help for ondoy victims

I appeal for your help for our kababayans who were victims of the flood brought by the storm Ondoy (international name: ketsana).



As of this writing there are about 70 people dead and hundreds are still missing... people still needing rescue. please help in any way you can, and let us pray for those who are still in their rooftops and is in need of rescue. :(

There are countless of videos showing the wrath of Ondoy and how pitiful and heartbreaking it is to see our people swept by the flood. here's one video that shows a really disturbing scene where a group of people were swept of the floods in the marikina river and the onlookers cant do anything to help them because the current was too strong.

Here is the latest map that shows where most urgent cases need rescue. if you are near the said areas please try to help or if you know anyone who needs help please do call or inform the following emergency hotlines:

National Disaster Coordinating Committee
911-1406 / 911-1873 / 911-1906 / 911-5061 / 912-0984 / 912-2665 / 912-3046 / 912-5296 / 912-5668

Help hotlines:

734-2118 / 734-2120

Bureau of Fire Protection, National Capital Region
729-5166 / 410-6254 / 413-8859 / 407-1230

Bureau of Fire Protection, Region III (Central Luzon)
Hotline (045) 9634376

Philippine Coast Guard
527-6136

Red Cross
143 / 911-1876 / 527-0000

Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
136 / 896-6000

Taguig emergency hotline
1623

Meralco
16220 / 0917-5592824 / 0920-9292824

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. emergency hotlines
for dumptrucks going to flooded areas for rescue of stranded people:
0917 4226800 / 0917 2414864 / 0927 6751981

Sen. Dick Gordon (Philippine National Red Cross)
Please send address of stranded friends/family to
09178997898 / 0938444BOYS

HOW CAN YOU HELP

YOu can send in your donations in kind or in cash at the following links:

Barriosiete's bayanihan for ondoy victims

ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya

ABS-CBN Hotline: 4163641

Sagip Kapamilya: 4132667 / 4160387

If you want to be a volunteer or want to drop off your donation lease go to #13 Examineer St. Q.C.

Red Cross via PNRC website Hotline: 143 or 5270000

PS. all Ondoy photos posted here are not mine, got it from various FB account, if the photos uploaded are yours, please notify me so i can give proper credit...

PSS. keep on praying and helping

final goodbye

today we say our final goodbye to president corazon aquino, as of writing this the funeral procession is still on its way to her final destination at the manila memorial park, thousands of filipino showed up to show their gratitude and pay their last respect to a great woman. it so heartwarming to see the filipinos as one, untied and patiently waiting, it didn't matter that it was raining, that most haven't eaten yet and has been waiting for hours,... it is really heartwarming to see and be part of this history.

more photos of cory aquino's funeral procession below

please note that the funeral photos i have is only from the cathedral down to quirino, manila... would love to cover and join the funeral procession to manila memorial park but i am too tired alread. sorry.
this is tita cory's coffin about to leave manila cathedral over a shower of yellow confetti, and its so nakakakilabot thearing people chant "cory! cory! cory!" while clapping 

not sure what this girls are but they were lined up together withthe generals and policement in front of the manila cathedral and they were leaving the formation when the truck left.

people flashing the L or laban sign as tita cory's coffin pass them, all the while chanting cory's name.  
someone will just shout cory and other's would follow suit.

the coffin along intramuros on its way to roxas boulevard< its amazing to see and feel the energy of the people, some waving in their self made poster showing how much they love president cory, and maybe their way of saying thank you
it didnt matter that the weather was erratic and it was raining from time to time... and no the flood didn't matter as well, some even just walk barefoot with their slippers hanging on their hand
you can just feel the energy, you wouldnt believe that these people have been waiting for hours, some waving their hands, wearing yellow ribbons, other brought flowers
the crowd is so huge, last estimate they have is about more than 200,000 people 
and yes there were lots of kids, parents who were probably part of the edsa people power revolution in 1986 and wanted to bring their kids and let the future generation show how it was before
and there were balloons... after joining the funeral procession from the manila cathedral to kalaw, i decided to go to quirino lrt station and wait for the convoy there. by the way lrt stations has been playing the tie a yellow ribbon non-stop
the quirino lrt station was already pack with mediamen and people were already patiently waiting and lining the streets... its just amazing.
the crowd at quirino flashing the L sign and cheering as the truck passes by

goodbye tita cory! 

thank you!

