An open letter to CNN on their reporting on the #YolandaPH disaster in the Philippines


This "open letter" was found making the rounds on social media:

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Dear Sirs:

I just wanted to make some comments on the reporting of the CNN International crew here in Manila, regarding the relief efforts for the victims of super-typhoon Haiyan (which we locally call typhoon Yolanda).

First, full disclosure: I am a retired Filipino executive and computer person. I was born in the Philippines and spent all my life here (save for some very short overseas stints connected with my career). I have worked with a large local Philippine utility, started up several entrepreneurial offshore software service companies (when outsourcing was not yet in vogue), and also served as the Philippine country head for a multi-billion dollar Japanese computer company. This diverse work background allows me to always see both the local and global point of view, and to see things from the very different standpoints of a third-world citizen, and a person familiar with first-world mindsets and lifestyles.

I appreciate CNN's reporting, as it brings this sad news to all corners of the world, and in turn, that helps bring in much needed charity and aid. The tenor and tone of CNN's reporting has not been very palatable for a local person like me (the focus seems to be on the country's incompetence). But I shrug that aside, as there is probably some truth to that angle. And in reality, what counts now is that help arrives for the people who need them most; recriminations and blame can come later. Last night, I listened to a CNN reporter wondering about the absence of night flights in Tacloban, in the context of the government not doing enough to bring in relief goods. It was like listening to newbie executives from Tokyo, London or the USA with no real international experience, yet assuming that their country's rules and circumstances applied equally to the rest of the world. That was the proverbial last straw: I knew I had to react and call your attention to a few things (with some risk, since these topics are not my area of competence):

1. The airport in Tacloban is a small provincial airport: when you get two commercial Airbus flights arriving simultaneously, you are already close to straining that airport's capacity. Even under normal operations, the last flights arrive in Tacloban at around 6pm, partly because of daylight limitations. Considering that the typhoon wiped out the airport and the air traffic gear, and killed most of the airport staff, you basically have nothing but an unlit runway which can handle only smaller turbo-prop planes. You can only do so much with that. I would assume that our Air Force pilots are already taking risks by doing landings at dusk. Take note that in the absence of any working infrastructure, the cargo will have to be off-loaded from the plane manually, while it sits in the tarmac. If you do the math, I wonder how aircraft turn-around's can be done in a day? How many tons of supplies could theoretically be handled in one day?

2. The Philippine air force has only three C130 cargo planes (I am not sure if there is a fourth one). This is supposedly the best locally-available plane that is suited for this mission: large enough to carry major cargo load, but not too large to exceed the runway limitations. We do not have any large helicopters that can effectively move substantial cargo. I am happy to read in the newspapers that the USA is lending another eight C130 planes. I am not the expert, but I would suspect that even with more planes, the bottleneck would be in capacity of the airport to allow more planes to land and be offloaded, as discussed above.

3. A major portion of the road from the Airport to Tacloban City is a narrow cement road of one lane in each direction. With debris, fallen trees, toppled electric poles, and even corpses littering the road, it took time to clear the airport itself, so that they could airlift heavy equipment needed to clear the roads. Then it took even more time to make the roads passable. Listening to our Interior Secretary on CNN, he disclosed that the Army was able to bring in 20 military trucks to Leyte. Half of them were allocated to transport relief goods to the different villages in the city, and the rest were assigned for clearing, rescue and other tasks. With very little local cargo trucks surviving the typhoon, I guess this would be another bottleneck. Again, I assume that if I do the math, there is only so much volume that can be moved daily from the airport to the city.

4. The Philippines is an archipelago. Tacloban City is in Leyte island, which has no road link with the other major cities/islands. The only external land link (the San Juanico bridge) is with the neighboring island of Samar, which was equally hard hit by the typhoon, and which is just like Leyte (in terms of limited transportation infrastructure). The logistics of getting relief, supplies and equipment to Tacloban is daunting. Not too long ago, my company put up a large chunk of the communication backbone infrastructure in Leyte province. It was already a challenge to get equipment onto the ground then. This has always been the challenge of our geography and topography. What more now, when the transportation/communication systems are effectively wiped out in Tacloban?

5. There is an alternate land/sea route from Manila to Leyte: down 600 kilometers through the Pan-Philippine highway to the small southern province of Sorsogon, taking a ferry to the island of Samar, and then 200+ kilometers of bad roads to Tacloban City. I was told that some private (non-government) donations are being transported by large trucks through this route. So many trucks are now idle in Matnog town down in Sorsogon, waiting for the lone ferry which can carry them across the very rough San Bernardino Straits to the town of Allen in Samar island. The sheer volume probably is over-whelming. Again I do not have the exact numbers, but my educated guess is that the low-volume Matnog ferry needs to transport in a few days what they would normally do over one or two months.

6. The government administrative organization in Tacloban is gone. Most local government employees are victims themselves. This adds to the problems of organizing relief efforts locally. Even if augmented with external staff, the local knowledge and the local relationships are hard to replace. In some other smaller towns (where the death toll and/or damage has not been as bad), local governments are still somehow functioning and coping. They are able to bury their dead, set up temporary makeshift shelters, organize and police themselves. Short term, they need food, water and medical supplies to arrive; medium term, they need assistance in clean-up, reconstruction and rebuilding. But Tacloban is in a really bad condition. What can you expect from a city that has lost practically everything?

I am told of the comparison with the Fukushima earthquake/tsunami, where relief supplies arrived promptly, efficiently, and in volume. I think there is one major backgrounder that CNN staff fail to mention: that Tacloban is not Fukushima, that it is not Atlanta. And the Philippines is not Japan, and certainly not the USA. Even before the typhoon, this region was one of the less developed in the country, with limited infrastructure. There was only a small airport, limited trucking capacity, a limited road system, and a small seaport servicing limited inter-island shipping. And with the damage from the typhoon, that limited infrastructure has been severely downgraded. It is easy to blame the typhoon. But the truth is: Tacloban is a small city in a third-world country. If you had to bring in that volume of cargo in that short window of time in pre-typhoon Tacloban, it would already have been a challenge. It is easy for a first-world person to take everything for granted. The reality (or sometimes, the advantage?) of growing up in a third-world country is that you do not assume anything, you take nothing for granted, you are grateful for what little you have (and you do not cry over what you do not have).

I understand and sympathize with the desperate needs of the victims. Every little bit counts. The smallest food or water package can make the difference between life and death. I think every Filipino knows that. And that is why I am very happy with the national display of compassion and civic duty. Everyone, even the poorest, even the prison inmates, is donating food and money. People are volunteering their time. All the local corporations are helping. In the Philippines, Christmas is the most important holiday, and the annual company Christmas Party is probably the most important company event for most employees. Yet in very many companies in Manila, employees have decided to forego their Christmas party, and instead divert the party budget to relief/aid.

From what I see on TV, the situation on the ground is not pretty. I do accept that efficiency needs to be improved, that service levels have to go up. I do acknowledge that our country's resources are limited, that our internal delivery capabilities may not be world-class. I do understand that there may be ineffective policies/processes and even wrong decisions made by government. But what I cannot understand is the negative tenor of CNN reporting. I suspect that CNN reporters are viewing this through the eyes of a first-world citizen, with an assumed framework of infrastructure and an expectation of certain service levels. I suspect these are expectations that we would have never met, even in the pre-typhoon days.

Or perhaps it is a question of attitude: a half-empty glass rather than a half-full glass. At my age, I have experienced and lived through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and at least twenty really bad typhoons (but admittedly, none as bad as Yolanda). From my experience, what we have now is not just a half-filled glass, I personally view it as probably at least 75% full (meaning, I think this is a big improvement over past efforts in past calamities). But please do not fault us for being a third-world country. Please do not explicitly or implicitly attribute everything to our incompetence, what might be due to other factors (such as those that result from limited resources or infrastructure, or those conditions that God or nature seems to have chosen for us). Our people are doing what they can, so let's give them a break. More so in these difficult times, when suffering is high, emotions are feverish, and tempers are frayed.

It breaks my heart to see my countrymen suffering so much. I will do my share, whatever I can do to help. I will bear insults and harsh words, if this is the price for my people to receive the aid we need. I make no excuses for my country's shortcomings, but I just wish that some positive slant (the many small tales of heroism, the hard work of our soldiers, the volunteerism and compassion of the typical citizen, etc) would also be mentioned equally. I just needed to let you know how this particular Filipino reacts to your reporting, and I suspect there are many, many other folks who feel the same way that I do.

For whatever the limitations, I still sincerely thank you for your coverage, and the benefits that it will bring my countrymen.

Source:
https://m.facebook.com/aireen.navarrokhauv/posts/10153544176195565

Comments

  1. I definitely see your point there for I my self is guilty of conniving with the devil who jumped right into the band wagon of haters of a slow moving government agencies involved. Slow is an understatement when hundred of thousands of lives are involved. The foreign media discloses unbiasedly the sense of urgency which is actually and virtually not present during their tenure on the ground zero based on their comparative viewpoint which I understand you are not fond of. Japan and Philippines. It did bashed our pride quite well but it also mobilized an abundant source of activity because of that. You described topography and geography as elemental in the progress of the operation so as the corruption, disorganization, lack of true leadership, etc. that people recognize more as the blunders. You are right by saying that the tenor of the foreign reporting is so negative by taking a perspective through the eye of a first world country. Learn a lot from your post. Indignation is a calamity itself. Your journal is better than most of those that was put up by some of these so called professionals.

