5.3 Quake Felt In Bicol Region

Another earthquake has hit Albay in the Bicol region with a magnitude-4.8 Thursday night after 13 hours of a 5.3 magnitude quake was felt at Intensity IV in the said province.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanologist (Philvolcs) said that the latest tremor occurred at 11:02 p.m. Thursday. The earthquake's epicenter was traced 158 kilometers (km) northeast of Catarman, Northern Samar.

As of press time there were no recorded damages according to Phivolcs. They also said that aftershocks/tremors is to be expected following the quake, that is of tectonic origin.

At 10:02 a.m., Thursday, a magnitude-5.3 earthquake that could have possibly originated from the Philippine Trench also rocked parts of Bicol. The tremor was felt at Intensity IV in Legazpi City and Camalig and Bacacay towns in Albay, and at Intensity III in Viga and Virac towns in Catanduanes.

There were also no damages recorded in the earlier earthquake, situated at 148 km east of Virac, Catanduanes.

The people in the province are advised to take necessary precautions as aftershocks are expected to follow.

Filipino Peacekeepers in Haiti Assist Rescue Efforts in Earthquake Aftermath

Filipino peacekeepers were the first to rush to the headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and take part in rescue efforts after the seven-story building was levelled by magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince on Tuesday night.

In its report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Mission to the United Nations said that it was informed by the UN that members of the 10th Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent under Lt. Col. Lope Dagoy are assisting in the search for an undetermined number of UN personnel who were in the building when it collapsed.




The Philippine Mission said it could not determine at this point if there were any casualties among members of the Philippine military and police contingents as well as UN civilian staff members serving with MINUSTAH as power and communications line have been cut off. It said it could not account for all of Filipino peacekeeping personnel as its only source of information was UN Headquarters in New York which was only able to establish contact with MINUSTAH officials via satellite phones.

However, it said that Lieutenant Colonel Dagoy was able to contact his wife via satellite phone and asked her to relay to the Peacekeeping Operations Center of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that he was trying to account for all members of the contingent. While he did not mention any casualties or damage to the Philippine headquarters, he said contingent members were forced to vacate the building after the area was hit by a series of aftershocks.

The Philippine Mission said Sr. Supt. Rodolfo Fuentes, commander of the Philippine police contingent, was also able to establish contact through internet and said he and several other peacekeepers were safe in the UN Logistics Base near the Port-au-Prince International Airport.

Based on newspaper reports, the Philippine Mission was able to determine that at least three other areas in the capital where Filipino peacekeepers are assigned sustained serious damage from the earthquake.

There are 157 officers and enlisted personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and 15 officers from the Philippine National Police (PNP) serving with MINUSTAH. There are also an undetermined number of Filipino civilian staff working with the UN.

Aside from the peacekeepers, there are some 447 Filipinos working in the garments, telecommunication and power sectors in the country, mostly in middle and upper management levels. There are also Filipino nuns and priests in Haiti.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has sent instructions to the Philippine Mission in New York, as well as the Philippine Embassy in Havana, Cuba, to check on the conditions of the members of the Filipino community in Haiti.

The Philippine Mission in New York will coordinate with the United Nations on the extension of assistance to them, as well as to the Haiti Government and people.

source: Department of Foreign Affairs Philippines
Pic Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/c1abe49a-0032-11df-8626-00144feabdc0.html

Showtime on Preventive Suspension - Osang Axe as Judge

All time controversial actress Rosanna Roces was dissappointed over the decision of MTRCB 20 day preventive suspension of "Showtime" because of remarks she made againsts teachers. Before the decision of MTRCB was issued, ABS-CBN has already axed Rosanna Roces from being the judge of the said show.

However Roces further argued that she is not criticizing the teachers in general and further added that she has the liberty “to say whatever I want to say.”

"Nagpapasalamat ako sa ABS-CBN dahil binigyan nila ako ng pagkakataong humingi ng paumanhin sa aking naging pahayag sa ‘Showtime.’ Naramdaman kong nakahanap ako ng tunay na kapamilya sa ABS-CBN dahil hindi nila ako iniwan sa ere. Kung sa ibang network, gaya ng naranasan ko noon, ay iniwan ako at pinabayaang magpaliwanag ng mag-isa," she said.

