|
The second incident which Jesus addressed was a natural disaster, a tower in Jerusalem which unexpectedly collapsed, killing 18 people. The Jews often associated such calamities and disasters as a consequence of sin. Scripture does warn that sin can result in calamity! Though the righteous fall seven times, and rise again; the wicked are overthrown by calamity (Proverbs 24:16). --Don Schwager
As found in this website’ section, The Daily B.R.E.A.D., as edited by Bobot Apit, evangelist Don Schwager talks about calamities causing the overthrow of the wicked. To read Reverend Schwager’s spiritual writing in its entirety, please click on this link, Oct 24, 2009 - Saturday Meditation (REPENT! - Unrepented Sin Destroys Heart, Mind, Soul and Body!)
As reported by Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante-USA), a United States-based environmental-and-peasant advocacy group, “President Arroyo coddles the National Power Corporation’s (NAPOCOR’s) criminal neglect. And now the Arroyo administration plays dumb and blind to the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD)’s incompetence.”
Here is the complete press release issued by the Pesante-USA:
The US-backed Arroyo Administration’s Gross Criminal Neglect Is Part of the GMA Legacy
The Overseas Filipinos have long been cynical about the honesty and competence of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) Administration. There were reports about disaster relief supplies being channeled to the Black Market by corrupt Philippine-government functionaries after disaster hit the Philippines in the past. But the current situation in the Philippines – after the two recent storms in the Philippines that happened just five weeks ago and the continuing chaos over relief distribution – must prompt law-enforcement officers (LEOs) in the Philippines to arrest the crooks and remove the incompetent that are bungling again the distribution of relief supplies.
The Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) belongs to the Cabinet of President GMA. The Defense Secretary who heads also the Philippine National Calamity Coordinating Council is also the alter ego of the President. The LEOs must act swiftly and if the President and her Cabinet members hinder their efforts of arresting the crooks who divert relief supplies to the Black Market and/or to politicians, then they too should be arrested.
H ere is more documentation of how the DSWD is bungling the distribution of relief supplies, which lead to the belief by many Overseas Filipinos that they are being channeled to the Black Market and/or favored politicians who belong to the Administration’s political party:
QUOTE.
According to Blog Ni Ella, these goods have not been distributed to the typhoon survivors. WHY?
Ella wrote on her (now blocked) blog:
Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo? (A special report from a volunteer)
Oct 21st, 2009 by ella
Dear friends,
I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos.
(The) Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mga nag-donate. Kung sa ganitong paraan, matutulungan natin ang mga nasalanta, then by all means, let’s do it.
For those who have the time, please try to volunteer sa DSWD warehouses. Getting in was not easy. A friend had to put in a word for us. Let’s see kung madali nang makapasok sa DSWD warehouse ang mga volunteers.
Please read on and good luck to us.
Ella
(This post was last edited Oct 22, 12:30 pm)
Kahapon, tinanong ng Philippine News si DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral:
Editor of Philippine News: Why are the relief goods in DSWD warehouses not moving?
DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral: Wala kasing volunteers.
This short interview was done over the phone. Philippine News wanted to hear her side pero ayaw niyang makipag-usap sa press. After four tries, pinasabi na lang niya ang maikling sagot na ito sa secretary niya - “Walang volunteers”.
I don’t want to accuse her of corruption but at the very least she is showing signs of being totally incompetent. We are in a state of calamity where every second counts. May namamatay araw-araw dahil sa sakit.
In my opinion, these deaths could have been prevented if Secretary Cabral had tried a little harder to do her job.
Deaths from Philippine storms nears 1,000
“Tropical Storm Ketsana left 420 dead and 37 missing when it flooded 80 percent of Manila on September 26, a disaster the government said affected 4.35 million people.
Some areas are still flooded three weeks later and 189,000 people remain in evacuation centres,
Typhoon Parma hit the northern Philippines on October 3 and lingered as a tropical storm for a week, triggering landslides that killed 438 people and leaving 51 missing mostly in mountain communities.
The government agency said Parma affected 4.16 million people, including more than 32,000 who remain at evacuation centres.”
During the first week after the storm, lumabas ang “bayanihan spirit” ng mga Pinoy. “Makatulong lang kahi’t konti,” katwiran nila.
Kung walang volunteers, ano ‘to, komiks?