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    1. You sound like an apologist for CNN. Maybe you are on their staff. Appropriate angry is never a calamity. To acquiesce to racist reporting and responses is a calamity.
      As typical these news entertainment blame the victims of White Supremacy. White Supremacy has kept certain brown and black nations in poverty by limiting trade. Then blame them for not having the infrastructure to respond to calamity or grow their economies. CNN did not question the slow response after Katrina destroyed New Orleans in 2005. This super typhoon has been reported to have been created with USA weather weapons. Just like Katrina was created.

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    2. wow. some words. doesn't make sense though.

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    3. hahahahaha... that one is lost in the threshold of understanding what is being said... I salute you SIR for that was what I have comment in Mr. COOPERS broadcasting...

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    4. Clearing a 250km single lane road to Tacloban from Allen Samar littered with fallen trees and electrical posts. Opening a devastated airport after a day and get it working exceeding its maximum capacity... All in less than a week...Impressive... Mr Cooper should have done his homework before getting involved on this...I guess he doesn't like math.also.

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  2. The question here is why should we be short of funds while we listen to the news that government officials are pocketing billions. Why is our condition like this, while in fact, we can be a country rich in resources. It all boils down to stealing from the people. Depriving us, the people of from the funds that are supposed to be for us. Yes, I agree that we are poor currently, but why? We actually could be better than Japan or other countries. Without doubt the Yolanda is the strongest hurricane that happened in history. And many perished and many are now suffering. But what happened before that? I see people on Tv that were still near that coastline, while Yolanda was hammering Tacloban. Shelters that are supposed to protect them that are located near the coastline. Where was our government before that? What happened

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    1. Have you forgotten about Zamboanga? how about Bohol? How about your name?

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    2. You cant bring what happened before Yolanda struck the country. What have you contributed so far in this tragedy? BLAMING GAME? Enough! Even a simple prayer for them will do instead of bashing, hatred speeches and blaming.

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    3. isn't it that the first thing aquino did after typhoon yolanda was to blame the LGU of tacloban? blame game, tell that to your inutile pcos elect president so that he may stop blaming other people and just work to get the job at hand done.

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    4. shoulda, coulda, woulda. forget about the side stories media wants to present and focus on what you should be doing now. donate, volunteer, or continue the call for support. I heard someone who donated felt angry that whatever he was giving would never reach the intended beneficiary because government is corrupt and would probably take all those relief goods for themselves. I understand where his anger is coming from since he admitted he saw it in the news. That the bureaucracy will delay the much needed relief and politicians will stand in the way of all of this. I rather we give hope to the victims than rather tell them that no help is coming to them. Yes the logistics is bad as it was even before the typhoon and it has been a herculean task even for those private organizations to get relief where it is needed. But we can't give up. We can't just sit, vent our anger and say that the relief operations will fail. Everyone who has been a victim of this disaster is counting on us.

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  3. Well said! CNN did not question the slow response after Katrina destroyed New Orleans in 2005. As typical these news stations blame the victims of White Supremacy. White Supremacy has kept certain brown and black nations in poverty by limiting trade. Then blame them for not having the infrastructure to respond to calamity or grow their economies.

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    1. you should stop yout hateful incredible lie about "secret weather weapons" which you said caused Katrina and Yolanda. you are sickminded.

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    2. CNN did not questioned he jus stated the facts of what s happening plain and simple...guilty cguro kaya nagrereact at nagrereason out pa..u cld write hundred pages of reason and explanations but cldnt cover up truth......na kitang kita naman ng karamihan...

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    3. cnubluray you are entitled to your own opinion, but you are NOT entitled to your own facts. Fact: Anderson Cooper came to national attention because he repeatedly hammered the Bush administration's slow response to Katrina. He even broke into tears at one point in a live report from Katrina over the Bush administration incompetence in the handling of Katrina. It was only after this that he landed an anchor job. I suspect your facts about US weather weapons causing Yolanda are equally baseless. Again, you are entitled to your own opinion, as hateful and ignorant as it may be, but you are not entitled to invent your own facts.

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  4. CNN was only reporting the prevailing circumstances at that time and wanted to draw the Philippine government's attention to the situation then on the ground since it was apparent that there was no coordinated effort and time and supplies were running short for the survivors. It was an objective report which should not be taken as an insult. Rather, we should be thankful to CNN for highlighting the urgency of bringing in suppliles and establishing control.

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    1. CNN was reporting to the White Supremacist they had done a heck of good job with there weather weapon. There is no nation on the earth that could respond any faster with what equipment the Philippines has. USA responded very slowly to Katrina and they had everything need to respond quickly. The majority of the people were poor and Black so why hurry. Now the White Man rush in an pretend to care. But they will not take their feet off the necks of people of color so they can take care of themselves without the White Man help.

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    2. Yes! I agree thanks to CNN.

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    3. Like what I commented last week after I saw the CNN reporter Anderson Cooper: He was there at the wrong time, when he expected too much to see more actions of rescue and operations. Volunteers from other places were just arriving and clearing the runways, and starting picking up dead bodies. He was there too soon, and he expected a battalions of workers.

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    4. too soon? Mr. Cooper went there 5 days after the typhoon. Time is the enemy for the victims. I'll understand the slowness of operation two or three days but five days come on! That's not acceptable. Completely disorganized, no chain of command and who suffered the most? The victims. These high officials were so busy doing propaganda and won't distribute the relief goods without their name printed on the plastic bags, banners.

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    5. anonymous you are 100% right! :-)

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    6. I am just wondering what the protocols of these media people are. I am one of the survivors of Yolanda, been in the airport for two days hoping to get a ride of the c130 that would transport us out of the place, we have no food, no water, etc. The mediamen out there does not even take compassion in offering to give even a single drop of water nor a piece of biscuits that could help us sustain our energy for that particular time. Good with the generosity of the soldiers, they would offer their own supply of water for us to hang on. Even, when I asked a certain foreign media if I could have my cp charged so that I could communicate with my family in manila, they just stared at me for a second and told me they have no electric power themselves. It just came across my mind that maybe how could they report so passionately and sympathetically in tv when in reality they don' t even look at the people besides part of their work. I hope I be enlightened with these.

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  5. Bravo!!!! Again we found out why we can not do things insteed of what we can do...

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  6. FYI: the philippines has only two C-130's. there was 4 but the 2 crashed.

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    1. We have 3, your information is outdated. read some more.

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    2. Why waste money on mickey mouse jet fighters then?

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    3. Why if there is conflict from Abusayaff ,MILF and the Goverment, bakit lumalabas yang mga jet fighter at mga helicopter ng governo.gumagastos ng billion billion na budget para bumbahan lang cla.at ngaun na marami ang namatay sa kalamidad relax lang sinasabi na wala tayung equipment.....

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    4. may kamag-anak cguro itong politician sa pinas, factual lang naman ang nireport ng cnn, bakit masyado kang defensive? totoo naman yung report ng CNN, NAPKABAGAL TALAGA NG PHIL GOVT!!!!

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    5. Kaya nga bakit kahirap bang maintindihan ung sinabi ni cooper na tayo mismong nakakakita eh totoo naman

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    6. tayo nga ang nakakakita pero ang tanong nakikita mo ba ang lahat IHO?

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    7. Hidi na kailangan makita pa ang lahat IHO. Inamin na ng President.

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    8. after how many days lumabas pa ang evidence na ang mga goods may mga yellow ribbon and names ng politicians. so mas priority pa nila to put their names first rather than distributing it asap to the victims ..

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  7. Yes sir...truth hurts!! but it pains me too that someone like in your stature cannot understand the negative tenor of CNN Reporting when you understood govt shortcomings?

    Forget the 1st and 3rd world labeling. Incompetence is incompetence!

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    1. then go help then if you think you are better

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    2. Help shouldn't be needed if we had not taken this act of nature seriously. Obviously our government failed.

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    3. Be specific on the Government.. I'm only seeing a few..it is the LGU of Tacloban and other severely affected areas that failed.
      failure to evacuate loosing so many lives.

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  8. Now we're back to the main issues of corruption and same people can be mentioned! If our President doesn't have control over this then who has? Sasabihin walang helicopters at walang enough vehicles and budgets tapos ang daming kinurakot?! Ano yun? Bakit ganun?

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    1. true true. Sa corruption pa rin ang hahantungan. Kahit anong article pa ikalat sa internet about sa Yolanda. Makikita pa rin yun pagkakurakot ng current administration. Kasi sasabihin rin mostly ng lahat.
      " Imbes na yun mga pera ng tax payers ginamit na lang sana ng maayos sa pag develop ng mga cities para mkapag prepare sa mga ganitong klase ng disaster event eh binulsa nmn ng mga politiko ang mga bilyong piso"

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    2. Then blame the current President for the corruption by his predecessors? Pnoy is just on his 3rd year of reforming the 9-year corruption of GMA, add mo pa dyan ang time ni Erap. Our country has just attained investment grade again. It took time to do that. Military air assets have not improved, thanks to military big shots such as Ligot, Garcia and other Generals during GMA's term. Napoles' scam has happened during GMA's time, and somehow continued afterwards because her PADRINOs Enrile, Revilla and Jinggoy are still in power.