“I would rather die a meaningful death than to live a meaningless life.” - Corazon Aquino (1933-2009)

saying goodbye to cory aquino

it is really true that the filipino nation have loved cory aquino... i think she is the only politician aside from her husband, ninoy aquino, whom the filipino people can trust... forget some of the things she ay have done or not done during her six year term as president, but everyone knows that she has integrity and is sincere, that is why even up to now the filipino people look up to her. and most of us would be forever grateful to her greatest legacy.. and that is bringing back democracy to this country... which unfortunately due to greed of power of some, that democracy that she fought for with millions of filipinos during the people power revolution in 1986 is being threatened again, may you keep on praying and guiding this nation tita cory.


anyways here are some of the photos of people who wanted to say their last goodbye and give their thanks to the icon of modern woman considered to be the mother of democracy...


people who are lining up in spite of heat and rain just to see her remains which is currently open for public viewing at la salle greenhills.

the stretch of this line is from the gate 5 of greenhills down to ortigas in edsa...
later this afternoon you would notice that the crowd is getting bigger and the line longer and that it has only become a one lane traffic for vehicles
on monday, the remains of president corazon aquino will be transfered to the manila cathedral for public viewing and the interment will be on wednesday, which was declared as special non working holiday.

more photos here

farewell corazon aquino

a sad day has greeted us this morning with the news that our beloved former president corazon aquino has succumb to the colon cancer that she's been battling for over a year.. it has been expected but the news still brought us sadness and the whole nation is swept with grief over the passing of an icon, the eternal flame that has united filipinos and brought democracy back into this country.  such a sad day indeed! farewell tita cory, thank you so much for everything you've done for our country. 

out of reach

i am temporarily taking a break from blogging...ciao

empty

a night without stars... an empty sky.. joining the CDP theme day.. check out the other bloggers and see how they see empty.  Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

wow balls

wow balls at Mall of Asia (MOA) a chance for kids (yes, its only for kids *sigh*) to play in the water inside a big balloon... a small filled up inflatable pool was set up at moa's bayside and is attracting kids and adults... you can bring your kids and let them try it for 15min and you only have to pay 50pesos... sure looks fun

carriedo at night

carriedo at night... still bustling with activities and lots of vendors.  check out the carriedo scene at daytime, i think the only difference is that they have umbrellas to ward of the scorching sun and occasional rain.

where are thou?

in support to our fellow CDP - Amir of Tehranlive.org - who has been missing since June 17 and is suspected that he was one of many iranians who were arrested during the protests, he has been blogging non stop about the situation in tehran and has captured photos of the demostration which international magazines have published his photos. we want our blogger back.. this is also in recognition of the spirit of iranians who want change and wishing for a better world. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

misterios

"No object is mysterious. The mystery is in your eye."

i heart

"i wonder how many times we have to say goodbye before we finally let go"

catching what?

iris

manila is celebrating its 438th foundation day today and is declared a special non-working day in manila

text

who doesnt know how to send a text or SMS these days? even 5 year old kids know how to text, specially here in the Philippines where texting has become a new form of communication (did you know that philippines is dubbed as the texting capital of the world? LOL) that is how addicted people are into texting that even you leave in the same house, you even text your brother who is in a different room to ask something... so what happened to good old way of communication? texting is helpful in many ways but i think sometime s the use of sms or text has hindered soem in ways of communicating with each other. other problems with texting is that people, especially kids are getting poor in spelling.