F rom Stella Arnaldo’s blog:
“At the offices of many civic groups and private organizations, hundreds of people showed up to volunteer in packing relief goods.
At the Tulong Bayan center at the Expo Centro in Cubao, Most of the volunteers were adolescents as young as 10 years old, along with their kuya or ate in high school and college.
They came in huge numbers, many of them barkadas, classmates or siblings, dressed just in their tees and shorts, wearing their Havaianas. All were just enthusiastic to do their share!
Photos by Leah Navarro (SORRY READERS, WE COULD NOT UNLOAD THE PHOTOS IN THIS USER'S COMMENTS' SECTION.)
Even grade school kids pitched in to help!
Youth volunteers repack detergents for distribution
Making beds from carton boxes
GMA asked world for donations
Our government begged the world for more donations. Sumagot ang buong mundo sa ating panawagan. In less than three weeks, dumaong ang mga barko, ibinaba mula sa mga cargo planes, i-diniliver ng mga trak at container vans ang sandamakmak na relief goods. Cash donations were in the millions of dollars.
But these donations must be coursed through DSWD
Nagpalabas ng directive ang pangulo. Individuals, private companies and other nations were ENCOURAGED to send their donations to DSWD. I blogged about it here and the video of her announcement here.
This PGMA directive sounded suspicious to me then. Now I know why. Here’s the story.
A group of eight people, your ate Ella included, went to one of DSWD warehouses to help in repacking relief goods. We know they need volunteers pero hindi namin akalaing WALANG TAO TALAGA SA LOOB NG WAREHOUSE!
As in sa isang humongous warehouse (1000++ sq.m) NA PUNONG-PUNO NG RELIEF GOODS HANGGANG BUBONG, ISANG DSWD employee lang at ISANG SECURITY GUARD ang tao!!
Kailangang magpa-register at i-schedule ang volunteering
1) UNICEF Registration (as a volunteer)
The warehouse can only take as much as 50 volunteers at a time or per shift. Here you will find that there is a 4-hour shift, and an option for a 6-hour shift for the volunteers to indicate their availability.
What “volunteers”? Nasaan?
Aside from the 8 of us? Nope, there was nobody there. Bakit kailangan ang scheduling? Feeling hindi ba magkamayaw at nagu-unahan ang mga volunteers?
I know somebody who wanted to volunteer many times. She was always bumped off, laging nirere-schedule kasi “there were too many volunteers” daw. At tuwing Sunday lang daw puwede. What the hell is going on here?
Nakatambak ang donations ng UNICEF sa warehouse, local and international
Mga banig na dapat ay nahihigaan ng mga nasalanta. Mga imported camp beds na hindi na yata masisilayan ng mga biktima. Mga kumot na hindi naman nakabalot sa katawan nila. At mga pagkaing hindi sumasayad sa sikmura nila.
The relief goods are not going anywhere
We arrived at about 8 am and left by mid-afternoon and yes, you guessed it right. Kami pa rin ang tao bukod sa isang DSWD employee sa loob ng warehouse maghapon. Walang ibang dumating.
The relief goods are not moving. By the way things look, they are not going anywhere. Hindi maglalakad mag-isa ang mga donations na ito papunta sa mga evacuation centers. (Snipped)
UNQUOTE. # # #
Newer news items:
Older news items:
|
Columns 
passage in Proverbs Chapter 29 verse 12 Modern Language Bible, "If a ruler listens to false suggestions all his officials will be wicked.
New America Standard said it this way "If a ruler pays attention to
falsehood, All his ministers become wicked." And the good old Kings
English Bible "If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are
wicked." So now you know :-)
Cheers
MIKE :-)
RE: Blog ni Ella
One reason I have been so reluctant to donate . . .
Dido
Bart & Yoly
To say "walang volunteers" is so unbelievable! The authorities are hoarding those goods until the right time comes, meaning, Christmas holidays and the elections in 2010. That's when they flood the victims. Thanks and best regards,
Romy Marquez
First and foremost, "somebody at the top" ordered them to hold those goods so they could go thru them first and take whatever they want (especially the US goods and the ones from Europe. Never mind the ones from Asia). Paghati-hatian yan among families and cronies. Whatever is left, mga tira-tira ika nga, will then be repacked and distributed to "some lucky ones".
This happened during the Mt. Pinatubo crises. Imported blankets and sheets and other stuff went to the Governors (and cronies). The poor people ended up with all local stuff. Talagang kawawa and masang Pilipino.