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    3. korek ka jan!!!

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    4. opiniyon ko lang po ito...masyado ng makasalan ang mga tao sa Pilipinas kaya pinaparusahan niya.manalangin tau at humingi ng kapatawaran,ituwid niya tau sa tamang landas.alalahanin natin ang buong sambayanang Pilipinas ay mga Muslim noon..kaya mag balik Islam na tau.d pa huli ang lahat..Gumising tau sa katotohanan.

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  9. Thank you for writing that very insiteful letter sir. Foreign correspondents can sometimes sound insensitive and arrogant because they see things from a first world standpoint forgetting that conditions will vary from country to country. This carelessness may also stem from the fact that they stay here only for a few days then go back to their first world comforts and homes while it is the thousands of filipino government workers and relief workers who were there even days before the typhoon working day and night trying to mitigate the damages this unprecedented disaster brought, who will still be working for the coming months and even years to come.

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    1. Of course the government and the people should continue the work of recovering, helping and normalizing the situation. These foreign reporters did the great work of pointing at the situations as they are and calling on the international community to help. We are grateful to them for the enormous help or aids coming to us both from local and foreign. You sound like you haven't watched their news reports. Dogs bark because other dogs are barking but as to know the reason why other dogs are barking they have no idea.

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    2. You know what, our government was not prepared since it has a very disorganized system. The only organized thing they're good at is politics and corruption.

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  10. What's this? More excuses? We sure are good at making excuses & not long term planning & solutions. Tell you what. It will be the same thing all over again the next super typhoon comes because Filipinos never learn & are still stuck in a time warp. There's a good reason why the Jeepney on the roads & it's still called a Filipino ingenuity.

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    1. I read recently on Inquirer online about a Philippine grown computer company. Among the locally developed software programs were ClarusCIS (Clinic Information System) and ClarusPHR (Patient Health Record) by Rhema Software Solutions Inc.

      Read more: http://technology.inquirer.net/9711/coming-soon-more-software-thats-made-in-the-philippines#ixzz2ksfhcce8

      So that proves Jeepney is not the latest innovation.

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    2. more excuses...long term planning & solution kappa kaluslus ba nimo adto didto tabang...bossy kaghuna-huna makaposition kalang mao nadayoy masulti...mao ni mga hunahuna sa mga mgt. karon if we tell the truth excuses daw...gahalhal ka lang....

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  11. I understand the point of CNN and the point of the Gov't.

    The gov't wants to have a news that would uplift a positive thoughts to the victims that there's hope. Yes, there is and there always will. That they have prepared for the typhoon and not to the extent of the devastations. That there's no communications and transportations. The communications tower and cable are all damaged, there's no electricity and every thoroughfare was blocked with debris, posts and trees. That they have already planning for the relief operations, that they are looking for warehouse's in every province where to station a centralized drop-off points for relief goods. That there are already some, oopps FEW rescuers in the area. That there are no local gov't functioning in every devastated areas.

    BUT WHY DID IT TOOK THEM 4 DAYS TO DO SUCH THINGS.

    Why they always having a meeting about communications, electricity and transportations and NOT RESCUE EFFORTS?
    They have already planned the relief operation BUT NOT RESCUE EFFORTS.. IT is always a first thing to do to know if it is safe to go to a place where to conduct rescue efforts. And after a day we can say that it is safe to have a rescue effort. Gov't have several CHOPPERS that can LIFT RESCUERS to the area and drop them off there with some relief goods aside for them and for those who might survive on their rescue efforts..BUT IT TOOK THEM 4 DAYS.. you can send rescuers with satellite phone and a choppers to round the area to estimate damaged and what place need the most help...they did that after a day..BUT IT TOOK THEM 4 DAYS to do that..

    Every after calamities you must do
    - RESCUE EFFORT (evacuation of survivor to safety, temp medical assistant and rescue, dead recovery)
    - RELIEF EFFORTS (evacuation center relief distributions, feedings, medical assistant, hygiene, ground relief distributions to other places, clearing of thoroughfares, in-depth rescue operations, aid, dead naming and burial)
    - RECONSTRUCTION AND REHABILITATION ( clearing of debris in all places, relocation or house reconstruction)

    ETC.. Low in manpower?.. Feed the victims and ask those capable for help.. I know they will help as long as their families are safe and have foods.. If no one want to help or just a few, the gov't can ask them for a pay-per-work as the victims don't have any source of income for now..helping them rebuild and as well have a source of temporary income...

    Its a united effort.. And Gov't had been incompetent dealing such things..They have been into such dire situations before but still they were shocked and can't even moved nor decide properly..Where's the leadership on that..

    There are so many options and ways the gov't can do to have been in the area of all province that the typhoon hits after the typhoon passed BUT IT TOOK THEM 4 DAYS.. And now, all of the resources was centralized on Leyte and Samar.. We have Capiz, Iloilo, Palawan, Aklan, Antique, Mindoro, Roxas, Cebu, and other areas that might be severely affected but the local Gov't is functioning..

    Reporters always report what they see the whole day, the passed days based on fact and what they see and experienced..we can't blame them if that what they see..they feel.. when in fact it is the reality..that IT TOOK THE GOV'T 4 DAYS TO HAVE A CONCRETE ACTIONS..

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    1. Exactly! If they had only been humble enough that they can't handle it, people would have gladly volunteered! There were alot to be done, clearing, rescueing, burying the dead...if the foreign aid didn't get here, they would still be having more closed door meetings.

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    2. Agree. The government was very slow. Stop the excuses & just work hard to redeem your credibility that you are indeed a good leader.

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    3. I totally agree..there was no central command operating Rescue Operation and Medical Aid..unacceptable to take 4 days to get proper response..

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    4. why don't these people full of criticism go to any of those provinces affected by the typhoon volunteer instead if they think they can do better? CNN & the international media is just that: sensationalize what is the worst. Look/read the news. Shortcomings will always be there but finger pointing does not alleviate hardship. Those full of criticism go use your hands instead of your mouth. The Philippines has been battered with the impact of the typhoon and is being battered by the international media and criticisms.
      Look at USA: did they do well with Katrina?
      Filipinos stand up and be one with those who suffered. Media should report about those who are not yet helped and those who worked hard without thinking how good they are.
      And learn from this experience. Or would it be forgotten until the next time?

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    5. Some posters here can not even distinguish what is truth and what is not. Starting with the author of this article.
      Point 1: Reporters are the eyes and ears of the publication on the ground. The reporters of CNN especially Cooper, is a seasoned reporter, in regards to covering calamities. What he reported was what he saw on the ground while he was there.
      Point 2: How come Cooper and his crew were able to reach ground zero at such speed, but the national govt' crew was nowhere near? How did Cooper and crew came in that fast, when every govt. proclamations are saying ground zero was not accessible?
      Point 3: Why blame the local govt. of lack of preparation, and not the national govt. of where their calamity relief and rescue program is? Who do you think holds the purse ?
      Point 4: Why is it that relief goods are only being repacked after the calamity? There was even reports of the Indonesian individualy packed relief goods that came in, but was ordered to be repacked. Are we to suspect that the country is only reliant on foreign goods received to repacked?
      Point 5: Why was there an urgent need to sack the provincial commander, who stated a high calamity figure? Is this really necessary, to remove an officer who is more needed with his knowledge of the area, that he can help better, but instead getting sacked because his statements were not in tune with what the president wants to hear?
      And there are more points that could be said about how the relief and rescue operation for the Yolanda victims can be narrated.
      The author of this open later is probably a paid writer for the govt.
      It is very obvious that he is downplaying the incompetence of the national govt. and the politicians of this administration. By way of a soft rebuke for CNN, but giving out a little of rebuke to the govt.also, but putting in lines that only a govt. insider can detail. This guy did it so good he was able to portray to the details even the numbers of trucks and routes from Manila to Sorsogon, Samar and to Leyte. He was even very sure of his facts about the lone RoRo that plies the Sorsogon to Samar, and San Juanico bridge to Leyte.
      How could such a retired executive be so detailed in his description of things, if he was not even in the ground? And, if he is really a patriotic person, bereft of bias to any party, then why did he choose to be anonymous?
      The Pilipino people are known to be onion skinned. Majority can not accept criticisms, even the most constructive one. For all to appreciate what a constructive criticism is; it is a statement that details some negative events happening or that happened, that is being brought to the attention of an individual or to a greater extent, the country. These statements are made to get attention for such negative events. In order that people in position can address the situation. Who would report a situation, the guy on the ground, or the guy who is hundred of miles away from the ground?
      Ulterior motive is definitely playing a big interest on the part of national govt. because of the exposee the people learned from those that were immediately on the ground, beating the govt. rescue units.
      So, instead of some posters here negatively responding to what CNN has reported, why don't you ask yourself, if you, and if not you, and your family was there at ground zero, what would you feel? Will you not be taking every news account that comes out just so you can be appraised of the exact happenings, and console yourself and pray that, hopefully your family had been spared?
      But in this world now, peoples opinions are more geared towards what their party affiliations are. And if the press release is not favorable to their party, instead of nudging their party to make corrections, they will take the easy route, which is to blame the other party.
      Remember the saying: "You can NEVER correct a mistake with another mistake"

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    6. Our GOBYERNO DID NOT take the situation seriously, they are caught off guard and they failed miserably. There should be no excuse.