Like Roces, the show’s hosts - Anne Curtis, Vhong Navarro and Kim Atienza - and judge Vice Ganda were disappointed by the MTRCB’s decision.

The Kapamilya network has already taken action to make sure that the popular show will come back on air soon.

According to lawyer Mona Manalo of ABS-CBN legal department, the network filed on Tuesday an appeal before the Court of Appeals.

In its petition, Manalo said the network has asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) and a writ of preliminary injunction to restrain the MTRCB from enforcing its January 11 suspension order.

The network also asked the appellate court to issue a writ of certiorari to set aside the order and to make permanent preliminary injunction.

Here is TV Patrol's full report on Osangs' statements.

Philippine November Holidays 2009

If you are thinking for a vacation this coming November, here are the scheduled public holidays as declared by the President.

October 31 to November 2 - In observance of All Saints' day and All Souls' day.
November 27 to November 28 - Eid'l Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice.
November 30 - Bonifacio Day.

I hope you enjoy your long weekends. SPEND - it drives the economy.

Leptospirosis Philippines Outbreak - Death Toll at 89

The Department Of Health have declared an outbreak of leptospirosis in three barangays in Marikina as the death toll hit 89 cases. The three barangays are Tumana, Concepcion and Malanday. Secretary of Health, Francisco Duque III said the number of leptospirosis cases in public hospitals rose tremendously from 140 to 1027 between October 12 to 15.

The death toll from leptospirosis reached 89 as cases of the flood-borne disease in Metro Manila and flooded provinces rose tenfold in the past three days, the Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday.

“Cases of leptospirosis have really shot up these past few days. In fact, the Metro Manila figure even exceeded the 812 nationwide admissions in government hospitals for the whole of last year,” Duque further added.

“As we start to see in the National Capital Region (NCR), we also expect a lot of cases in the communities in Rizal, which make up the biggest number of barangays still under water at this time,” Duque noted.

“Although fewer than five cases were recorded in each barangay, we declared an outbreak because those areas had zero incidence of the infection last year,” Duque said.

According to Secretary Duque, at least 1.7 million people are at risk of acquiring leptospirosis since many areas in Metro Manila and CALABARZON are still submerged. He further believed that at least 3000 cases will be infected by the disease.

“We expect 3,800 people to get the infection and of this number, 3,040 will suffer uncomplicated symptoms while the rest will manifest complicated symptoms that would require them to undergo dialysis or face eventual death,” Duque said.

In response of the DOH to prevent the increase of leptospirosis, the department is giving 100 mg prophylaxis capsule to people at risk. “For the next three weeks, we will be giving 100 mg. prophylaxis capsule once a week to those at risk of acquiring the infection,”.

Medical experts clarified that the prophylaxis would only protect the people for a week, thus they are encouraged to avoid wading in floodwaters, especially if they have an open wound.

Imelda Marcos Shoe Collection Survived Ondoy

During the destruction of typhoon Ondoy, a museum guard’s acting quickly saved part of former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos’s infamous shoe collection when huge floods devastated the nation’s capital.

In a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the staffs said that they moved the 200-pair of shoes displayed to the second floor before the flood waters started to enter into the ground floor of the Marikina Shoe Museum.

“A guard was able to take most of the pairs to the second floor. We will account for them in due time, but our priority right now is still the affected families,” it cited Mayor Marides Fernando of Marikina City during the interview.

Marikina City is the Philippines’ shoe production capital, was among the worst hit areas when Tropical Storm Ondoy (Ketsana) plunged record rains in and around Manila on Sept. 26, killing almost 300 people and thousands homeless.

Marcos’s shoe collection has become one of the most infamous symbols of the life of lavishness Imelda Marcos enjoyed during the 20-year reign of her husband, Ferdinand Marcos.

Picture Credits : Ramon Lopez at Flickr - visit ramonlopez for more photos.