None of the current and past Government officials should be allowed to run for office anymore BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL THE SAME.
We are better off giving our donations to our relatives and friends - for distribution. If they decide to pocket the money, at least you know your money went to your friends and relatives - NOT TO THE CORRUPT POLITICIANS. It makes me sick just thinking about those SHARKS!!!
SPREAD THE WORD. SEND DONATIONS TO YOUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES - NOT TO ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.
This is my take - take it to the bank.
Ting
To say "walang volunteers" is so unbelievable! The authorities are hoarding those goods until the right time comes, meaning, Christmas holidays and the elections in 2010. That's when they flood the victims. Thanks and best regards,
Romy Marquez
October 23, 2009
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) manages the National Relief Operations Center (NROC) which is the facility for processing and storage of relief goods that are purchased by the Department or donated to us by generous individuals both here and abroad. The relief goods are released to our Regional Offices or directly to evacuation centers or to the local government units as they are needed and requested by these entities. They are delivered in trucks, many of which were lent to us by private companies or by military vehicles. Some of the goods are shipped by air from nearby Villamor Airbase.
When typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng hit the country, we received and are continuing to receive donations. Our warehouses are indeed full, inspite of the fact that we have distributed 500,000 food packs and 200,000 clothing packs as well as thousands of sacks of rice, blankets, beddings, and items of personal hygiene in the past almost 4 weeks. That is the reason why when asked if we still have enough goods, my constant reply is yes, so far we do, thanks to the many kind-hearted individuals and organizations as well as countries who responded and are still responding to the plight of the typhoon victims.
There are no rotting relief goods in our warehouses as we do not keep perishables there and the relief goods that are there, save for the donated old clothes are quite new since they have been either recently purchased by us or have been just donated.
Our goods are repacked by volunteers who are there because they want to help. But they are volunteers and report when they have time to help us. Sometimes there are two hundred of them and sometimes there are only a dozen. However many or few they are, we appreciate their presence and their assistance. Weekdays are usually quiet but on Saturdays and Sundays, the students, along with others who work Monday to Friday, including our own employees, are there.
Our staff at the warehouse work round the clock even now, making sure that the requests for relief goods are met in a timely manner. They work hard, they work quietly and they work humbly and I feel bad that they have been subjected to public vilification that they do not deserve.
I do not recall having talked to an Editor of Philippine News. I do remember my secretary telling me that someone was on the phone asking why there were no volunteers working at the warehouse. My reply was we do not own the time of the volunteers.
I wish that I could have prevented the deaths from typhoons but in fact, they have nothing to do with the relief goods that we are in charge of. Most of the deaths were from drowning or injuries sustained during the typhoon. Some died of illnesses. We are not in charge of rescue nor are we in charge of health and to the best of my knowledge, none of the deaths was due to absence of or delay in the delivery of relief goods.
We would like to assure all of you that the relief goods will reach the intended beneficiaries as they become necessary and will be used only to assist them. However, the relief goods don’t all go out at the same time and an empty warehouse is not proof that the goods were used properly just as a full warehouse is not evidence that the goods are being hoarded. If you visit our website www.dswd.gov.ph you will find updates on our activities related to typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. It includes an updated list of donations received and goods released from the DSWD warehouse.
There are many aspects of disaster response. They include recovery and rehabilitation and in both instances, goods and other resources are still needed. In the initial reaction to a calamity, people will want to help and as we saw recently, they came in droves, offering their time, their talent and their resources. We want them to know how much we appreciate them for what they have done and what they are still doing. But further down the road, when the initial flush of generosity gives way to donor fatigue, there will remain only a few hardy NGOs and volunteers and the workers of the DSWD and other government agencies to continue the job of helping the disaster victims back on their feet. Judicious use of resources at the outset is imperative lest we face the situation of even greater want after a period of relative plenty. We at the DSWD wish to assure you that your trust in us is not misplaced. Thank you.
Information Section
Philippine Consulate General
Trunkline: 213 639 0980
Directline: 213 637 3028
Website: www.philippineconsulatela.org
Yours is the best analysis of the outrageous situation. You have articulated your position and I agree with you that that's the bitter truth. You can see the best in Filipinos all over the world as they unselfishly opened their purses and wallets in order to give their fair share to those flood victims. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we all bear witness to the worst in Filipinos, especially those government officials, whose greed knows no bound. Do those people even have any sense of decency? Do they even have any conscience at all? Is this really the kind of people we are? No matter who presides, it will always be the same. It's like a vicious cycle that will never end.