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    7. Guys there was another storm that came a few days after yolanda named zenaida. WE HAVE 2 ongoing insurgencies, we still have people doing relief operations in Bohol damaged by the earthquake, and most of all Yolanda damaged the whole visayas and not Tacloban alone. You want the government to drop everything and rush to tacloban. Try telling that to the people of Cebu, Roxas, Palawan, Mindoro, Iloilo, Capiz, etc.

      Delete
    8. benigno..why don't you blame the philippine politicians sila yong dahilan kung bakit mga filipino ay naghihirap..why blame people like CNN trying to help filipino people especially the victims by reporting/stating the factual reports..why so defensive..siguro may kamag-anak ka na puliko na TRAPO!!!

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    9. Sa dami naman ng reporter sa Tacloban baking parang si Mr Cooper lang ang me dating. Dahil ba sa PUTI sya?

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  12. As a tax payer i wanted to see my money put into good use and obviously this wasn't the case. We get 20 tropical storms similar to this still we were not prepared. I’m very frustrated with the government. I’m pretty sure next time we get hit by natural calamities (god forbid) same stories over and over. Yes we are a third world country but it’s not an excuse. I deserve better. It goes back to corrupt politicians who put my hard earned peso in their pocket. I hate stupid people. I hate people who voted for them, i wish them death. I hate religious groups who mass votes for these shitheads. I hope God grant Miriam Santiago a long and healthy life so she can break the cycle of corruption. Yolanda is a wakeup call. Next election please think of long term investment instead of short term gratification. Thanks CNN for showing the world how ugly our system is because it really is.

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  13. Reporters only report. They are not the movers. If you guys can do better then bring it on! Come over to ground zero bec there is a lack of manpower. Everybody seems to be an expert. The loudest mouths are the ones who think giving money is enough to pay for the right to make a commentary. If the foreign agencies defended the govt efforts who gives all of you the right to criticize? Put in the work if you want to really help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are the voice of the dead that the government have deprive of help.

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    2. Deprived of Help? ..... The government want to help but we have limited resources... because you'r not helping.

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  14. I am a Filipino myself and I believe the CNN reporting was fair and just. What they reported was the reality of the situation. We should not continously justify our incompetence but learn from it. This is in fact a long overdue statement known to all our kababayans, finally witnessed by a legit outsider. Hard to admit but it is true.. lahat mabagal sa gobyerno ng Pilipinas! With the back to back calamities happening, from earthquake in negros oriental last year and earthquake in Bohol last month, the national government should have already addressed the chaos that calamities bring. The typhoon Yolanda was forwarned. The national government knew what was coming. Why pack reliefs during the aftermath? Why didn't they have contingency plans? That is what leaders are for.., that is what officials are paid for. We should not continue to believe that being a third world country should justify our shortcomings. The lives of the typhoon victims depends on the help given to them now, not later. This the time for our country to reflect and to learn...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes... cnn is fair enough on its reporting.... not edited and no pressure from any government....
      I was there 2days ago ..
      There was this usap-usapan arround media people that national disater control management are trying to cut down the actual number of people died in typhoon yolanda...it might be true because they sacked the regional police commander for stating a bland estimate of posible dead...snd now were nearing that figure... to the author of this open letter.. you still
      Believed in all the craps and lies thats coming from aquino and roxas... and if you still do...then you are pathethic


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    2. Correct ka diannn...

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    3. cnn has nothing to edit becaus they are only showing one side of the situation. There were usap usapan but not in Tacloban...While this CNN reporters are busy in Tacloban roads are being cleared from the north of samar to tacloban and from south to tacloban so relief from mindanao can come in... LGUs working with the Government on most areas but not in Tacloban. But where are the reporters while clearing is ongoing..they are concentrated in Tacloban. and this explains it. Clearing thousand of kilometers in region 8 after the devastation is a daunting task... I give credit to whats left with the LGUs in Region 8 and the Government.

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  15. You lengthily spoke on our incapacity to deal with the tragedy. But the bottom line here: Corruption and incompetence of the government. I am thankful that Yolanda hit us. Yolanda mysteriously uncover the massive corruption and incompetence of this government. Now the truth is out there for all to know. What shall the people of Philippines do
    in face of this sad tragedy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. excuse me sir::are you happy that thousand of lives were lost

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    2. No one is happy that so many live were lost...pero sa kasabihang pilipino kung hindi hahagupitin hindi magtatanda...in the first place wala tayo sa ganitong situasyon kung ginawa ng gubierno ang kanilang trabaho ... hindi sana tayo magbabangayan ng ganito sa website...walang nagutos at namilit sa mga hayup na mga puliko na mag run ng public office they choose run & serve the public so dapat lang pagbutihin nila and no complaint...but why they did not bother to asked theirself...what if? What will happen if ...what shall we do in case...in other words no contigency fund...so here we go again....it is coruption all over again

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    3. Pnoy is not corrupt and for now he is our only chance...

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    4. "I am thankful that typhoon yolanda hit us?" you have the right to free speech but please be a little more sensitive with your comments. maybe you wont even try uttering those words if your family was on the area.

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    5. He should've been more sensitive but it indeed highlighted our governments shortcomings. This event will serve as a painful lesson to all of us Filipino.

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    6. more sensitive? we have shortcomings for decades and we cant hide it. We will seek help if we need it and not pretend we can on our own or else more people will die.

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  16. If Filipinos only had libraries that had history books, articles and documentaries about their own History, they would be angered at the manipulation of the USA on their governmental leaders.

    Executive Order No. 1 authorized and signed by Manuel Quezon, to transfer $500,000.00 (dollars USD) to General MacArthurs personal account in the US before they left to go to Corregidor to await orders from the US government. At this time MacArthur was already activated as a USArmy General. Quezon also authorized $60,000 for General Eisenhower but as a General of the USArmy, Eisenhower graciously refused the honorarium because his duty and honor could not accept money from foreign governments. MacArthur accepted his bribe (instead of honorarium) and quoted "I shall return" from the Laorca Dock on Corregidor on his way to Australia. General Douglas MacArthur was called by his men "dugout Doug" as he remained inside Mylanta Tunnels on Corregidor and never once did he come out to inspect the defenses on Corregidor during the bombardment.

    Most of the Philippine elite, with a few notable exceptions, served under the Japanese.[14] The Japanese-sponsored republic was headed by President José P. Laurel.[15] Philippine collaboration in Japanese-sponsored political institutions began under Jorge B. Vargas, who was originally appointed by Quezon as the mayor of Greater Manila before Quezon departed Manila.[16] The only political party allowed during the occupation was the Japanese-organized KALIBAPI.[17] (Wikipedia. President of the Philippines under Japanese occupation). These same "elites' were reinstalled by MacArthur as the leaders of the Philippines after WWII as they were his friends who treated him like a king and lived in a penthouse suite in the Manila Hotel.

    So from corruption, the leaders of the Philippines were installed, by a corrupt General of the USA. The elites were a "who's who" of Philippine society and oligarchy. You can read yourself who these people were. Benigno Aquino Sr. was the leader of the Kalibapi Party who was brought back from Sugamo Prison in Japan who were brought there to form the Philippine government in exile along with Laurel.

    I would urge anyone to search the internet, read books, read about Philippine History and find out why the Philippines is the way it is governed by Family Plutarchs and Oligarchs. Don't believe me, but just read about our History.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Isa na naming "historian" ito na lumitaw para makapanira sa mga taong nagtrabaho para sa bansa kahit sila ay walang tunay na kapangyarihan, pero, ang kapwa Pilipino ay nagkaroon pa rin ng mga lider na matatawag. These people did what they could have done best in the situation they were in. Politicaly they were labeled as pro-occupiers. Them accepting such position from a conqueror is better than not having at all a representative of the people to dialogue with the conqueror. Why dig up the history of the effect of WW11, when you could just have dg out the immediate precedence of why this Yolanda relief is such a mess?

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  17. At least they do not cover up. While what you say is true, I also acknowledge the fact that in the official reports made by the government and some obviously-state-run media, almost three quarters of them are lies. And it is because of this that they are forced to show some kind of attitude toward their reporting.

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  18. TO ALL ,....PLEASE READ THIS LETTER SENT BY A FILIPINO............

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  19. The White Supremacist are behind the problems. Using Hegelian Logic to bring a crises of confidence in the government. The WS created the problems of an inefficient Phil. government. Now they create a series of crises with their weather weapons that shows the inefficiency of the government. The people want a solution and a dictator steps in and provide it. Most likely a communist dictator. Even now people are saying out loud they want the USA to stay. Maybe a split country like Korea. A South Phil where the WS can exploit the mineral wealth. You live in a very poor country. You do not have the infrastructure to meet such a calamity as Yolanda. And less able after fighting Communists,major earthquake and 7 typhoons. Even if all the tax dollars were used correctly it would have not been enough. At the same time the citizens must demand greater accountability from politicians. Beware of Communists offering solutions. A Republic is better than a Communist Bloc nation State.

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  20. Wow! How you sit up and talk a good game. What want know is. How is the people of that country doing? The sick. The old. The children....does anyone here know?