well, anyways, as shown in the photo, the old man preferred using his cellphone and text someone instead of calling or using the phone booth beside him. could be one of the reason is that Prepaid Phone Card is cheaper and the cost of texting is only 1 peso, but if you think about it, you can use Phone Cards in calling someone specially the message you need to seen is urgent or important. and it is also a good thing that Calling Cards are now cheap and international rates has dramatically decreased, so calling or texting someone abroad is also affordable now a days.

so what do you prefer? calling or texting?

human statue

these kids really like this human statue at luneta, i cant remember when did i start seeing human statue at the metro but i know that this kind of entertainment have a long history in Europe.  i really do admire the patience and control of living statues and how they can keep their cool

happy father's day

about two sundays ago, i did a half day tour of manila with diwa of http://walkwithyoung.com

one of the places i showed her is Rizal Park or the Luneta, we passed by the rizal park chess plaza and saw this old man competing with a kid and both players looked serious...
by the looks of it, the kid was winning :)  overheard the proud father of the kid that the little girl (i think he said she's about 11 years old) compete for her school, and her father brings her at the chess plaza to find worthy opponents for her which serves as good training for her, and that they travelled far just to go to the place and wake up early.  what father's will do for the love of their kids huh.

happy father's day to my tatay, and to all the loving father's out there.

busa

happy birthday pepe!

Dr. Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal y Alonzo Realonda

June 19, 1861 - December 30, 1896

Remembering the national hero's birthday today. (Photo taken inside the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago)

old house at binondo

a sample of 19th century house at san nicolas area in binondo, where the neighborhood is lined with old houses that withstood the bombing of manila during the world war II... but sad to say it seems that these houses can no longer stood the test of time, due to neglect and/or "progress', meaning torning down the old houses to build buildings. it's just sad to see these beautiful architectures full of history being torn down and left to decay.


a closer look at the photo... it's siesta time i guess ;)

lavezares

Lavezares Street corner Barcelona Street in Binondo. A typical morning street scene in residential areas in Manila, where folks - young or old - gather in the streets and stand by (istambay) with a group of friends and neighbors discussing anything and everything under the sun :)

related post: San Nicolas Distict by Sidney, and Manila's Old World Charm

jaboneros

a street named jaboneros at binondo, this street belong to the old san nicolas area i think.  and the street was called such because it used to be a street for soap makers. what is enchanting about this district is the way they "tiled" the street name and the district is also full of old houses, just too bad that when i visited the area there were two vacant lots where really nice antique houses used to stand.  more of the old street and old house in the succeding posts.

related post: old streets of chinatown

estero fastfood at binondo

Estero Fast Food, Binondo, Manila -- Located along murky canals of Manila's acclaimed Chinatown is a row of eateries known for its authentic yet cheap (and sometimes exotic) Chinese food.

our lady of guadalupe shrine in fort santiago

as mentioned in yesterday's post, that tunnel is the way that will lead to the hidden chapel inside fort santiago - the our lady of guadalupe shrine, a very small and quaint chapel.

Reducto de San Francisco Javier.  This tunnel and ravelin were added in 1773 during renovations in Fort Santiago.  This area protected part of the riverside area and the seashore.  Cannons were placed on platform on top.  Gunpowder and ammunition were stored in chambers below.  This fortification was restored in the 1980s and has been converted into a shrine for the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Enshrined herein is the replica of the image by Juan Diego wherein the tru image of the Blessed Mother was miraculously imprinted before Bishop Zumaraa of Mexico in 1531 and occasioned the instant conversion of natives to Christianity.  A replica was brought to the Philippines in 1565 by Friar Urdaneta in the Legaspi expedition and also occasioned the same instant conversion our Blessed Mother under the title Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared by Pope Pius XI on the 16th of July 1935 as the Heavenly Patroness of the Philippine Islands.  

the way

this is the way to the hidden chapel inside fort santiago - the way to the shrine of our lady of guadalupe