Make #NasaanAngCatanduanes Trend

Wazzup Pilipinas!

You are lucky enough to sleep comfortably in your bed tonight. Think of those people who are homeless at this moment especially in Catanduanes because of the super typhoon. No updates until now. No signal.

It's been hours since Catanduanes, an island here in the Philippines, welcomes the strongest typhoon in the world. No electricity, no communication, and no news about the people there. 

DO A THING, TAKE A HAND! They're not just an island, but an island of our country, the first island to conquer strong winds and rain after the Super Typhoon Rolly land falls in them first. Rescue them.

No offense sa nag ta-top trend na hashtag ngayon. But please, let's make #NasaanAngCatanduanes trend more!! This is more important than the other tags that are trending right now. If the government won't do anything about this then let's use our platform to raise/spread awareness!

We've seen posts from Viga, Catanduanes Facebook page and here are some photos I've found. The picture captures houses, trees, and electrical posts fell down. 

"We have not been resilient. We were just helpless."

It has always been like this. We never had donations pouring in like Yolanda funds. We were never hyped like Bagyong Ondoy. Kahit na Catandunganons has always been ravaged by the strongest typhoons. 

 

Helping my kababayan finding some updates about Catanduanes for we haven't have any idea yet of what had happened there. 

This might help just look for the name on facebook.

People who make this  #NasaanAngCatanduanes trend is not being OA, we, people who's far away from our families in that island just want an update. We know that Catandunganons are strong, but still we need an update about what happened to our beloved island, about our families.

Just look how strong the typhoon is before and after it lands on Catanduanes Island. They're absolutely affected, please make a way to rescue those families in that place. Do not ignore, save lives.

This is when ABS-CBN Regional Network is really helpful sana. Kaso wala e. It's now been proven and confirmed that we cannot rely on the other network when it comes to urgent matters like this. No hate. Just stating fact. 

While everybody is talking about the mainland Bicol (Albay and others), please see our kababayans in Catanduanes. They absorbed the full power of the super typhoon. Kung malala sa mainland Bicol, I can't imagine kung gaano pa sa Catanduanes.

Make 

#NasaanAngCatanduanes trend!

#NasaanAngCatanduanes

A story of awareness, togetherness and hope.

#NasaanAngCatanduanes is for every Filipino citizen who is unaware about Catanduanes geography and history.  Catanduanes is an easternmost island province of Luzon. Most typhoons brewed in the Pacific pass through the Island which is later  called the "Land of the Howling Winds". Because of this condition, the Catandunganons are known to be resilient. But bravery is the only option in times of vulnerability. Now, Catanduanes is vulnerable and in need of help - media coverage, better communication infrastructure,  food relief operations and many other ways.

#NasaanAngCatanduanes is for every family member who seeks help to be able to get an immediate response from authorities so they can keep in touch with their families in the island. A day already passed since #RollyPH landfall in Bato. There is no connectivity and electricity which makes it challenging to keep in contact with  relatives. Some municipality managed to post few photos in the past hours with minimum connectivity. But other parts of the province such as Bato and San Miguel remained silent in the past day in both mainstream and social media. 

#NasaanAngCatanduanes is a story of the current residents in the island who are awaiting for support from the government, media and NGO. #NasaanAngCatanduanes when it comes to government priorities?

I never expected that the hashtag will become viral in less than a day in the Philippines. I learned  that social media is a very powerful tool to help and to tell a story. And this is a story of awareness, togetherness and hope. 

I hope we do support other provinces which were heavily impacted by #RollyPH, they too have their stories."

20 million children at risk from devastating impact of Typhoon Goni

Wazzup Pilipinas!

More than 20 million children in the most populous island of Luzon face multiple risks of injury, displacement and even deaths as powerful Typhoon Goni (local name: Rolly) pummeled coastal and landmass areas, including capital Manila over the weekend, according to Save the Children Philippines.

Typhoon Goni is forecasted to upgrade to a super typhoon in the next 12 hours prior to its landfall in the eastern provinces of Catanduanes and Camarines early Sunday, the state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

Atty. Alberto Muyot, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Philippines, has called on local and national government leaders to protect the most vulnerable sector of children, pregnant and lactating mothers who face life-threatening impacts of typhoon Goni, which is expected to bring violent winds, and heavy rains that will cause storm surges and flooding in the coming days.

Luzon is home to 65 million population including 27.2 million children (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2020) which will be hit hard by the typhoon particularly Bicol region, Southern Tagalog, Central Luzon, and Metro Manila. Typhoon Goni is the 18th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year and the fifth in October, surpassing the PAG-ASA average of three typhoons in a month.

“Children from poor households in the coastal towns and remote provinces will bear the brunt of the impact of typhoon Goni as their homes are made of light materials that are easily destroyed by strong winds,” said Muyot.

As local governments implement pre-emptive measures, children and their families will have to stay in cramped evacuation areas, exposing them to COVID-19 and other life-threatening diseases, hunger and possible abuse and violence.

A 10-member humanitarian team from Save the Children Philippines will be deployed on Tuesday, November 3rd, to Southern and Central Luzon provinces to conduct rapid assessment of the impact of Typhoon Goni, and identify the support for children.

The child rights organization has prepositioned life-saving items including household kits with basic necessities for families, tarpaulins to build emergency shelters, and hygiene kits in stock so people can take COVID-19 preventative measures.

Both tracks and intensity of Typhoon Goni are expansive with maximum sustained winds of 215 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 265 km/h, comparable to super typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda) that flattened Visayas provinces, and killed more than 6,300 people including children in November 2013.

Children huddled in evacuation centres at risk from COVID19, as year’s strongest storm batters the Philippines

Wazzup Pilipinas!


Children huddled in evacuation centres at risk from COVID19, as year’s strongest storm batters the Philippines

As hundreds of thousands of children huddle in evacuation centres following the most powerful typhoon in the Philippines for seven years, Save the Children fears the spread of COVID19.

Typhoon Goni made landfall across Luzon island on Sunday local time, bringing with it catastrophic winds, storm surges and widespread floods.

The extent of the damage in coastal areas is still unknown, but feared to have had a high humanitarian impact.

The CEO of Save the Children in the Philippines is Atty. Alberto Muyot. He said, “We call on the local government to urgently put in place proper health protocols to protect people sheltering in evacuation centres from life-threatening diseases including COVID-19.

“They must also ensure children and their families staying in evacuation centres are provided with hygiene essentials, nutritious food and clean water.”

“It is important local officials provide breast milk access to babies in case they are separated from their mothers, or mothers are unable to express breastmilk due to injury and psychosocial distress.”

The nation’s capital Manila, home to 13 million people, is bracing for the impact of the storm today. Save the Children has fears for more than nine million people living in the city.

“The impact on the most vulnerable in Manila could be horrendous. We are especially concerned for 1.5 million families forced to live in dangerous conditions along railroads tracks, garbage dumps and riverbanks.”

As soon it is safe to do so, Save the Children will deploy aid workers to the worst affected parts of Luzon island. They will quickly distribute basic life-saving hygiene kits and emergency supplies.