Help School Children in Baguio

October 19, 2009

Dear Friends,

As you may have monitored from the news, North Luzon is badly hit by Typhoon Pepeng.  Prior to these, there are already communities dislocated by Ondoy.  And now we are bracing ourselves for Typhoon Ramil, forecasted to be much stronger than Pepeng.
Below are some data to give you a picture of how the two typhoons ravaged Baguio City, Benguet and La Union:

1. There is a total of 44,698 families affected or 219,447 individuals.  They are mostly indigenous vegetable farmers of Benguet and residents of Baguio who mostly belong to the informal sector.

1. The total affected areas are the 17 barangays (out of 128) of Baguio and the 10 municipalities of Benguet (out of the 13 municipalities).
2. There are 11 incidents of landslide and flooding in Baguio City alone.
3. The total number of reported casualties for Baguio and Benguet is 286 (based on the latest update), 67 of these from Baguio.
4. The number of totally damaged houses is 614 and 4,698 partially damaged.
5. All of the evacuated families in Baguio have returned to their houses.  However, most of their houses are partially damaged and urgently need materials for house repairs.  Those families whose houses are totally damaged in landslides are staying either in their neighbors or in the barangay centers while trying to retrieve what they could from their damaged houses.
6. In Benguet, the monitored number of those in evacuation centers is 30 families staying in 83 evacuation centers.
7. There are still so many unreported cases in Benguet.  This is due to isolation due to severe road cuts.  Even relief operations and media people are transported via choppers.
8. 9. The gravely hit landslide area of Benguet (as per those that were monitored) is in Sitio Little Kibungan,  Puguis, La Trinidad.  Number of casualties is 79, and several others missing.  There are around 30 houses buried.  Several of those casualties are student boarders whose families are living in the different municipalities of Benguet.On October 11, the whole of Barangay Puguis is classified as high risk area and families are advised to be relocated asap.

10.  Baguio has been isolated for several days due to severe road cuts among the three major hiways that connects it to the lowland provinces and Metro Manila.  Even today, cargo trucks and delivery trucks could not pass through these hiways.  Passengers are forced to take several cutting trips before reaching areas of destination and have to walk to pass through landslide areas.
11.  Food shortage is just around the corner.  The remaining stocks of rice and groceries are sold in relatively high prices.  Vegetables, livestock and even fish are in very limited supply already.  Fuel is already running out of stock.
12.  Almost all of the farming villages of Benguet are damaged.

We do not know till when is this situation.  But knowing how ineffective, insensitive and irresponsive our government is, we already have to brace ourselves for an indefinite period of uncertainty, hence, this letter of appeal.
The affected families and communities need all the assistance they could get to be able to start anew, the soonest possible time. We need help for immediate relief.  We also appeal for anything you could extend for rebuilding our homes and our lives.

Thank you so much for whatever you could extend.