|
IBON Media Release / 3 October 2009
ONDOY PUSHES AT LEAST 206,000 FAMILIES INTO SEVERE DIFFICULTY,
LONG-TERM POVERTY
Small entrepreneurs lose P47.3 million income daily, P2.7 billion in
capital
Tropical storm Ondoy could cause lasting poverty and severe difficulties
for at least 206,000 families in the National Capital Region (NCR),
Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions, says research group IBON Foundation.
Even as the government downplays the long-term impact on the economy as a
whole, there are going to be severe effects especially on the poorest
urban and rural households.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) estimates 629,466
affected families with 3,084,997 individuals as of early morning October
2, 2009. Over 98% of these families and individuals are from NCR, Central
Luzon and Calabarzon. There is still no detailed data available of the
profile of the victims whether from the government, private sector or
civil society groups. However initial estimates can be made by using
region-wide occupation and income profiles from the latest Family Income
and Expenditure Survey (FIES) of 2006 and applying these to the NDCC’s
estimates of affected families.
In the three most affected regions, around 134,839 families relying mainly
on entrepreneurial income (i.e. vendors, sari-sari store owners, jeepney
and tricycle drivers, etc.) be driven into poverty upon the catastrophic
loss of their means of livelihood. They are mainly in Calabarzon (79,633)
followed by Central Luzon (36,731) and NCR (18,475). Materials,
appliances, stocks, inventories and other goods could have suffered water
damage if not outright swept away. These families may be suffering P47.3
million in foregone income every day, aside from having to face the
problem of how to recover perhaps P2.7 billion in capital lost (assuming
an average loss of P20,000 worth of capital per family).
In addition could be some 70,618 affected families earning wages and
salaries less than P100,000 annually in Calabarzon (43,132), Central Luzon
(22,366), and NCR (5,120). These are families who were trying to survive
on some P8,300 per month before the storm struck and, even assuming that
their incomes are maintained, now face the heavy burden of reconstructing
their lives and homes. They will face greatly increased expenses for
housing, housing repair, medical care, education, and personal effects.
Among the critical spending they may be forced to cut back on to
accommodate these is on food with corresponding adverse nutritional and
health implications.
These are likely conservative estimates in being based on region-wide FIES
data. The number of families losing entrepreneurial income is probably
much higher. Among the most affected areas are urban poor communities
which have high concentrations of informal sector work and, hence, of
families in insecure and particularly vulnerable livelihoods. Likewise
with the number of adversely affected low-wage and low-salary families
which is probably much higher. “Wages and salaries” from employment in the
FIES is not necessarily stable and includes compensation even in kind,
even from occasional or seasonal work, and whether in agriculture or
non-agriculture industries.
According to the research group, government must be held accountable for
all these lost incomes and livelihoods. The disaster was triggered by the
unexpectedly heavy rainfall but magnified many times over by state neglect
of urban planning and infrastructure—of which the poor bear the worst
human and social costs.
The rains would not have been as devastating for so many if it had acted
responsibly, implemented genuine urban planning, and built proper flood
infrastructure. The paltry response after the disaster only worsened an
already severe situation. (end)
IBON Foundation, Inc. is an independent development institution
established in 1978 that provides research, education, publications,
information work and advocacy support on socioeconomic issues.
|
 |
 |
 |
IBON Media Release / 2 October
2009
WHERE DID ODA FOR DISASTER RELIEF GO?
Group urges aid for relief be channeled through CSOs instead of gov’t
Research group IBON asks how aid for disaster relief given by donor
governments was spent, in the face of the administration’s apparent lack
of disaster preparedness and response when tropical storm Ondoy hit Luzon
last week.
The Philippine government for instance received almost US$1 million in
2006 for reconstruction relief and rehabilitation. In 2007, it also
received US$8.5 million in commitments for humanitarian aid, of which
US$6.6 million was allotted for disaster preparedness and prevention, and
US$1.9 million for emergency response.
Given the allegations of rampant corruption in government and past
irregularities in the aid process, the group expressed concern that
disaster relief aid could have been misspent and used for personal gain.
With the influx of the relief assistance from different donor countries
for Ondoy victims through government channels, now estimated at about
US$4.8 million, IBON cautions the possibility that these funds may again
be unaccounted for.
IBON, a convenor of the national aid network AidWatch Philippines, urged
donors that instead of coursing aid for relief assistance through
government channels, they should help strengthen the role of
community-based civil society organizations (CSOs)-- which have the
capacity, commitment, and effectiveness-- in providing disaster relief.
IBON adds that government agencies and other standing quasi-government
bodies like the Red Cross have organizational limits in reaching
communities to provide relief. Community-based CSOs as well as people’s
groups, on the other hand, are in a good position to distribute relief
given their reach and awareness of the actual needs of communities. They
have the advantage of having a deeper grounding of grassroots
organizations in poor urban and rural communities, which allows a greater
sense of ownership over relief efforts and sustainability of
rehabilitation work.