Don
The Knights of Columbus of the Holy Family Church here in Auburn, Wa., that I am a member of, DONATED $50,000 to the victims of Typhoon Ondoy and the other typhoons that followed.
How much did NaFFAA donate, I wonder? Just asking.
The money that we donated was sent to the Knights of Columbus Council of Central Luzon. I really wonder if that money really went to the to the victims the flood. Knowing Filipinos as exemplified by some NEOs of NaFFAA and the Arroyo government, I truly wonder . . .
Jesse Jose
In Philippine jurisdiction, the truth is not always a defense. While something is true, if the purpose is to besmirch, then liability still exists. To be liable for libel, the following elements must be shown to exist:
(1) the allegation of a discreditable act or condition concerning another;
Here are some photo captions in Ella's blog:
Her Conclusion:
(2) publication of the charge;
http://www.ellaganda.com/?p=1759
(3) identity of the person defamed; and
http://www.ellaganda.com/?p=1759
(4) existence of malice.
Legal malice is a term that refers to one party’s intention to do injury to another. Malice can either be expressed or implied.
- Expressed malice occurs when the party gives outward notice that they intend to commit a crime or some other wrong towards another.
***Ella suspected PGMA’s directive. She went to volunteer and took photos expressly violating the instruction not to do so. She displayed these on her blog with the captions earlier mentioned.
- Implied malice occurs when one party causes death or injury to another during the course of unlawful or disreputable actions.
*** She took photos, posted the photos in her blog with abovementioned captions.
Malice generally involves the intentional infliction of physical, mental, psychological, or financial damage to another party.
Now how do you determine intention?
1. Do you base it on the blogger’s action in response to her suspicion?
This PGMA directive sounded suspicious to me then.
***She volunteered then took photos inside the warehouse.
2. Do you base it on the accused and the accuser’s history and connections, if any?
There are claims that:
And that:
If there’s an allusion to motive because of political connection then you may be interested to check this link: http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-32/6-32-libel.htm for this info:
The Beting Laygo Dolor :
Of Philippine News Online:
http://philippinenews.com/article.php?id=5380
who started PCIJ (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism ) alongside Sheila Coronel, Malou Mangahas, Lorna Kalaw-Tirol, Howie Severino and David Celdran.
http://preciousanne.blogspot.com/
Editor- of:
1. Bandera
2. Prime Asia and Pinoy Global Access
http://www.upjournalismclub.org/gallery/photos/suit-of-cards-a-forum-on-libel/
3. Playboy Philippines
http://www.bworldonline.com/Weekender072508/main.php?id=focus1
4. Business World
http://www.grabeh.com/forum/index.php
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR of:
http://www.filglobe.com/files/augpage22forum.pdf
Same Beting Laygo Dolor who released this:
http://philippinenews.com/article.php?id=5380
… after Ella released this:
http://www.ellaganda.com/?p=1759
Same Beting Laygo Dolor who co-wrote the articles appearing here:
http://pinoybsn.blogspot.com/2006/10/arroyo-to-nurses-retake-board-test.html
http://bolanon.com/forums_topic_view.aspx?page=1&tid=3363&fid=2929&=desc
…with the girl whose name appears here:
http://services.inquirer.net/mobile/10/01/22/html_output/xmlhtml/20100121-248693-xml.html
…and whose identity is confirmed here:
http://forums.seo.ph/showthread.php?t=10191
Re: DSWD vs Jade? - 01-22-2010, 11:36 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by kickmoko
teka maihabol ko lang..member din ba dito si jade?
Yes. Si vlette
3. Do you base it on the snowballing imputations the blog entry has spawned?
a. Such as the blog entries of her fellow bloggers like: http://gurlalien.blogspot.com/2010/01/para-kay-ella.html
b. Or the published articles of media men like:
Ramon Tulfo
Whose article: It pays to be honest
http://services.inquirer.net/mobile/10/02/01/html_output/xmlhtml/20100130-250222-xml.html
states:
Same Tulfo who happens to appear here:
As confirmed from this column:
http://tulfo.net/column1.htm
http://issuesopinions.wordpress.com.