UN appeals to send aid to Filipino typhoon victims

The United Nations has appealed for $65 million in emergency aid for millions of victims of a typhoon that hit the southern Philippines last week. At least 647 people have been killed with 780 still missing.

The $65 million (50.3 million euros) action plan for recovery from Typhoon Bopha would "deliver urgently needed food, water and emergency shelter and other urgent assistance to 480,000 seriously affected people in the worst-hit areas," the UN's Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
The plan would also help rehabilitate the agricultural sector, a key industry among millions in the southern region of Mindanao, where the storm made landfall Tuesday.
"Farmers in Mindanao, one of the poorest areas in the Philippines, have seen their crops devastated," the office said. "In an area highly dependent on subsistence agriculture, thousands are now completely unable to provide for their families."
Luiza Carvalho, UN humanitarian coordinator, who visited the affected areas, said Bopha's impact as "beyond imagination."
She described "areas which have been completely devastated, with only a few damaged buildings still standing. Debris from houses, buildings, landslides and logs. Entire plantations wiped out."
A third of the country's banana harvest was destroyed, leaving tens of thousands of plantation workers without an immediate source of income, according to industry officials.
More than 5 million people were affected by Bopha's onslaught, according to the Philippines' Office of Civil Defense.
The typhoon destroyed 81,000 houses and more than 300,000 survivors face months of sheltering in crowded government gyms and schools as officials look for safe places to build new homes.

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Marquez Knocks Manny Pacquiao Out Cold in Six

MGM Grand, Las Vegas - Juan Manuel Marquez (55-6-1, 40KOs) knocked Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38KOs) out cold in the sixth round of their fourth and likely final battle. Their first fight, in 2004, ended in a twelve round draw, with Pacquiao winning close controversial decisions in 2008 and 2011.

Marquez looked stronger, but Pacquiao was quicker and may have done enough to grab the first round. Pacquiao certainly grabbed the second with quicker, accurate punches.

In the third round, Marquez made the pro-Mexican arena explode when he landed a huge right hand that put Pacquiao down on his back. Pacquiao appeared to recover well and traded punches with Marquez at the bell. It was the first time Pacquiao was "dropped legit" since he was a flyweight.

Pacquiao boxed well in the fourth, but Marquez may have stolen it close at the end with a flurry of shots.

In the fifth we saw a classic. It was Pacquiao who returned the favor with a huge left hand that made Marquez go down due to his glove touching the mat to hold himself up. Following that, Marquez landed a massive right, but Pacquiao took it and kept coming. Pacquiao then hurt Marquez again and went for the finish, and the two boxers stood toe to toe - exchanging huge punches with Pacquiao getting the better of the action.

Marquez's face was falling apart in the sixth round. It appeared that he was getting busted up but then a counter hook to Pacquiao's jaw knocked him out cold in the final ten seconds. Pacquiao fell flat on his face, wasn't moving and the fight was waved off.

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Pacquiao vs Marquez Weigh-In: Where Pac-Man and Dinamita Stand

Manny Pacquiao weighed in at the maximum weight, while Juan Manuel Marquez came in a few pounds less.

A capacity crowd of 5,500 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas watched the two rivals step onto the scale and jump the last hurdle prior to Dec. 8's fourth and final showdown.

Pacquiao, 34, weighed in at 147 pounds and Marquez, 39, weighed in four pounds less, at 143 pounds.

Marquez’s lean and muscular physique has drawn concerns from Freddie Roach, Pacquaio’s trainer.

"I asked Manny to do a drug test for this fight because I believe that Marquez is a much bigger person now—and I'm not sure exactly how he is getting there,'' Roach said, according to Jon Saraceno of USA TODAY Sports.

Roach later retracted those comments on Dec. 7, claiming he was “just joking,” according to Saraceno.
Weight has been a continual issue of dispute for Pacquiao when inking fights.

