Photo: USS Ronald Reagan Chopper Arrives In Philippines

A US Navy Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4 arrive in Panay island with food and water in this photo sent by the US Embassy to the Mindanao Examiner on Saturday, June 28, 2008. The crew and aircraft of the USS Ronald Reagan carrier group have assisted the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine relief agencies with delivery of 10,000 lbs of rice and other non-perishable food as well as over 28,000 bottles of water in the wake of the Typhoon Fengshen.

Release "Impounded" Funds To Help Calamity Areas, Senator Urges Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 26, 2008) – A Filipino senator has urged President Gloria Arroyo to release billions of pesos in impounded government funds to help citizens and areas affected by typhoon Fengshen.

Sen. Francis Escudero said at least P6.6 billions worth of funds can be added to the P2 billions in calamity money to aid those worst hit by the typhoon.

“There is no reason why aid should come in trickles to flood-hit areas when there are certain segments in the national budget, other than the Calamity Fund, which can be tapped for disaster work,” Escudero said in a statement.

Escudero, a member of the opposition, said Arroyo can order the release of the funding from the so-called “Kilos Asenso Fund” and from the financial subsidy to local government units and the Kalayaan Barangay Fund.

“The release of these funds is contingent on the President's approval. She should dig into these funds so there will be more resources available for relief work.”

“This is bigger than the $100,000 aid the President got from the US State Department, one which was met with profuse thanks from her, as if she had won the lotto, when in fact she has at her easy disposal all the above-mentioned funds to use in times like this,” he said.

But Escudero was quick to say that he is calling for the “full diversion” of the P6.6 billions, but “only that the latter be prioritized in the allocation.’

"Or if there is formula being followed in the apportioning of these funds, then maybe Iloilo's share be given in advance, "Escudero said, referring to the province in central Philippines which was the hardest hit by the typhoon.

Rep. Ferjenel Biron, of Iloilo's 4th District and Iloilo Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico have criticized the government slow response to the devastation in the province.

The P2-billion Kilos Asenso Fund is included in the P228.2 -billion Allocations for Local Government Units (ALGU) item in Republic Act 9498, or the General Appropriations Act for 2008. The biggest component in this block is the P210.7 billion earmarked for Internal Revenue Allotment of LGUs.

Also included in the ALGU is some P3.6 billion in "Financial Subsidy to LGUs", which is designed to partly fund the premium contributions of local governments in the Phil Health enrollment of their indigent constituents.

"This can be used to address public health challenges which arose from the calamity , which include repair of hospitals, replenishment of medical stocks, and settlement of Phil Health claims, usage which meets the congressional intent about this particular expenditure", he said

The Kalayaan Barangay on the other hand, forms part of the P51 billion budget of the Department of National Defense. To be implemented by the Armed Forces, the P1-bilion fund is intended for the development of dissident-threatened villages.

Pregnant Mom, Child Buried Alive In Zamboanga Landslide

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 24, 2008) – A pregnant mother and her child were killed after a landslide on Tuesday buried a house in Zamboanga city in southern Philippines.

Heavy rains triggered by typhoon Fengshen last week had loosed soil that buried the house of the Candado family near a hillside village called Maasin. “The house was destroyed by the landslide and a pregnant mother and her child were buried alive,” said village chieftain Misael Bernardo.

Bernardo also appealed on radio for equipment to dig through debris and recover the victims. “We need help here. The house is buried and there are two people inside, a pregnant mother and her child,” he told the dxRZ Radyo Agong.

Witnesses said more than half of the house was buried in boulders and mud and villagers dug though debris with their bare hands to retrieve the victims, but failed to save them.

The woman’s husband was working at a construction site when the landslide occurred shortly before 9 a.m. The bodies were recovered three hours later. The woman, Liza, was five months pregnant and her child, Chubby, was only six years old.

The typhoon, whose local codename Frank, left a trail of destruction in the southern Philippines where at least 2 dozen people were reported killed and injured and tens of thousands displaced by flash floods.

But authorities said the death toll across the country could reach to hundreds after a 24,000-ton ferry, the Princess of the Star, with nearly 750 aboard capsized off Sibuyan Island in Romblon province as the typhoon battered central and northern Philippines before heading towards Taiwan.

At least 155 people have been confirmed dead from the fury of the typhoon.

Rescuers have found several dozens of survivors and cadavers from the stricken ferry, owned by Sulpicio Lines. The government has suspended all Sulpicio’s ferries until a maritime investigation into the sinking of the Princess of the Star is finished.

Initial maritime reports said the ferry’s engine malfunctioned and that the captain of the vessel had told passengers to abandon the ship. The captain was among those missing and presumed dead. (Mindanao Examiner)

Typhoon Fengshen's Fury In The Philippines

The fury of Typhoon Fengshen is unleashed in the Philippines. Scenes from southern and central Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales and Michael Baniquet)

2 Dozens Dead And Injured; Thousands Displaced By Typhoon Fengshen In South RP

Flash floods triggered by Typhoon Frank displaced thousands of people in southern Philippines and killed and injured at least 2 dozen people. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 21, 2008) – Typhoon Frank (international codename Fengshen) on Saturday left a trail of destruction in the southern Philippines where at least 2 dozen people were reported killed and injured.

In the port city of Zamboanga, at least 6 people were reported injured. Flash flood also forced thousands of people here to evacuate and local authorities declared a state of emergency. Many of those displaced were in temporary shelters across Zamboanga City.

The City Social Welfare and Development Office said at least 6 people were injured when their houses were washed away by rampaging flood waters. It said more than 1,000 families were affected by the flooding.

Hundreds of ferry passengers were also stranded in Zamboanga after the Coast Guard suspended travels to Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces because of the string winds and huge waves.

In Cotabato City, two persons were killed after landslides buried several houses near a dumpsite and military reports claimed at least more than a dozen others were missing and feared drown after their houses were swept away on the riverbanks.

Many areas were also submerged in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat provinces and trapped thousands of villagers, who were without foods.

Filipino weather experts said the typhoon, with winds up to 170 kilometer per hour, was heading to Luzon island after pummeling central Philippines on Saturday. (With reports from Mark Navales)