@Rona Y – I think you have to take those articles with a grain of salt as both the writers and international aid workers are witnessing the Philippine experience through western eyes. It is what it is. The important thing is that relief is moving forward. If someone on the releif teams is complaining about the conditions, then, quite frankly, shouldn’t be there. That’s what they signed up for.

At the same time, for banalities that you have cited in the articles above, there is one from this afternoon that shines light on the Pinoy spirit. Although I’m a jaded Filipino-American, this article made me smile (knowing the bewilderment and then ah-hah moment of the writer…haha…good for him!): https://news.yahoo.com/signs-life-amid-misery-reveal-filipinos-spirit-114515213.html

I think for us here in the west, we can learn a little bit from that.

here’s one that might interest you – some things ‘to do’ https://www.gk1world.com
i’m sure readers here have more suggestions.

and many thanks to you.

its hard to find the appropriate words for this desaster and all the affected people
im terribly sorry for all !

done some donating via redcross from over here but is there something to do or bring with me when going to manila?
are there any places in manila where donations can be brought to – either money, clothes or other goods in need ?

best wishes to all !!
udo

I’d be interested to hear your views on what could be done differently in the future, I know people underestimated the storm despite the warnings but it’s clear there are many ways things could be handled better. I wonder if encouraging smaller local aid initiatives like yours is a way to handle events like this in the future, rather than the monolithic international aid.

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/world/asia/access-to-medical-care-philippines.html

“The most chaotic scenes continued to be in Tacloban itself, the provincial capital of Leyte Island. A large freight truck with soldiers aboard parked at 2 p.m. on Monday on the main coastal road in Tacloban to distribute four-pound sacks of rice to each household in the neighborhood, only to have an often unruly crowd form. Many young people cut in line, and some came back again and again. ”

and

” ‘The people with sepsis died before we got here,” said Dr. Peter Kaup, an anesthesiologist with the I.S.A.R. Germany team. “It was complicated to get here.’

Medical care is finally beginning to improve nearly a week and a half since the typhoon struck the east-central Philippines, with 62 foreign or Filipino medical teams now working in areas with the most damage. ”

(I wish Dr. Kaup had expounded on his comment that “It was complicated to get here.” What were the complications and why did they arise?)

Also, from https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/philippine-corruption-magnifies-effects-of-typhoon-haiyan-1.1547892

“When a newspaper for Filipino workers in New Zealand told readers how to donate to the typhoon relief effort in their homeland, it mentioned agencies like the Red Cross but not a list of government bank accounts that the Philippine Embassy had sent over.

“I’m not going to mince words,” said Mel Fernandez, the editorial adviser for the Filipino Migrant News. “We would like every cent to reach those poor people there rather than getting waylaid.”

Corruption is a concern after any major natural disaster, as millions of dollars in cash and goods rush in from around the world. But those worries are especially acute in the Philippines, where graft has been a part of life for decades.”

(The above is something that I believe needs to be addressed–not just in regards to this particular event, but as a whole.)