Before his last bout, Pac-Man tried to get Miguel Cotto to come down to the 147-pound welterweight limit, but the fighter balked and accepted an offer from Floyd Mayweather to fight him instead at a higher limit.
Eventually, Timothy Bradley moved up to Pacquiao's desired weight group and beat the champion by a split decision.

Dinamita and Pac-Man have both been through it all in their careers, as well as against one another. In each of their three previous head-to-head fights, they have fought at different weight limits. Although, their previous bout was fought at the same limit.

Before the pair’s most recent bout on Nov. 11, 2011, Pac-Man weighed in at just 143 pounds, while Marquez came in at 142.
Even though this will be the fourth and final installment of this series, this fight will not definitely result in defining who the better fighter is. That is, unless one of them decisively finishes the fight or knocks out the other.

Any type of doubt or uncertainty as a result of another controversial decision would send Marquez home from Vegas disappointed for a fourth time.

He looks in prime shape, though, and as ready as he will ever be in his final shot at taking down Pacquaio once and for all.

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Pablo' death toll rises to 456

MANILA, Philippines – The official death toll from typhoon "Pablo" (international codename, Bopha) is now at 456, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Friday.
The NDRRMC said the figure is expected to rise further with some 533 still missing.
At least 445 people were also reported injured.
More than 200 died in Compostela Valley, whose towns of New Bataan and Monkayo were heavily devastated by flashfloods and mudslides.
Meanwhile, at least 132 were reported dead in Davao Oriental, where the typhoon's eye first landed on Tuesday.
Most of the missing persons were reported in Compostela Valley, particularly in New Bataan, which remains covered in mud after rain water gushed down from the mountains.
Of the total number of fatalities, 110 in New Bataan remain unidentified; 27 in Boston, Davao Oriental; 21 in Compostela, Compostela Valley; 10 in Montevista, Compostela Valley; and 9 in Caraga, Davao Oriental.
The typhoon also affected at least 5.14 million people in 11,862 barangays, with over 306,000 taking shelter in evacuation centers.
'Pablo' too strong
Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon said the immense strength of Pablo rendered their preparations useless.
"Talagang intensive ang aming orientation, dissemination [ng information] and all - even up to the last day, even up to the last moment… we re able to identify all the sites for evacuation," she told radio dzMM.
"Kahit ano pa palang preparasyon mo, marami pa rin things that are not within your control. Pablo was so strong for us," she added.
Compostela Valley Governor Arturo Uy, meanwhile, said he may have to ask President Benigno Aquino III for assistance in the province's rebuilding efforts.
Uy also appealed for more aid, particularly food, clean water, shelter and medical provisions.
The NDRRMC pegged the damaged from the typhoon at P4 billion.
So far, 26 municipalities and four provinces have declared a state of calamity.

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TYPHOON “PABLO” UPDATE

At 2:00 p.m. today, 08 December 2012, Typhoon "PABLO" was located at 250 km West of Vigan, Ilocos Sur (17.4°N, 117.9°E).

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Aquino pressed anew to certify RH bill as urgent

MANILA, Philippines — Without being certified as urgent by President Benigno Aquino III, House majority leader Neptali Gonzales II said that it was unlikely that they will be able to approve the Reproductive Health Bill within the week.
“If we want this to be transmitted to the Senate before we adjourn, the best chance is for it to be certified as urgent by the President,” Gonzales told reporters during a media forum on Tuesday, stressing that they have only eight session days left before they go on Christmas break,
More delays were seen as legislators against the Reproductive Health Bill made good on their vow to scrutinize the amendments to the measure line by line, starting on Monday when they began with the process of deliberating on individual amendments. The substitute version has 27 pages and lawmakers have so far tackled line 2 on its second page.
“I believe in my heart that the President should certify this. It will give a boost to have it certified but we leave that to the President,” said Gonzales.
If certified as an urgent measure, the RH Bill can be voted on third reading after it is passed on second reading, disregarding the three-day rule. Measures not certified as urgent cannot be deliberated until three days have passed after its second reading.
Aquino had met with some 170 legislators over lunch on Monday to discuss the fate of the RH Bill, urging them to put the measure to a vote. The President also said that if he were to vote he would vote for the passage of the measure.
Gonzales said that it was up to their members how they would interpret the President’s statement.
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, the main proponent of the RH Bill, said that the President’s words were unmistakably an endorsement for the bill while for Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat Jr. the personal appeal was even stronger than a certification as urgent.
Despite the absence of a certification from the President, Gonzales said they would continue pushing for the RH Bill.
He pointed out that even though the antis were persistent “somebody has to give later on. Hindi ko lang alam sino ang bibigay (I don’t know who will give in).”
Lagman has earlier called on fellow lawmakers not to abuse nominal voting on the RH Bill which the antis insisted on during Monday’s session. Gonzales said, however, that the reason he allowed such method was to find out where they stood on the RH Bill.
The House of Representatives is expected to resume tackling individual amendments to the measure once it resumes session at 4 p.m.
 By Karen Boncocan
INQUIRER.net