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  21. I got your point....the bottomline is that even so that we are in a third world country, we can see that there should have been enough money for pre,during,and post calamity situations. The greediest biggest robbery syndicate should be blamed...the congressmen and senators and their leader( Aquino, for allowing unimaginable corruption to flourish)....people are dead and dying, or in very inhuman condition coz of lack of funds(pocketed by politicians), wch resulted to everything that we do not want and despicable in terms of immediate assistance that should come from the government....and worse ,calling by no less than the incompetent President.. the situation is under control....let the affected, suffering and dying victims read your story, what do you think will they say? This will be remembered...as the worst calamity under the worst incompetent leaders in modern Philippine history....but our leaders (sic), can still rely on short memories of Filipinos...but not me....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you seems perfect to say this. run as president and show us ur worth

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    2. Yes corruption is rampant and we only get to know what happened and how our congressmen and senators looted their pork barrel during this time of Pres. Aquino. Most of the large anomalies of government funds happened before his term so how can you say that Aquino allowed corruption to flourish?

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  22. Hey,mr. Author!I just want to add some few routes,possible, to pass towards Tacloban and other areas,under ruins. We have passable roads, going through Southetn Leyte,either,from Surigao,in Mindanao,or thru Ormoc,from Cebu. I may be inaccurate, but, i mentioned this,‘coz, you wrote about the bottle neck in Matnog Sorsogon,due to scarcity of ferries.There are available ferries,from Danao City going to Isabel,Leyte,and from Cebu City,going to Ormoc.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Fyi the roads from mahaplag down to tacloban 60 kilometers was unpassable. In the case of taxloban. The debris on the streets was enourmous. Corner to coener were full of debris. How can you clean that up in 3 days even with the right equipment? And this was only in downtwon.what about the arteries to the city? Man so easy to assume but if you were there you will not be able to say this. There are now 3 ways of getting to taxloban what you mentioned and what I mentioned and a new one via sta fe but all of these roads were littered with debris. Isabel and ormoc were badly hit as well. Travel from sogod on a usual day would be 7 hours now imagine the last 4 hours of road full if debris..

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  23. The president has always made the excuse of blaming the local government who are in fact victims of the typhoon themselves. The President and the DILG Secretary kept on insisting that everything is under control when the world sees it really isn't. I believe in what these reporters are saying and in fact appreciate that they have recognize the resilience of the Filipino people in times of trials like these.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah he is rght to blame that stupid mayor. Do you know that this aMayor went to stay in his house which is by the shore and he had to punch tye ceilings to his house just to survi e? If he had hjs brains between his ears he shoUld have been in a secure place manning a command post. Directing everybkdy and should have understood the warnings from the nationql government. Obviously he did not understand the gravity of the situation, that said Noynoys arrogance maxe things worse walking out of a meeting when he got conflicting reports on the ground such childlish display.

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    2. he doesn't understand STORM SURGE or he doesn't know how high is 5 to 6 meter. He prefers operating the backhoe rather than organizing his LGU. Besides he is busy showing CNN and telling them how his family survived. He should be busy with other important things URGENTLY! ... this is the reason why he is blamed...POOR..

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    3. But of course, the local government is primary to blame for they are the front line to handle the preparations on the ground. What did they do? People are doing a business as usual attitude despite the unprecedented Signal No. 4 warning. Proof of that is there was no command center set up by the local government with the mayor himself caught in the middle of the typhoon in his own home instead of being the in the command center coordinating preemptive efforts. Other cities in Northern Mindanao who are far from the forecast path of the typhoon already did set up command centers, daily meetings as early as Monday of the CDRRMC to apprise of the situation, suspended classes and work in all levels as early as Thursday. People from vulnerable areas are evacuated Thursday evening and the local executives already slept and spent their evening waiting for Yolanda in their command centers and not out their inspecting their own beach resort as what the Tacloban mayor did. That is what local governments are suppose to be doing.

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  24. I find this letter biased for the government. CNN exposed what kind of leadership our country is in.. Seems like you sir are well connected to these Oligarchs to the point that you have to defend them. We are in the third world country because our government took us there. Had we been a well run country, we probably would have had the same advanced infrastructures as our neighboring countries. You also failed to mention our country is full of corrupted officials. You may be sitting comfortably in your home while the victims of Yolanda are dying each day waiting for their meal because the government is too busy labeling their relief goods before they give them away. I admire the international community for their efforts, at least they acted quick while our officials did nothing but "pa pogi".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Who do you think called for help? Who do you think apptived their entry into our airspace? Give credit to where credit is due.

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  25. Very well said OPEN LETTER!!! I am not a good writer or an expert journalist like the wrter of this open letter. But, I do understand a person who has not eaten for 4 days, someone who lost his family and home or someone who is in pain emotinally and physically. They all need HELP the quickest time possible.

    The government has the financial capability, I'm sure of that. If I am the president, I would immediately mobilized my people to provide help to my countrymen in shortest time possible....this is the time I will show to my people that they have a president who can response to their needs....think fast and act quick to save lives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why dont u run as president next election?

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    2. Im from Leyte... It is easy to say to act fast and act quick.. Hindi mo ba laam kung gaano kaliit ang airport ng Tacloban. Hindi mo rin siguro alam na ang daan mula Allen Samar hanggang Tacloban ay hindi gaya NLEX or SLEX. Tama sila do your math...

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    3. you're right and you got a very strong point mr anonymous! :-)

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    4. mga bobo need ba ng airport ang mga helicopter??? mag isip namn kayo. sira ang airport di gumamit ng helicopter na di kailangan ng airport?? gets???

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  26. I absolutely agree with CNN reporter but he can't compare the fried chicken and a dried fish

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Even after the devastation they can't compare Tacloban airport and NAIA. They can't compare Allen Samar to Tacloban Road and NLEX/SLEX

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    2. mga bobo need ba ng airport ang mga helicopter??? mag isip namn kayo. sira ang airport di gumamit ng helicopter na di kailangan ng airport?? gets???

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    3. hindi ba 20 helicopters naka standby?? daw?? anyare walang pilots?? san ang airforce?? sabihin nyo na shock pati si pres!!! pati yung bobo na mga bumobulong sa kanya!!!

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  27. "I would rather have a Philippines run like hell by Filipinos than a Philippines run like heaven by the Americans" -- Manuel L. Quezon. Now we are like in hell, blame that to MLQ

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  28. We understand that this is a nightmare of every kind: logistical, topographical, humanitarian. It is not east to even TRY to organize something of this proportion. BUT... what we were looking for was a HUMBLE, SINCERE leader who will be on the GROUND firsthand, as our COMMANDER IN CHIEF, to appease the people and try to restore order. And that goes to the rest of our TRAPO leaders in office, using this opportunity to promote themselves unashamedly on relief good bags. On that CNN interview, I was hoping for our President to acknowledge our country's lack of means to handle this gargantuan disaster, and openly request for HELP from the world. But what did he do? BLAME. POINT FINGERS. Where was his sympathy for the LGU's who probably lost their lives, homes and families? YAN ANG MGA BINOTO NATIN. I admit, I am one of those. I and will try my best not to do that mistake again. Maybe God is breaking us, emptying us, to fill us again with something better. The Filipinos deserve better. God Bless our countrymen who acted to help right away, not waiting on our government. Thank you to all the international help, the churches, the NGO's. I still have hope in humanity. And most of all, Pinagmamalaki kong Pilipino ako. Babangon muli ang Pilipinas. PRAY, and let's do whatever we can to help.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Were the military mobilized in full strength to help in the operations (search, rescue, retrieval, etc)? Why were they not visible?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Full strength???

      Di kaya magkagulo naman sa ibang parte ng Pilipinas? Tuwa lang ng mga rebelde.

      Delete
  30. Dapat pasakop na tayo ulit sa America...bat kasi ayaw natin sa kanila?? Tingnan mo tuloy ang nangyayari ngayon ..kapwa Pilipino ginugulangan ang kapwa Pilipino...di ko lang maintindihan kung bakit ayaw ng ibang Pinoy sa America..kung totousin ang dami na nilang naitulong sa atin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pwede namang mag migrate sa America.
      Kung tatanggapin ka nila.

      Delete
  31. Thank you , sir. You articulated my thoughts perfectly. Saying we are a third world country is not making excuses for our actions. Instead, we are telling the world not to judge us from a first world perspective. Let's have more uplifting stories. the positive stories from cnn came only after the plea of the president for more balanced and uplifting news. Let us not criticize our own government. Now is not the time. let us all unite and help in whatever way we can.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you Sir, some people criticized so much their own government instead of uplifting them where in fact they, themselves done nothing for the government,,,

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  32. Bakit ayaw ng mga Pilipino sakupin tayo ng America? Wala naman nagsasabi nyan... Mga politiko ang ayaw kasi pag nangyari yan wala na silang pagkakakitaan. Hindi na nila magagawa ang pang gugulang nila sa mga kapwa natin Pilipino. Ibig sabihin nun, ayaw ng mga mayayamang pamilya matangal ang kita nila.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sasakupin ng Pilipino ang America. Marami na sa atin ang nandoon.

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  33. Thank you for the insights in that letter sir. your points are certainly very valid. And you have expressed what many Filipinos feel. Foreign correspondents should take a moment to see the context of the situation before blabbering.

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  34. Lots had been said of both parties. Why not leave these bagages behind and start actions as expected. Lets work together for the common good! Amen to everybody who wants to share to our brothers and sisters in the Visayas.

