CDRC Update on the Bicol disaster: Destruction is really huge, support is coming in trickles

CDRC Update on the Bicol disaster: Destruction is really huge, support is coming in trickles

Dear Friends at CASJ (Community Alliance for Social Justice),

The situation not only in Bicol is really bad. I met with the coordinator of the Bicol Movement for Disaster Response yesterday and he reported the following updates:

1. Albay was really badly affected in terms of destruction to lives and property BUT there are five more provinces in Bicol that were also badly affected Catanduanes, Camar-ines Norte, Camarines Sur, Masbate and Sorsogon. In Albay, it is not only Guinobatan (this is the town most reported) that is badly affected. Legaspi, Daraga, Sto. Domingo, Ligao, Tiwi and Oas were also badly hit.

In these provinces the following towns were seriously hit:

1. Catanduanes: Virac, San Andres, Bato, Baras, Gigmoto

2. Camarines Sur: Calabangan, Lagonoy, Tinambc, Caramoan, Presentacion, Garchitorena, Ocampo, Buhi and Iriga

3. Sorsogon: Donsol, Pilar and Sorsogon City

4. Camarines Norte: Basud, San Lorenzo Ruiz, San Vicente, Talisay and Jose Panganiban

5. Masbate: Claveria, San Pascual and Aroroy

We have to share this with you because the central government (and even the media) is only concentrating its support in Albay. Many areas in the other five affected provinces are not being given appropriate attention and support.

As of last counting, 650 bodies were recovered from the mudslides (some families are still looking for their trapped loved ones) in Bico; 1,950 barangays and 512,718 families were displaced where 19,474 are still staying in 529 evacuation centers. 204,741 houses were totally damaged while 311,258 houses were partially destroyed.

According to the person we met yesterday — efforts should be made to inform the public that the destruction in Bicol is widespread and that assistance should also be extended to these areas especially those that are in the remote places.

The destruction is not only in the Bicol region but also in other Southern Tagalog provinces. Marinduque, Quezon, Batangas, Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Laguna, Rizal and Cavite were also badly affected.
CDRC (Citizens Disaster Response Center) is exerting efforts to deliver help and services to the widest possible number of families especially in Marinduque, Mindoro and Quezon which are as devastated as Bicol. However, we are having difficulty raising funds because the destruction is really, really huge.
GMA launched her “mercy mission” this week. We are soliciting some medicines from the PCSO and they said that all PCSO’s medical support to NGOs are frozen.

We interviewed one Provincial Board officer in Marinduque and she was very angry that many towns in Marinduque are not receiving support. She asked: “do we also have to die so attention and support be given to them?”

Today, the Task Force: Tabang sa Bicol — a broad formation of NGOs here in Manila will troop to Bicol and hold a relief and medical mission to some 1,700 families. The number of families that we are going to serve is just a small fraction of the affected families.

This is our problem right now — financial and material support is coming in trickles. We are not yet certain why but one of the reason could be is that many are experiencing financial difficulties. Funding agencies answered that as it is already the end of the year– no more funds are left.

For Bicol, the most pressing need right now is how to sustain the food supply especially the families who are staying in the evacuation centers. Around February or March next year, the challenge or tasks will be the rehabilitation efforts that must be done to help the survivors get back on their feet again.

Thank you very much to all of you at CASJ for the continued support. Without people like you, our job here in CDRC will be very difficult. You give us strength to hurdle all difficulties and go on with the work of helping the most needy and oppressed communities.

Warmest regards,
CDRC Staff

P.S. :Ambassador Peter Sutherland visited our project areas in St. Bernard. We showed him the rehabilitation effforts we have done in the five project communities in St. Bernard. He was really impressed with the way we implemented the project activities.

We find the ambassador very down to earth — walang ka-ere-ere. He said that he is going to share what he has seen to the Filipino community in Canada who helped greatly in raising funds.