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52 dead as typhoon Bopha lashes Philippines

Manila: A typhoon slammed into the southern Philippines on Tuesday, setting off a mudslide that killed 44 people, tearing up trees, causing floods and forcing thousands to flee their homes to emergency shelters.

Typhoon Bopha, the strongest storm to hit the country this year, killed at least 52 people in total after making landfall on the east coast of Mindanao island at dawn, packing winds of 210 kilometres (130 miles) an hour.

A mudslide in a mountainous area near an army patrol base in New Bataan town killed 43 civilians and a soldier, and injured more than two dozen others, local military spokesman Lyndon Paniza told reporters by telephone.
An ABS-CBN television reporter said she counted the bodies laid out in a government building that was converted into a temporary mortuary.

An army truck laden with soldiers and civilians was swept away in a flash flood that hit the town, a local official reported earlier.

The typhoon brought driving rain and strong winds to Mindanao, toppling trees and power lines, causing localised flooding and forcing more than 56,000 to seek refuge in emergency shelters, the civil defence office said.

Winds blew roofs off buildings and residents of coastal and low-lying communities moved into shelters as floods hit, residents and AFP reporters said.

Television footage showed logs being swept down a river, utility workers cutting up fallen trees that were blocking highways, and people lying on mats and cardboard sheets on the concrete floors of gyms turned into shelters.

People living in the path of the storm did what they could to protect their homes and possessions.

"We have taken our pigs and chickens inside our house because their shed might be destroyed," said shopkeeper Marianita Villamor, 46, from the southern farming town of San Fermin.

In Cagayan de Oro city, where giant waves crashed down on the shoreline, mayor Vicente Emano told ABS-CBN that police rounded up all residents in low-lying areas and moved them to government shelters.

In Tagum city, hotel waiter Edgie Atilano, 23, said he and his family hunkered down in their home as Bopha bore down.

"At 3:00 am, we were woken by strong rain and howling winds. Trees and branches started snapping off near the house," said the father-of-two.

"This is my first time to experience a strong typhoon. It was a bit scary."

As well as the 44 killed in New Bataan, officials said there were eight other confirmed deaths, all but one of them occurring on Mindanao, with three of the victims crushed by falling trees.

Four fishermen were also reported missing off Mindanao's east coast, said Freddie Bendulo, planning and development officer of Davao Oriental province.

By early evening the weakened typhoon was streaking across the Sulu Sea, having changed course westward in the afternoon after briefly threatening the central tourist islands of Bohol, Cebu and Negros, the state weather service said.

It was heading toward the north tip of the western island of Palawan and the South China Sea beyond.

A total of 146 flights to and from Mindanao and the central islands had been grounded since Monday night and more than 3,000 ferry passengers were stranded as vessels were ordered to stay in port, according to a civil defence update.

Large parts of Mindanao, which is not normally hit by typhoons, were still without electricity on Tuesday night, it added.

Typhoon Bopha comes after tropical storm Washi hit Mindanao in December last year, killing more than 1,200 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. 

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