I just want to share the touching story of Tatay Ricardo Artiago, a taxi driver in Manila who came from Tacloban city, Leyte. Thanks for the touching story. Credits to Ronjo Solis.

Here's the story. (*full article source from Ronjo Solis)

[Update as of 2013Nov20, 2330H]

Just met tatay Ricardo Artiaga. Taxi driver here in Manila who came from Tacloban.
He apologized for having swollen eyes since he was crying for the last two days - he was not able to get in touch with his family, children and grandchildren eversince Yolanda came.

He told me that his other child here in Manila already checked the list of survivors from ABSCBN and GMA7 but was not able to find in the list any member of his family. He plans to go back this Sunday to Tacloban to check the area since it may really take quite sometime to have a comprehensive list of survivors.

From there I figured that there's a reason why I was moved to take the cab instead of taking the train going back to Makati and why I had spare money in my wallet. I immediately asked manong to take me to the nearest market. And from there I got him a phone/charger, bought a Smart SIM card and loaded it with credit good enough for a week. The lady storeowner who found out my cause also donated a pair of slippers to manong.

When we arrived at Makati, before alighting I handed him over the phone and slippers [and told him to use the phone so he could get in touch with his kid here in Manila when he gets to Tacloban and also so I could get in touch with him just in case I find something about his family]. I was telling myself "Ronjo utang na loob wag kang iiyak." But manong broke down already. And shet I broke down as well.

He was thanking me and was thanking the Lord. But honestly deep in my heart I knew that I should be even more thankful because we are all spared here in Manila.

I am sharing you guys this experience because I want to remind everyone to have a little more push and to be more selfless when giving. Do not just give anything you have in excess. The families in Tacloban and Visayas have lost EVERYTHING. What's a little sacrifice from our own wallets and savings?

So when the time comes you have an opportunity to give, I say go and seize the moment. Lord has blessed you to have an opportunity to bless others - let's do our best to make the most out of our chance to be a blessing to others.

ps:
He's planning to go to Tacloban this Sunday, Nov17.
(bus fee is 1600 one way, he said.) (for those who are planning to go to Tacloban on the same day maybe you could give him a ride )
Smart Number: 09183455547

--and for those who are actively participating in relief operations, maybe you could help me check if his family is doing well in the province.
Wife's Name: Lucia Artiaga
Address: 94 Anibong, Rawis, Tacloban City Leyte

psps: He had very little sleep for the last few days as he's overcome by worry. The reason why he's working right now is for him to be able to save up for his travel so he could bring something home.

pspsps: Please help me pray for his family and the rest of our fellows in Visayas.

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[Update as of 2013Nov16, 2330H]
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--a very kind soul has arranged tatay Ricardo's transportation..
--Tatay Ricardo and his daughter are expected to be in Tacloban by tomorrow morning, 2013Nov17.
--there will be a couple of people accompanying tatay during his trip as well!!
-- There were a lot of people who offered to help tatay Ricardo! (the figures are overwhelming. Help literally came from all parts of the world)

--and perhaps the best news I got for today came from her daughter who messaged me a couple of moments ago:
"oo nga po pla may gud news po pala ako,,knina po tumawag na po sa akin c mama...sa waks at nakatawag po cla masayang masaya po ako ng ok cla duon...dibale ng nawala ang mga bahay nila basta wag lng ang buhay..."

"..nakwento nya pa po na muntikan na clang mamatay duon mabuti at nakakkapit daw po xa sa puno ng mangga.."

(i literally cried after reading the text)


Mga kapatid, maraming salamat po sa mga nagdasal para kay tatay at para sa pamilya niya. This is a miracle indeed. And without everyone's prayers and effort to extend aid to him, things would have been totally different right now.

At this moment I am reaffirmed that there will always be reason to hope. And more importantly a reason to believe that the spirit of generosity, charity, and love will always be a part of every Filipino's heart.

Tatay Carding is just one of the many kapatids who needs our support. Let us not get tired and doubtful when extending our help to everyone who needs it.

ps: please continue to pray for him and our friends in Visayas.

psps: the one who took care of tatay's transportation from Manila to the province is a government officer <-- let me say thank you very much for your humility, generosity, and kindness.

pspsps: thank you for staying with tatay. God bless!

[edit] tatay Carding told me that the money he got from all who supported will be used to help move the other survivors to a different location. I 100000% trust tatay's words.


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[Update as of 2013Nov20, 2330H]
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--sorry for the late post.
--hi guys, tatay was able to meet his family last Sunday 2013Nov17. finally
--his wife and kids in Tacloban were able to make it through the typhoon by hanging on to a tree. (This is indeed a miracle. if their strength wavered even for a second, or if the storm got even a little stronger, or if the branch got weaker and snapped, or if any object that was drifting smashed through, then we wouldn't be witnessing tatay Ricardo and his family's reunion.)
--They were able to make it back home in QC last Monday, 2013Nov18 by riding the C3. (they fell in line sunday night)

Many many many thanks for those who have prayed for manong. And if not for everyone's effort in spreading tatay's news, his story right now would have not been the same -- the people who extended their help and prayers would not have been able to do so, and media men would not be there to accompany and protect tatay Ricardo in his journey. Maraming maraming maraming salamat po.