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  35. I stand with the UN representatives and representatives of many foreign aid organizations experienced in this kind of disaster w;ork who have praised the government's efforts against all the odds that this disaster has wrought they know what it takes having worke!':d on so man:y disasters. The foreign correspondents ? They're just blabbermouths


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you. we should give credits to our government rather than spreading hate and criticizing every effort that they are doing. positive attitude should flourish at times like this and we should unite to help Yolanda victims..

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  36. I love the Philippines was born in this country but sorry to say the reason why we always end up like when it comes this . We always have typhoon we should be be ready at all times like the food & medical supply. Our Gov. have money but politicians are corrupt they get rich. I thank CNN because of their news people around world see the real truth, & we got help . God Bless U.S.A & the Philippines. Glad to be living here in the U.S love the Philippines but dont like the Gov.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You echoed all my sentiments to a T. Thank you for putting them into words.

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    2. very true..i love the country (philippines) and the people but not the government..glad im living here in the US.

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  37. Probably this guy must be one of their puppets. You will never know how people in Tacloban feels without an immediate help. Just imagine to put yourself as one of them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. at least you know the word Probably.... You should have mentioned Bosuanga, kalibo Roxas Ilo-ilo, Cebu and hundreds more small island. Put yourself on the government side as they think about the 2M hungry people and how to get to them? Now..you are not in the government and you are not the victim as well so..what can you do? Can You Help? or did you do your part as a filipino in this past 9 days or you have acted SLOW?

      Delete
    2. how about us who were affected by this typhoon? did we complain? no we don't because we know the government is doing their best. We in Panay islands are victims too but we help each other. Are we puppets then? If you are really concerned why don't you go there and volunteer instead of blabbing..

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  38. the foreign reporters pointed out what they saw. the author has his point too. i feel for the victims as well as the government. but let's not blame the government and give them a break. besides, it is us Filipinos who voted for them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes people voted the government officials thinking they will help/guide the people to see the light at the end of the tunnel..but they're the one making the lives of the filipino people miserable..mga corrupt!

      Delete
  39. A paid PR write up from Malacanang. Style mo bulok.

    ReplyDelete
  40. still I salute Anderson cooper...walang tinatago lahat pinakita nia..talaga nmang mabagal kumilos ang ating govt people...pero tignan nio kapag time ng election ang mga kandidato nakakarating sa kasulok sulukan ng pilipinas kahit na ito ay remote area...but now where are they...at harinawa un napakalaking tulong ng ibang bansa ay makarating lahat sa mga nasalanta ng bagyong Yolanda...iyon ay para sa kanila...hindi sa bulsa ng mga ganid ng politico.GOD bless all the people hit by typhoon and thank you very much CNN esp. Mr Cooper.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dapat ikaw nalang nainterview ni Anderson Copper.. parang alam mo lahat...malayo mararating niyong dalawa. Ang mga kagaya mo ang nagpapahirap sa bansa natin.

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    2. Bakit yong mga local reporters natin hindi nyo magawang pasalamatan? kung tutuusin nandon sila nong onset ng typhoon and they were helping people..bakit si Anderson Cooper na pumunta lang doon to have a scoop para sya ang ginagawa nyong hero? kaya tayong mga pinoy hindi umaasanso kasi we're pulling each other down...ganyan ang ugali natin..I live abroad and my family was also a survivor of this calamity but I can't understand you people trying to make Anderson Cooper a hero? I am not against him pero yong pananalita nya about the government hurts me as a Filipino.kaya kung maliitin nila tayo ganon na lang kasi masyado tayong bilib sa kanila. Mas dapat nyo pasalamatan si Atom Araullo, Ted Failon at si Steve Dailisan na andon during the onslaugth of Yolanda.

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  41. It goes way, way back. Blame it on the people who voted for corrupt and efficient politicians! Those money stolen could have been used to buy more C-130s, build more roads and infrastructures, improve technology and a lot more to benefit the people and better prepare Philippines to handle natural disaster of this magnitude.

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  42. dami nyo pang sat sat at hindi namin naintindihan mga sinasabi nyo isang bagay lng naman ang kinomplain ng CNN nandun na sila bakit gobyerno natin wala pa.. simple as that....kong ano ano pang scientific explaination para mag pa imress at nag ladlad pa ng resumee yabang talaga .. ayaw pa kasi aminin na nag nag fail nga ang government natin eh..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. korrrreeekkkkkk!

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    2. kapag talaga mababaw ang pagiisip mo..hindi mo maintindihan... ang sabi nya pa gamitin mo ang math...hindi karin yata nagkwenta to prove it. kaya nag fail ang government natin dahil sa mga tamad na kagaya nyo..puro daldal puro puna walang action. tumulong ka nalang sa Gobyerno mo aasenso pa tayo. nakakita kalang ng puti sinanto mo na.

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    3. Ano pa nga ba kala kasi nila porket puti magagaling at tama lahat ang sinasabi. Half of my life sa abroad ako at kasama ko mga yan sa trabaho pero puro lang sila daldal kagaya mo at kulang din sila sa gawa..kaya kung ako sa yo tumulong ka sa gobyerno natin ikaw at ang mga kagaya mo pa ang nagpapahirap sa atin.

      Delete
  43. The point is these types of events (Zamboanga, Bohol, Tacloban, etc) have been happening and been warned years ago and yet no efficient preparation was done. It's not as if these disasters just happened this year. The government's and the communities' reactive plans for disaster are clearly not working. It's high time to focus on being proactive. And, we should not use the 'we are a poor country' and 'we are not from the first world countries' reasoning. Philippines is rich! It just that our money is being corrupted. We should have been living in sturdy infrastructures. We should have been using bigger roads. We should have been using efficient transportation. We should have been prepared. So yes, I still blame the government after reading this article. The government does petty things and just uses the media (TV, posters, tarpaulins, etc) to show people that they are doing something. 'They' are not hitting the right target.

    ReplyDelete
  44. hahahhaa.....who ever wrote this open letter...I never ever agree with you.....I do not care who you are....or whatsoever....I do care about people...I am sure you did this just to get your attention...How much money do you need for.... just to get the attention that someone like you writing this long open letter....ARE you Saying the CNN reporter Anderson Copper is not doing a good job...come on...he just telling the truth.....why don't you write a long open letter to our President instead....and dami mo sinabi ....punta ka kaya sa Mindanao para pag pistahan ka doon.....ikaw ang pinaka arugante sa balat nang lupa......

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    1. Anderson cooper is telling the truth? is different from telling the complete and accurate story. Why would I believe him... he did not visit the hundreds more island affected and millions more hungry victims. HE SPEAKS AS IF HE UNDERSTANDS THE WHOLE SITUATION.

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    2. What seriously? sigurado ka na nagsasabi ng totoo si Anderson Cooper? eh hanggang sa may tacloban airport lang sya. the same time na nagrereport sya napanood ko sa local news at nakita ko na andon si Mar Roxas with Dinky Soliman and the rest....bakit hindi nya hinanap ang mga taga government na nandoon kung talagang good intentions ang reporting nya? paano ako maniniwala kay Cooper na yan eh hindi nga sya umikot sa buong tacloban city?

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    3. anderson cooper even interviewed mar roxas at nakakhiya yong mga sagot ni mars roxas..paulit ulit sinasabi nya there's no such big and fast relief in times like this..very clear walang emergency plans and mga pulitiko ng pinas..busy sa pangurakot! so sad! :-(

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  45. sad to say, magiging ganito ang kalagayan ng pilipinas for many more generations hanggang hindi nababago ang prinsipyo ng nga philippine politicians. ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.....

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    1. That was said back in the 1960's my then US President John F. Kennedy.

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  46. WHATS WRONG WITH COPPER BROADCASTING THE TRUTH. ME TOO, I'M A FILIPINO BY BIRTH AND BLOOD BUT ITS HIGH TIME THAT WE OPEN OUR EYES OF WHATS HAPPENING IN AND AROUND OUR COUNTRY. YES ITS TRUE THAT WE DONT HAVE THE EQUIPMENTS AND CAPABILITIES TO RESPONSE IN THIS KIND OF CALAMITY BUT WHO'S TO BLAME ABOUT THIS MATTER, JUAN DELA CRUZ? THE ONLY MISTAKE JUAN DELA CRUZ MADE WAS, HE VOTED FOR THIS CORRUPT POLITICIANS.

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    1. JUAN DELA CRUZ FAILED TO PAY HIS TAX
      JUAN DELA CRUZ COMMITTED ILLEGAL IMPORT ACTIVITIES
      AT MARAMI PANG IBA..........................................
      JUAN DELA CRUZ FAILED TO SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT.
      NOW IS THE TIME TO COOPERATE WITH THE GOVERNMENT. NOT ALL OF THEM ARE CORRUPT LIKE THE PRESIDENT... WE SHOULD SUPPORT HIM.

      Delete
  47. PEBA, Inc. (Pinoy Expats/OFW Blog Awards)
    Like This Page · November 16 · Edited

    Mula kay Cherry Mae na nagvolunteer sa Mactan Air Base sa Sangi.

    "Ang mga pinadala na na relief goods galing Indonesia na packed in a pouch and ready to distribute na ay pinabuksan at pinag-iba-iba ang laman ng aming pagvolunteer. Hindi ko naintindihan kung bakit hindi na lang idiritso ng bigay dahil naka-pack naman.At kami halos lahat na nagvolunteer doon ay hindi naintindihan na parang walang sense of urgency na ang ready na sana, gawan pa ng paraan para bumagal.

