I refer of course to the Rose of Tacloban herself, Imelda Marcos, nee Romualdez. Nothing has been heard, not a peso donated, no expression of sympathy, nothing whatsoever. We are told that her staff have not told her about the typhoon, because it would upset her. What an amazingly good excuse for not donating anything! Tacloban is of course a Romualdez fiefdom, controlled top to bottom by the Romualdez family to this day. And a far lot of use they have shown themselves to be. Oh, Bongbong Marcos has "directed that his social development fund (a Senatorial slush fund, like the notorious PDAF) be spent in Tacloban.
One commentary I read yesterday was that Aquino hadn't been too quick to help as Tacloban was in Marcos country.
That's what I said in the other thread - Tacloban has been run down for many years, they promised a new airport many times, they promised a new waterfront, they promised a Tacloban everyone could be proud of, but no, it never happened. The money each time seemingly goes to something else, whether covertly or not.
Obviously if it isn't in "somebody's" immediate sphere of influence, then it ain't really worth wasting time, money and effort on...
She made a statement from her Hospital bed today, basically telling Warays that they'll get through this. Apparently her immediate relatives are assisting in the relief effort
What by finding a way to divert funds to her Swiss Bank account? Or am I being cynical in my old age!
I wonder if we'll ever see a breakdown of the money that has been sent in aid and what the philippines has spent and where it all got spent?
She's probably more concerned about her shoes that were eaten by termites than the citizens of the city where she attended school.
Well you can but hope. I notice some of the aid trucks have pictures of the local politicians on the back of them now!! "Your aid brought to you by ....... Remember who to vote for next time"!!!
Tacloban has a government website http://tacloban.gov.ph/ but no news has appeared on there since Typhoon Haiyan. Clearly, from this report just one day before Haiyan hit land, http://tacloban.gov.ph/?p=6646 they did not consider just how destructive the typhoon was going to be, suggesting it was up to school heads whether to suspend school on the day of the typhoon. Only 1,000 persons were due to be evacuated from Tacloban; we now know more than that were killed in the city. Some serious questions need to be answered.
I hope that the staff from the Tacloban government IT department are still alive. But I suspect that their computers have been destroyed, and the development environment / management structure for the site has been lost. In any case, the government and control of Tacloban city is most certainly no longer in place. I don't think anybody expected things to be this bad. Did anybody anticipate the 20' tidal wave that caused so much damage? This appears to be a one-off event like the 2004 Tsunami that wiped out parts of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia...
Its not the first time 7000 killed on leyte 115 years ago communication was lost for two days now theres government orginasation for you http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/44204307?searchTerm=typhoon+phillipines&searchLimits A history of storms: 1900s newspaper reveals devastating Leyte typhoon “TYPHOON AND TIDAL WAVE IN THE PHILIPPINES – 7,000 LIVES LOST” This is not a headline about the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), but a story from way back; from an Australian broadsheet dated January 12,1898. The information was documented by mail and dispatches on board a steamboat called Gaelic which “contain details of the fearful destruction wrought in the Philippine Islands.” The news story went on to detail: “It is estimated that 400 Europeans and 6000 natives lost their lives, many being drowned by the rush of water, while others were killed by the violence of the wind. Several towns have been swept or blown away.” The typhoon (also called a “huricane” later in the piece) that first struck and devastated a place called the Bay of Santa Paula was reportedly responsible for the onslaught in Leyte. “The [hurricane] reached Leyte on October 12 [1897], and striking Tacloban, the capital, with terrific force, reduced it to ruins in less than half an hour. The bodies of 120 Europeans have been recovered from the fallen buildings. Four hundred natives were buried in the ruins,” the report said. A town called Hermin was “swept away by flood” rendering 5,000 inhabitants missing. A small station called Weera, near Loog, was also reported gone. Only three houses were reported to be left standing in Loog itself. “Thousands of natives are roaming about the devastated province seeking food and medical attendance. In many cases the corpses were mutilated as though they had fallen in battle, and the expressions of their faces were most agonising.”
What Links Magellan, Gen. MacArthur And Imelda Marcos? http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/...inks-magellan-gen-macarthur-and-imelda-marcos
Bongbong Marcos visits Tacloban IN MOTHER'S HOMETOWN. Sen. Bongbong Marcos arrives in Tacloban City, 17 November 2013 "Senator Bongbong Marcos arrived in Tacloban City to offer assistance to the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) on Sunday, November 17. The extent of the damage, he said, is almost impossible to believe. “They have nothing. They have no homes, they have no water, they have nothing,” he said during a visit to the City Hall. Marcos, the only son of former First Lady and now Ilocos Norte congresswoman Imelda Marcos – herself born and raised in Leyte – said that he chose to arrive later in the disaster’s aftermath so as not to get in the way of current relief efforts. “We did not want to come because if we had come we would have taken up resources and assets that were sorely needed at the time. You know if you come here, somebody will have to secure you, you will have to have a vehicle, you will have to have a place to stay, they will have to feed you. In the first few days they simply did not have those capabilities so we got out of the way and let people do what they can.” Marcos also said that he spent the last 8 days in Manila coordinating relief efforts funded by private donors given to the donation centers in Manila. The Marcos family brought a ship and most of their supplies in Surigao. There is congestion in the relief efforts, and his family is attempting to decentralize relief efforts to reach those in far-flung areas. He has been to Tanauan just outside Tacloban City, one of the hardest hit municipalities whose people until now is pleading for more aid. His visit coincides with the second visit of President Benigno Aquino III to Leyte's provincial capital in the aftermath of Yolanda. The President and the Senator belong to rival political clans: the Aquinos and Marcoses. Not the time for criticism Marcos is unwilling to comment on criticism that the government has been too slow and uncoordinated in responding to the typhoon’s devastation. Assessment can come later, he said. Eventually those in charge will have to admit to shortcomings. For now, assisting the victims is of primary importance. The senator said: “Could we have done better? Sure. Do we need to do more? Certainly. But this is not the time for all of these finger-pointing. This is the time to put our heads down and help the people who are suffering." He said his mother weeps every day for her hometown, and is desperate to come herself. After he’s seen what is left of their home in Leyte, Marcos said it may have been a good idea for his mother to stay behind. “She is heartbroken now already." The family is committed to Leyte’s long-term rehabilitation. They are now looking at the long-term response to the disaster. “We came from here, we live here, this is our home. Until our home is put back to its proper condition there’s no way we can step back,” he said" Source:- http://www.rappler.com/nation/43942-...yolanda-haiyan