Community-based CSOs especially those with a longstanding track record of
serving grassroots communities can be trusted more that aid for disaster
relief will indeed reach areas that need it most. (end)
IBON Foundation, Inc. is an independent development institution
established in 1978 that provides research, education, publications,
information work and advocacy support on socioeconomic issues.
|
|
Donor’s tax hit: Bayan says
Arroyo administration milking donations for Ondoy victims
Press release
October 5, 2009
Donor’s tax hit
Bayan says Arroyo administration milking donations for Ondoy victims
Multi-sectoral group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) hit the Arroyo
administration for milking private donations intended for victims of
tropical storm “Ondoy” through a “donor’s tax” of as much as 15 percent.
At present, only cash donations that go to the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) are tax-free while cash donations to
privately-led groups conducting relief efforts for Ondoy victims are
charged with taxes of two to 15% for donations worth P100,000 to P10
million, according to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Goods donated
for relief efforts also go through the DSWD for them to be duty free.
Bayan said that many non-government groups have launched relief drives
that augmented the severely wanting initiatives of government in aiding
families displaced by Ondoy.
“We join the call of overseas Filipinos and our foreign friends for
donation rules to be eased and that donations to victims should be tax
free. There is no sense in having to tax items that are intended for
victims, especially when the government itself cannot even provide all the
needs of the victims. Government should not be profiting from the relief
efforts via taxes,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
“There is also the proposal to have alternative channels for the shipment
of goods, not just through the Department of Social Welfare and
Development. Other accredited institutions should be given the leeway to
receive goods directly, tax free,” he added.
Bayan noted that many relief and emergency aid are usually channeled
through non-government groups, which in most cases are more prompt and
efficient than government in relief operations for disaster and calamity
victims.
“The DSWD is not the only one conducting relief operations. There are many
institutions and organizations currently engaged in relief work and are in
dire need of supplies and funds which they cannot easily get because of
the rules being imposed by Malacanang,” Reyes said.
Based on reports from its affiliates abroad, Bayan said that so many
balikbayan boxes have already been collected in the US that they now need
to ship these to the Philippines but are skeptical of going through the
DSWD.
“Why would you want your donation to be repacked and placed in a plastic
bag that says “Tulong Mula kay GMA”? That would be a turn-off for some
donors,” Reyes said.
Bayan said that in the wake of Ondoy, government should at least be
sensitive in these times of extreme difficulties facing the country and
stop collecting these taxes. It does not help that corruption and wasteful
spending have persisted throughout the term of the Arroyo administration,
further making the imposition of taxes more onerous and oppressive for the
Filipino people. #
|
 |
 |
September 28, 2009
For immediate release
BAYAN Canada appeals for help for Typhoon Ondoy victims
BAYAN Canada and all its allied organizations appeals to Canadians,
especially to the Filipino-Canadian community to join “Bayanihan para sa
Sambayanan” (Peoples Cooperation for People) relief efforts for tropical
storm “Ondoy” victims, which battered Metro Manila and nearby provinces on
September 26 and left over 140 people dead and thousands of submerged
houses and damages properties.
Member organizations of BAYAN Canada have begun with its BALSA or
“Bayanihan para sa Sambayanan” efforts by collecting financial support for
the relief efforts in the Philippines. BALSA is a BAYAN-initiated network
put up more than 10 years ago to concentrate on relief for victims of
natural and man-made disasters in the Philippines.
Filipino-Canadian elected officials from Winnipeg to Vancouver have
already solicited the support of their provincial governments and are now
preparing to mobilize broader Canadian support for the victims of Ondoy.
Meanwhile, Filipino-Canadian church people have also called on their
communities to donate what they can.
Migrante International on the other hand, calls for the “bayanihan”
(cooperation and unity) spirit of all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
Administered by the Migrante Sectoral Partylist (MSP), operation "Sagip-Migrante"
(migrant rescue) is helping to facilitate the smooth remittance of the
relief funds and goods to the right people. OFWs are called modern-day
heroes for the billions of dollars they remit to their homeland in support
of their families. The ability of OFW’s to collect donations for the
victims of Typhoon Ondoy will go a long way in combating the disease,
hunger and displacement due to the aftermath of the floods.
Unlike the Philippine government’s slow response to the disaster,
Filipinos in Canada are getting organized while material support for the
flood victims have begun to flow as fast as the flood waters rose.
Receding flood waters expose more than the dead
Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) brought rains of 341 millimetres (mm)
in the first six hours that it struck Metropolitan Manila on Saturday,
breaking the highest 24-hour rainfall of 334 mm in Metropolitan Manila in
June 1967, according to the Philippines’ weather forecasting bureau. In
comparison, Hurricane Katrina dumped 250 mm of rain on New Orleans in
2005.