Let us always keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open - there are many many other tatay Cardings and fellow Filipinos who are very much needy of our help. God bless and Merry Christmas!

 A no-touch policy for relief goods among any Philippine politicians against Yolanda’s Victim relief. Photo above of Vice President J. Binay with the two security armies as VP Binay tried to enter to a restricted area of (United Nations) UN Humanitarian Relief Centre,

 

A very imbarrasing- What Phil government do during a Tragedy
This is real!

An article source from CNN

Dear people of the world,

While we are all busy helping out the sorry victims of super typhoon Haiyan, guess what Filipino politicians and government officials, from the President all the way down the their ward leaders are doing?

I got these photos from various sources in the Philippines. It seems like their President, Benigno Aquino, their Vice President, Jejomar Binay, the lady journalist and wife of that country's Interior Minister who clashed with Anderson recently, Korina Sanches, and others are busy positioning themselves for elections there. In the midst of chaos and despair, they have the guts to shamelessly display their true political colors. Talk about corrupt politicians and their wives taking advantage of the dead and the injured, and the outpouring of aid into the country to advance their political causes.




What is more appalling is that Filipinos are paying a blind eye on this fact. I understand that they are busy helping out their countrymen but their eerie silence while looking at their aid and money being stolen away by their corrupt leaders is amazing. What is even more incredible is that Filipinos even have the guts to defend their leaders here despite the glaring acts of corruption being all around them.

I commend the United Nations for taking steps forward by preventing the Filipino government officials and politicians from directly accessing all forms of aid to the typhoon victims. I humbly suggest that this action should be further widened by totally denying them access to funds and the UN, backed up by soldiers from the US and other countries, handling reconstruction and relief efforts on its own. Such act is our only guarantee that the aid that we are giving to the Philippines will benefit Haiyan's victims and not the corrupt politicians and officials and their allies and apologists.

The world must see these images to enlighten us on how the Philippines really operates as a country and society. Thank you CNN and others in the international press for telling the truth about that country and for caring about typhoon victims. You are the only shield that they have against their leaders.

A prophet named Sadhu telling that there will be having a big strom that will hit Samar and Leyte Island. The video was uploaded last April, 2013. Is this a real prophet or it's just a coincidence?








Watch the whole clip.

Top foreign journalists led by CNN’s Anderson Cooper who flew to Tacloban City to report on the devastation wrought by typhoon Yolanda criticized the government for moving too slowly to bring aid to victims.

In his Twitter account, Cooper said: “”It looks like the end of the world, for many here it was…The people in Tacloban have great dignity and deserve better than what they have gotten”.

“The search and rescue never materialized.. There is no real evidence of organized recovery or relief,” Cooper said in another tweet.

Cooper also tweeted saying it’s not clear who is in charge and that he has not seen a large Philippine military presence nor food and heavy machineries to turn things around.

He said: “”They are saying ‘I need food and water, why are there still bodies?’”

In his on-air comments, Cooper described the situation in the battered city as “miserable,” observing that the government had not even set up a feeding center five days after the storm struck.

The veteran CNN journalist also noted in one of his tweets that “Haiyan’s youngest victims are also some of the most vulnerable.”

Cooper contrasted the slow action in Tacloban to the swift response of the Japanese government during the tsunami in 2011.

“When I was in Japan, right after the tsunami there two years ago, within a day or two, you had Japanese defense forces going out, carving up cities into grids and going out on foot looking for people, walking through the wreckage. We have not seen that here in any kind of large-scale operation,” Cooper said.

Cooper’s tell-it-as-it-is reporting came a day after President Benigno Aquino did an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour where he said the death toll should be around 2,500 and not 10,000 as earlier quoted. As of Wednesday evening, latest data released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed the validated number of fatalities from the monster storm has reached 2,344 already with 3,804 injured and 79 missing. Observers believe the number of deaths will soon exceed the conservative estimate Aquino gave to Amanpour.

CNN’s critical assessment of the government relief efforts dovetailed with observations by local journalists at the scene.

ABS-CBN’s Ted Failon, in his nightly news program TV Patrol, pointed out that most roads in Tacloban City were still littered with bodies and debris, two nights after President Aquino went on the air to report that major roads have had been cleared.

The French news agency AFP reported that thousands of Tacloban residents remained outside the destroyed airport hoping to fly out of the city.

ABS-CBN’s radio and TV news anchor, Korina Sanchez, meanwhile made a remark in her program that Cooper doesn’t know what he is talking about.This triggered an avalanche of angry comments directed to Sanchez, with many questioning her credibility for being the wife of Interior Sec. Mar Roxas who was among the officials supposedly on top of the situation in the typhoon-ravaged provinces. Those who commented also pointed to the fact that Sanchez was reporting inside the comforts of the TV network, while Cooper has flown all the way to Tacloban to be on the ground and see with his own eyes the extent of the horror left by Yolanda.

Original Article source: http://www.mb.com.ph

Super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) will be packing maximum sustained winds of around 268 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts reaching 324 kph when it slams into the Samar-Leyte area Friday, the US military's weather bureau said Wednesday.

In comparison, super typhoon Pablo had 259 kph sustained winds and 314 kph gusts when it hit Mindanao in December 2012, according to the Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) run by the US Navy and Air Force.
source abs-cbn