for the housing materials for the families affected by the typhoon.

Displaced families in the municipality of Sta. Fe reached 6,226, while in Bantayan reached to 22,687 and 9,577 in Madredejos.

Local executives are asking for the cooperation from their constituents for their own safety.

SAVE NATURE: How to Avoid Storm Surge?

Wake-up Call to all to move and participate to prevent climate change.

SAGIP KALIKASAN means, save the nature.

This is a documentary that shows the power of children in Camotes Island in the Province of Cebu.

The local government unit in Camotes are helping together in saving the Earth in their own ways to prevent the climate change.

Not just trees, but they also preserve the mangrove sanctuaries that serve as storm breakers during bad weather.

Even they are just small community in Cebu province, they serve as a very good example as a community helping each other to save the nature.

The children were so proud that they get involve in saving mother earth.

For me, the national government in the Philippines should implement this to other local government units in the country. This is beneficial to everyone since the Philippines saw already the devastating effect on climate change in the present times.

Just like what happened in Tacloban and other parts of Leyte and Samar area after Super Typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda crushed millions of houses with its tremendous force.

Storm surge washed-out houses even buildings in Tacloban City the main commercia Leyte Province. 

Thousands of people dead because of the super typhoon, unprepared of the storm surge.

"PAngandoy Nga Kausaban"

BY: Naomi Sorianosos

(A Visayan Poem)

Nakita karon sa kadaghanan ang kausaban

Ang kalimpyo sa hangin, sa damgo nalang masimhutan

Tungod sa kadaghan sa mga pabrika ug mga sakyanan

Ang resulta, itom na aso ang nanaghan

Tungod niini, daghan ang nagkasakit sa baga ug ginhawaan

Nagahatag og kusog sa katawhan ang mga kakahuyan

Naghatag kini og pagkaon alang sa tanan

Apan, huyuhoy sa mga langgam, gikan sa kalasangan

Kaniadto nalang gayud makit-an

Tungod kini sa gibuhat sa mga katawhan

Gipamutol ang mga kahoy, wala ilisi ug gipasagdan

Maong karon, mas niinit na ang kalibutan

Pagka-anindot sa kalibutan nga gihatag sa atong ginoong amahan

Kompleto kini ug walay kulang  

Apan, ang mga katawhan naghinugawan

Ang mga sapa ug ang mga kadagatan gihimo og basurahan

Maong gamay nalang mga isda makuha sa kadagatan

Tungod sa walay disiplina ang kadaghanan

Mas niinit na ang kalibutan!

Ang resulta, mga kalamidad na dili katohuan

Nagkadugay nagkadaghan ang naapektohan

Baha diri, baha didto

Landslide diri, flashflood didto

Storm surge diri, storm surge didto

Daghan na ang nangamatay, ang uban dili katuo

Sama ni super typhoon yolanda nga kusog kaayo!

Apan dili pa ulahi ang tanan, aduna kitay mahimo.

To be continued…

Philippine Government's Relief Efforts of Super Typhoon Haiyan Victims Continue despite criticisms in Social Media.

Criticisms escalated in the social media to the relief efforts of the Philippine government to the millions of people affected by Typhoon Haiyan with local name Yolanda. This was after a volunteer posted on Facebook its complaints on how the government do the repacking of the relief goods.

As shown on the image below, a volunteer disagreed the system on repacking the packed food items donated by Indonesia. The repacking is headed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development VII and assisted by the Philippine Air Force inside the Mactan Airbase in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

Most of the food items that came from Indonesia were canned goods, noodles, biscuits, some were liquid items inside the bottle and cooking oil.

Upset in the way of separating relief goods, the volunteer said the repacking will make the relief operation in the affected areas of the typhoon slower. She was also disappointed in using plastic bags printed with DSWD relief operation even most of the donations came from other country.

Information Officer from the Philippine Air Force 2^nd Air Division Rene Piabol Jr defended on the repacking issue of relief assistance saying they need to repack the relief goods.

“A family pack of relief items from Indonesia is not enough for a three day meal for a big family,that is why we are adding rice and other canned goods and place it in bigger plastic bags” Piabol said, saying repacking is necessary.

Piabol added, that expiration dates of the relief foods from other countries are checked before giving to the recipients.

Relief items in liquid form like soy sauce, tomato sauce and cooking oil inside bottles and plastic bags must be separated from other food items to avoid spill over to other dry goods. Broken bottles are also dangerous to volunteers that carry the reliefs.

People are allowed to witness the actual repacking inside the Mactan Benito Ebuen Airbase to see operations going.

The DSWD continue to their job despite criticisms, thus calling more volunteers for the repacking of relief goods because donations and other humanitarian aid from other countries around the world continue to arrive in Cebu.

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Most of the articles posted were from my news coverage some posts are in Tagalog, Filipino language.