North American reports say that at least 140 persons were killed and
nearly 450,000 families were displaced by massive flooding, but these
numbers are rising while the storm flood itself begins to recede. The
receding waters are also exposing the inadequacy of the Philippine
government in its capacity to respond to these natural and man-made
disasters.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has only thirteen rubber boats to
respond to the thousands of cries for help from people who were stuck on
rooftops for over twelve hours under the cold and rain, without food. The
Philippine government doesn’t even have radar for the weather bureau to
accurately indicate the amount of rainfall of the said typhoon.
The tens of thousands of US dollars spent on Arroyo’s dinner forays with
her entourage in Washington DC and New York earlier this summer could have
been more wisely spent on much needed rescue equipment.
Where to give help
You can connect your local church effort with the churches in the
Philippines, particularly through the National Council of Churches of the
Philippines (http://www.nccphilippines.org/) who have been consistent in
ensuring that help gets to those who need it the most.
The Philippine Solidarity Network in Canada has been a long-time partner
of the NCCP and other Philippine organizations, especially in its work
around Human Rights in the Philippines. The PSNC national coordinator,
Malcolm Guy, can be reached in Montreal at (514) 574-9906 or email him at
capcpc@web.ca.
People can get in touch with the following BAYAN Canada and Migrante
organizations through the following contacts:
BAYAN Canada at bayan.canada.noc@gmail.com
Migarante International Canadian chapter at migrantecanada@gmail.com
Migrante Sectoral Party coordinator in Canada, Jonathan Canchela at (647)
833-1023 or email at migrantepartylist.toronto@gmail.com
BAYAN Canada contacts in major Canadian cities:
Montreal
Joey Calugay, cell (514) 947-3662
Ottawa
Yasmeen Maryam, cell (613) 558-1625
Toronto
Diwa Marcelino, cell (416) 809-3492
Winnipeg
Jomay Amora-Mercado, cell (204) 509-2491
Red Deer
Aubrey Makilan, (403) 392-7178
Vancouver
Beth Dollaga, (604) 320-0285
--------------------------------------------------------------------
CAP-CPC supports BAYAN
Canada call to help Typhoon Ondoy victims
You have undoubtedly seen the
amazing images of the destruction and death in the Philippines that has
resulted from Typhoon Ondoy. The Centre d'appui aux Philippines / Centre
for Philippine Concerns (CAPCPC) deplores the deaths and offers its
condoleances to the families of the victims. We join with our friends at
BAYAN Canada and Migrante organizations in Montreal and across the country
to request your help for the victims, who have been abandoned by their own
government.
As a member of the Philippine Solidarity Network in Canada (PSNC), CAP-CPC
has been a long-time partner of the National Council of the Churches in
the Philippines (NCCP) and other Philippine organizations which are
mobilizing relief activities for the victims.
If you have suggestions or questions, please contact the PSNC national
coordinator, Malcolm Guy, in Montreal at +1 514 574-9906 or email him at
capcpc[at]web[dot]ca
Where to give help
You can connect your local church effort with the churches in the
Philippines, particularly through the National Council of Churches of the
Philippines who have been consistent in ensuring that help gets to those
who need it the most.
People can get in touch with the following BAYAN Canada and Migrante
organizations through the following contacts:
BAYAN Canada at bayan.canada.noc[at]gmail[dot]com
Migarante International Canada chapter at migrantecanada[at]gmail[dot]com
Migrante Sectoral Party coordinator in Canada, Jonathan Canchela at +1 647
833-1023 or email at migrantepartylist.toronto[at]gmail[dot]com
BAYAN Canada contacts in major Canadian cities:
Montreal – Joey Calugay, cell +1 514 947-3662
Ottawa – Yasmeen Maryam, cell +1 613 558-1625
Toronto – Diwa Marcelinoo, cell +1 416 809-3492
Winnipeg – Jomay Amora-Mercado, cell +1 204 509-2491
Vancouver – Beth Dollaga, +1 604 320-0285
For more information please read the press communique from BAYAN Canada:
http://byncan.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/bayan-canada-appeals-for-help-for-typhoon-ondoy-victims/
Also see: Various progressive groups in Philippines launch Ondoy relief
operations: BULATLAT
____________________________________________________
Centre d'appui aux Philippines / Centre for Philippine Concerns (CAP-CPC)
25 ans de solidarité / 25 years of solidarity
6420 Victoria Avenue, Suite #9,
Montréal, Québec, Canada
H3W 2S7
Tel: +1 514 342-2111
mailto:capcpc@web.ca
http://cap-cpc.blogspot.com/
Member - International League of Peoples' Struggle / La ligue
international de luttes des peuples (ILPS)
http://ilps-canada.typepad.com
Associate member - International Migrants' Alliance / Alliance
internationale des migrants (IMA)
http://imacanada.blogspot.com/
|