    At nung amin ng napag-iba-iba ang laman, ang iba papabuksan ulit dahil hindi daw ilagay sa sako na may “DSWD” ilagay at dun sa may “NFA”. Ikalawang kabagalan.

    Ang sakit sa aking dibdib samantalang pinagkukuha ko ang mga pouch at pinagbubuksan ulit. Kung sa pagtanggap ng mga donasyon na iyun, idiritso ng ibigay sa mga biktima ng Yolanda, hindi sila magugutom at maghintay na mamatay. Sumama ang aking loob na ang ibang bansa nag-isip na mapabilis ang pagtulong ang ating gobyerno wala lang sa kanilang isipan.

    Bakit sige pa ng repack at pamumukas sa mga nakapack at niready na kaagad (in times of emergency) ng ibang bansa?

    Nagsiuwian kami at hininto ang pagserbisyo (bilang volunteer). Samantalang pinagbubuksan ko ang laman ng mga pouch, naaawa ako sa mga taong hindi kaagad naabutan ng tulong. Nahiya ako sa mga bansang nag-effort na mapabilis ang pagpadala ng donasyon samantalang ang ating gobyerno pinag-hohold lang ang donasyon dahil hndi pa narepack, hindi pa nabibilang.

    I am frustrated. I am angry. I feel hopeless.

    Lesson Learned, hindi na ako magvolunteer sa gobyerno. Mas mabuti pa sa Private sectors na lang."

    - (Original entry was in Cebuano, we tried to translate it in Tagalog. See link https://www.facebook.com/cherreymae/posts/10151951781274694 (taddu) — with naiomie tabua.

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    1. O ayan .....m author kung d mo pa Alam ang isang pinagagawa kung bakit bumabagal ....sana ikaw ang nandoon sa may calamity at after not eating nor drinking water for five days and more ganyan pa rin isusulat mo

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    2. maganda ang suggestion ni m author... do your math..hindi dapat yun gaya gaya ka lang sa sabi ng iba. pinakitaan ka lang ng pictures at video akala mo naman nakarating ka na rin doon. FYI taga Leyte ako kaya naiintindihan ko ang ibig sabihin ni m author. The government is doing it's best. Dinagdagan na nga ni Mr ang kwento dadagdagan mo pa.

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    3. Who s gaya gaya ...dinadagdagan..do ur points too ...kwento...for ur nfo its not only a kuwento...u made me laugh...pinakitaan ...why dnt u listen to the people being there...or nagbibingihan ka rin ....AANHIN PA BA ANG DAMO KUNG PATAY NA ANG KABAYO....

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    4. Hahaha do ur math too ....five days?????? Shldnt b something in there sure u do understand somebody who lost family members..houses ...havent eaten nor drink because of trauma...and u asks them to do their math ...man I think u r lost n here....

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  48. Incompetence in response and lack pre-emptive measures are all issue that the government should be blamed for not CNN for stating the facts that local media are scared to mention.

    The President pinning blame at the failure of the local government’s response, this he should have anticipated; that if local people (working for the government) and infrastructure are affected in such way by a storm, that they are unable to respond. Him criticising those affected by the storm including the local police chief and citizens for sharing information with him – just shows that this President does not really care about the people but only about his perception.

    This trend was started with his first official act as President, by issuing executive order #1 on the truth commission – of which was know in advance that this order was unconstitutional (which was much later confirmed by the supreme court). When people say that this man has been the best president in a long time, all I can say that he has been best in fooling his citizens into believing that he is good.

    Tightening of the anti-slander laws just prior to the elections to span all forms of electronic communications is great example of what this President is about. Exactly to stop posts like these that might expose his dirty tricks.

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    1. Totoo naman imcompetent ang mayor ng Tacloban... hindi alam ang ibig sabihin ng Storm Surge... can you imagine this? eh mas magalng pa sakin mag english yun. This is the reason why the LGU should be serious on the tasks assigned to them...they asked for it... total disregard pagkatapos i blame sa President... and YES THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDED... and HE IS GOOD... I prefer to be fooled by a NON CORRUPT like him as it gives US HOPE for a better future.

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    2. Regardless if the Mayor of Tacloban is good or bad (I don’t know) it should have been in anticipated that a storm of this magnitude could have disabled the entire LGU, incapacitating them competently. There should have been a national contingency plan in place that could have been implemented immediately (or even better on standby) with strong leadership from the president (instead of playing the disaster down and blaming others for the failures). If he was really “good” he would have shown compassion to the local people, including those of the LGU because they suffered equally and didn’t impose unrealistic expectations (regardless if this is what they “asked” for it).
      If he was good than I would have hoped to have seen a lot less collusion, nepotism, favouritism, self-interests in policy, and political score settling.
      Instead he could have focused on getting rid of the Abu Saif, MILF, MNLF, NPA, political dynasties, vote buying, and a whole raft of other things – to which I have yet to see a single change. To allow the economy of the Philippines to flourish without treat of rebellion, restrictions and red tape, and ultimately to benefit all the people .

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  49. ANOTHER A... HOLE from Mar Roxas PR FIRM! pls guys , stop defending our GOVT, iregardless kung ilang C130 ,meron tayo , kung hindi tangap ng author na ito ang CNN report manahimik na lng!

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    1. YOU ARE THE A.... HOLE , if you cant help don't criticize. You'r like the CNN reporter. The difference is..they are paid and you'r not.

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  50. To the author... For the points you have said it only tells me that you have not been to these places that you pointed out to CNN. Are you Ms Sanchez? Coz you do sound just like her... You've been told....? You sir are speculating therefore your writing does not have any merit... your writibg is based on hearsay...

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    1. bakit?...kayo ba nakarating nyo ba...gamay nyo ba ang mga major road ng samar at leyte na para bagang kabisado ninyo lahat at paniniwalaan nyo nalang kung ano ang nasa balita. Only a Leytenio or a Samarenio can understand it... and I am one of them. If you do the math and you are from that place... you will understand. CNN?..where did they come from? they dont have the facts... all they see are people starving and dying and this is what they want to report and ignoring others.

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  51. Well, I think the writer should not point out the reason why our government had slow response on this event. It was clear that our government was not ready about this though they had the
    knowledge but they didn't take it seriously. The coverage of the CNN awaken us on what kind of government we need. Yes we are third world but Filipino is very resilient we can surpass this if we have a good government who really have concern in improving our situation, not just word but it should be seen in action.

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  52. Hmmmm nice open letter, I respect your point of view sir, however, let me explain to you what reliability and accountability is in my own perspective. I am an employee in a BPO office somewhere in Pasay City, and yes, it's about 100-150 meters away to Manila Bay. You know that place used to be part of the water and now an extension of the land, you can imagine what I'm saying if you know where MOA is. It's very scary when there's a strong typhoon because the water rises high and the waves are usually strong and ready to swallow the entire place, thus, we are still expected to be present at work despite of the anticipated dangers that might inflict us. Our management is already advising us to go to work very early and if possible, bring our clothes so that we can stay in the office and to use in case that the we cant go home. Our office sends us text messages and advices for the alternative routes as heavy traffic is also expected. In case that the employees can't really make it to work, they are being advised, so that they can still find a way to meet the required service level though understaffed. Our management in the office always finds another way to get backup supports, until we recover after the typhoon, they don't put the blame to us, and they always take the accountability in case that we don't meet the service level, and tries to improve to make it up with the client. You see, our management always find ways to avoid the damages ahead of time before the calamity strikes. In this sense, I say, to you that if the management in the BPO offices can outwit the calamities, why can't our government do the same thing too? They should do better because it's their job to protect the lives and security of the people. Since it's already identified that the giant typhoon is comming over and the routes going to the will be affected areas such as Tacloban, are going to be difficult, then the government should've find ways to improve their plans to avoid being hindered by the calamity itself. On the top of that, why are they delaying the distribution of the relief goods to the people? Where is the sense of urgency? Where is the willingness to help? Other countries were able to make it because they are willing to help and nothing stop them from raising against the time so that they can save more lives. There's a saying, nothing can stop a person to do what he/she wants if he/she is willing. The government should have not let the starvation and depression hostage the people for many days before they act with so much coverups.

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    Replies
    1. tama ka dyan. pag AYAW may DAHILAN pag GUSTO may PARAAN

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  53. Well said. I do not think the criticisms that were leveled at the government relief operations were truly valid on many most accounts. There may have been SOME delays and incompetence, ... but not like what was seen with the Katrina disaster and the Bush Administration/FEMA fiasco. Over all, I give A LOT OF CREDIT to the military and the various relief agencies. As one U.S. general put it: "this thing was almost overwhelmingly daunting when we first arrived on the scene."

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    1. A LOT OF CREDIT TO THE GOVERNMENT...

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  54. CNN fails to understand the Philippine governments situation and condition. They seem to assume that their opinion is always right. But this time they're so amateurish covering a field they have no knowledge of. They should have at least took time to gather information from the government why relief effort is slow or (somewhat) absent. CNN also failed to help the situation on the ground, and instead only took the opportunity to create issues for high ratings, just like they did in the IRAQ invasion.

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    1. tama po kayo dyan....agree po ako...

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    2. I totally agree with you.

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  55. I don't understand how can media, much more foreign ones, be there while the local troops aren't. If priorities were observed, search and rescue personnel should have been given a much higher priority before the media. I understand the limitation of infrastructure, but not the limitation of the extent of efforts exerted to save lives.

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    1. Facts about military troops:
      Division - Compose of 10 or more battalions
      battalions - compose of 300–1,300 troops.

      So let us say you want to move a division to the affected area right away since the area is so vast. Let us say,

      10 x 1000 = 10000 troops.

      How would you move 10,000 troops using 3 C-130 that Philippine gov't have? A single c-130 carries a maximum of 150 troops per flight. How many flights per day a c-130 can do? So let us say 5 flights which I think is not possible but let us assume 5 flights.

      150 (troops) x 5 (no of flights a day) x 3 (c-130) = 2250

      So you can only move 2250 troops a day MAX.

      Now how would you transport food and water in short period of time as well since we are using our c-130 for transporting troops? So what's the priority right now, troops or food/water for the victims? The answer is both! So isip muna.

      Now If you say transport them via land and ships? Then it would take 3-5 days before they could reach the area. Aside form that debris are all over the road so let us they'll clear the roads on the way then it would take a lot of time then.

      Conclusion:
      Our government national and local are not prepared with this kind of event that is happening in our country. The vastness of destruction is just enormous. Aside from that we only have a few air assets that can be used on that given time. No matter how hard they try to serve everybody they still won't be able to help, rescue feed and etc to every victim.

      Let's us all remember that 1/3 of visayas was hit by the storm and not just 1 barangay, not just 1 city, not just 1 province but multiple of regions.

      Our air force needs more helicopters and transport planes in reality. But the question is are we willing to spend HUNDREDS of billions of pesos to do that? Remember military planes and helicopters are EXPENSIVE! Nothing is cheap people when it comes to national security.




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    2. CORRECT... kaya nga may math eh...USE IT!!!

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  56. Hay naku po ano pa ba ang dapat understand sa gov natin hanggang ngayon Isa ka pa ring nagbubulagbulagan ...he or they did not assume but STATED the facts as we all see.it wasn't an opinion...they did not created ...but rather korina did........the report s plain and simple kung ayaw nyong matanggap ....punta kayo doon at huwag laying uminom at kumain for five days.....

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    1. There are reasons.... this is why mister author is stating the facts here... I'm sure those from Samar and Leyte would understand all this after seeing the devastation.

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  57. Fair enough. But if there's no peril or sense of urgency to report (which there is), then people aren't interested to watch. People don't watch, then people don't help. During Katrina when America had perhaps an equally dismal initial response, the news media held official's feet to the fire. It was only then did you see a greater, more efficient response to those suffering. Was it embarrassing to see how incompetent America's response was? Yes, especially when even Cuba offered to send doctors.

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  58. I think we are all commenting on things we don't know about. This is an emergency situation. With so much help from foreign more advanced countries who can land their planes in a barren desert at night - i think they can manage to land planes in Tacloban at night...but anyway, as i said we don't know what is happening there...CNN reporting, as with most international news outfits, is blunt and factual. They nornally report live - up to the minute news - and i doubt if they have time to sugar coat what they see...

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  59. I believe the journalist reported what he saw as well as what he didn't see happening. Maybe you didn't see his frustration because so many people were suffering and help did not come soon enough. Maybe you did not see his compassion for the people. He mentioned about the ineptness of the government which is true for him and the survivors themselves. How could he have known all that you mentioned being a foreigner. How could he have known that local government has been obliterated. Perhaps if local news media was there he could have gotten more information about all those facts you stated. I don't think it was meant to criticize Filipinos at all. clearly he was very concerned for the survivors. Perhaps you were being too sensitive and taking it too personally?

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    1. LONG YESSSSSSSS!!!

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    2. Hope everybody will see ur points....as we've been trying to say but still making fuss of that jus plain and blunt report.... Why they r reacting jus means something

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  60. God bless America. They are always the first to arrive during natural calamity to help us.

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    1. Ah, another lapdog of the imperialist swine

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  61. The letter is written by somebody who does not have high expectations and suffers from a third world inferiority complex. CNN and Anderson Cooper was there on the ground right away and this is certainly not the first disaster he or CNN has covered. I know Tacloban City and I have used that airport before. It is not an easy place to operate but there are no excuses coming from U.S. military or Americans. We are used to taking on a challenge. Results are what matter. There is a lot of talk and fluff from the Philippine Government as usual. The Philippine Federal Government are supposed to step in when the local govt is destroyed. Politicians promise something and if actually does come to fruition they stamp their name and picture all over it, even police cars, when the police is supposed to be neutral to politics. Shameful, go watch the biased GMA coverage and turn CNN off then.

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  62. Great letter, but the Philippine government should be more aggressive and intelligent to answer the people's needs, and not to give attention on what is impossible. Why was it all possible when international relief arrived? Why is it at all possible in Japan? It is not just because they are developed countries, it is because they think SMART.

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    1. Who would expect that we need to pack 150,000 food packs a day?
      Who would expect that we need thousnads of voluteers in the repacking centers?
      Who would expect that we need to support more that 10M affected?
      Who would expect that the LGUs in Tacloban will not do their part preparing for the typhoon?
      Who would expect that we need to clear thousands of km major roads littered with debris leading to the devastated ares.?
      Who would expect that need to send thousands of support teams just to calm down things.

      AND I AM NOT EXPECTING WE HAVE THIS MANY FILIPINOS WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION.

      We failed not because we don't think SMART... We failed because of our negative attitude.

      Thanks mister author...

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    2. We fail because of people like you who have bad grammar

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  63. The author of this letter is so well versed that you might think he was given a QUEQUE on what to right. ADMIT IT...OUR GOVT IS CORRUPT SO NO MATTER HOW YOU SUGAR COAT THE SITUATIONS in my mind and only my opinion...SLOW IS SLOW....people are starving and dying while waiting for help. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THAT!!! The need for urgency is extremely high. Anderson came on the fifth day you would really expect that helped is in full throttle. BUT that's not what happened. Do your math too Mr Author. For the people that are hungry and dying, asking for food and water in order to survive...they don't want to hear any excuses from a lame government. So no matter how articulate you sounded in your letter to CNN, it's so obvious that you're making excuses. USE YOUR TALENT SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!@

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  64. Ladies and gents.... this short video tells us why ...Here's the answer... Philippines 27 years after EDSA revolt? Why is Philippines still have a massive Poverty and Corruptions in all levels of Government and poor rural roads access and bridges. ... share this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4iLjHRD3RU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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  65. When I read this letter all I see are excuses, NGO's, private companies and international countries came in first in helping, why is that? CNN inspired other countries to act and help, what did our country do? they just point fingers and scratch their heads. The government's duty is to its people, we have the right to get angry. So whoever wrote this letter, I could say your a attention grabber or just plain stupid.

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    Replies
    1. haters gonna hate

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    2. potatoes gonna potate

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    3. i agree... this is a non sense attention-seeking letter! the comment was not a hate note. it is true! CNN did great, and informed the whole world of what is happening. Being archipelago, saying Ph is not Japan, or US, or saying airport is small are just excuses! We have so much funds , but the governement is just slow and corrupt.

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  66. sorry author i am not a hater, but you are kinda attention-seeker.
    I perceive this as a non sense open letter giving thanks to CNN yet pointing out that CNN is somehow lacking of information or has failed to mention this or that. Come on, if it wasn't for CNN, the world will not know what the real situation in the Philippines is. Yes being archipelago, or saying Philippines is not Japan or USA , or Airport is small are not reasons or excuse to delay the help needed in the province of Leyte. Philippines has calamity funds and some other bigger funds! Mabagal lang talaga at hinde organisado ang gobyerno. Plain and simple, the government is slow, and disorganized! For me, CNN did a great job to let all Filipinos worldwide be informed, because i didn't get enough information from local tv news in PH. So shut the hell up, and let me ask you, did you even help or donate? I guess not.

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  67. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  68. Do you wanna be famous? what you said as everything written here will never make sense because all you said was already reported on tv of which I've seen everything! if you are helping the victims good for the Filipino people and they should thank you but blogging things that are already seen in TV makes no sense, if you wanna be famous join the Americas got talent or The Voice Philippines.... get a life!

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  69. If not for the media ,CNN and other media(international and local).... do you think the gov't will exert as much effort as they do now to improve the pace of their operations?
    I don't know if you've seen the interviews with our political leaders and how arrogant they address the situation.
    And hey... you should have better knowledge on planning if you are who you claim you are. The agencies mainly assigned to plan for disaster risk management did not include in their framework on how to respond in areas where LGUs are non-functional? What if it hit metro manila and wiped out every residences and offices... How would the LGUs outside of metro manila respond? I guess you would just expect them to answer.. "Don't expect us to help in Day 1. It's not in our framework."

    Btw, we have the seas and not just stick with airport service. NOT ALL LGUs in leyte island was dysfunctional. Most likely, there are private trucks and maybe heavy equipments in southern leyte that could have helped during the relief operations. Clearly, it's a result of poor leadership (PNoy and his vice, Mar R). Specially when the head of the country is fond of blaming others and always have the tendency to be arrogant when provoked. Same with other politicians, admin or oppos who are mostly "trapos".

    Good luck Philippines.

    ReplyDelete

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