Category: Bloggers

Hanging Out With The Amazing Race Asia 4 Contestants

I’ve been an Amazing Race/Amazing Race Asia fan for as long as I can remember, so you could just imagine how stoked I was to find an invite to meet the members of the two Philippine teams at the National Sports Bar in Greenbelt 3. And yeah, this was going to be a promising evening, […]

Say Goodbye to NU107, part 1 of 2

Yes, you read that correctly.  NU107, the Home of New Rock, that shining bastion of modern rock on Manila FM radio, is signing off for good on November 7, 2010. Quite a shock, right?  I thought they’d last forever too, considering I remember listening to NU107 as far back as high school (in the late […]

A List of Typhoon Ondoy Hotlines, Links and Resources

Share This Post: a compilation of hotlines, links and other useful resources to help out with the Typhoon Ondoy /Ketsana rescue and relief efforts , with Renzie Baluyut.

We’re now on Day Two:  the whole deluge brought down on us by Typhoon Ondoy /Ketsana has been physically and emotionally draining for us all here in Metro Manila.

I realized right after posting my two articles yesterday that the whole disaster brought about by Typhoon Ondoy /Ketsana is really far from over.  As it is, the last couple of blog posts have been troubling for those who particularly have relatives and loved ones in the general areas of Pasig, Cainta and Marikina where floodwaters haven’t subsided yet.

The bridge on Ortigas Avenue Extension, leading to the areas of Pasig and Rizal. Floodwaters have generally subsided everywhere else as the rains have stopped, but as you can see, this area was still completely inaccessible the day after Typhoon Ondoy hit Metro Manila.
The bridge on Ortigas Avenue Extension, leading to the areas of Pasig and Rizal. Floodwaters have generally subsided everywhere else as the rains have stopped, but as you can see, this area was still completely inaccessible the day after Typhoon Ondoy hit Metro Manila.

And that was yesterday.  I just woke up and had only begun to monitor the ongoing chatter over at Facebook.  Personally, I hope things are a lot better now.

The destruction brought about by Typhoon Ondoy/Ketsana was thorough and widespread, no doubt about it.  In any case, our work here is far from over.  As we speak, rescue teams are still working around the clock and everyone’s still trying to account for all their loved ones (particularly those who have been unfortunate enough to have been in Marikina, Pasig, Cainta, Fairview, etc.) who they haven’t heard from yet.  The more proactive ones have been volunteering and helping out with the relief efforts.   And in the meantime, blogs and social media continue to share all kinds of useful information at this time of need.

Useful Links and Contact Details:

If you have loved ones, friends or relatives that need rescuing or checking up on:

All calls for help, please help us by filling out information here at the Rescue InfoHub Center: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ai4KmPHsK-wPdG9odTlrdGhOVTZhbmxmMjFMb3cwOGc&hl=en

You can also put all your pertinent information on this spreadsheet here:  https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dExYV0pxcWlLLWVOUmQzeDUwWUdObVE6MA .  Rescue teams will do the best they can, and believe me, they are.

Update as of September 28, 2:00PM:

According to Philippine National Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Leonardo Espina, you can text the names of missing persons to the relief and rescue command posts located in Marikina, Quezon City, Pasig City and Cainta, Rizal.   Needless to say, Marikina, Quezon City, Pasig and Cainta are the four areas badly hit by Typhoon Ondoy /Ketsana.

For Marikina: coordinate with Mon Santiago at +63920.9389914
For Quezon City: coordinate with Teresa Amarillo at +63921.6555262
For Pasig City: send text to +63918.9356318;
For Cainta: +63917.5606241.

Rescue Hotlines and Help Desks:

1. National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) (+632-9125668, +632-9111406, +632-9115061, +632-9122665), Help hotlines: (+65 734-2118, 734-2120), Email: ndcchelpdesk@gmail.com
2. Philippine Coast Guard (+632-5276136)
3. Air Force (+63908-1126976, +632-8535023)
4. Metro Manila Development Authority (136)
5. Marikina City Rescue (+632-6462436, +632-6462423, +632920-9072902)

6. Pasig Rescue Emergency Number (+632-6310099)
7. Quezon City Rescue (161)
8. San Juan City Hall Command Post (+632-4681697)
9. Bureau of Fire Protection Region III (Central Luzon) Hotline: (+63245-9634376)
10. Senator Dick Gordon (+639178997898, +63938-444BOYS, +632-9342118, +632-4338528)

11. Senator Manny Villar (+639174226800. +639172414864, +639276751981)

Civil Society/ Media

1. Philippine National Red Cross (143, +632-5270000)
2. Philippine National Red Cross Rizal Chapter operations center hotline: (+632-6350922, +632-6347824)
3. Go to GMA Facebook page & post complete addresses and names of people in need of immediate help.
4. ABS-CBN Typhoon Ondoy Hotline: (+632-4163641)
5. Jam 88.3: (+632- 6318803) or SMS at JAM (space) 883 (space) your message to 2968

6. GMA Kapuso Helpline: (+632-9811950-59)

Rubber Boat, 4×4 Trucks, Chopper Requests

1. NCRPO (+632-8383203, +632-8383354)
2. Private citizens who would like to lend their motor boats for rescue please call emergency nos: +632-9125668, +632-9111406, +632-9122665, +632-9115061)
3. You can also text (+632917-4226800 or +632927-6751981) for rescue dump trucks.
4. For those who are able to lend 4×4 trucks for rescue: Please send truck to Greenhills Shoppng Center Unimart Grocery to await deployment, Tel No. (+632920-9072902).
5. Petron & San Miguel Corporation are lending choppers for rescue operations, call/text: (+632917-8140655) ask for Lydia Ragasa

URGENT:  Donations of heavy duty flashlights needed for rescue operations in Cainta area. Contact Cielo at (+632918-8824356)

Power Supply

* Meralco (+63917-5592824, 16211, +63920-9292824) If you want service cut off to your area to prevent fires and electrocution.

Sahana Disaster Management System needs IT volunteers. http://sahana.kahelos.org. Email sahana@kahelos.org.

Continue reading “A List of Typhoon Ondoy Hotlines, Links and Resources”

Pictures From Typhoon Ondoy

Share This Post: pics are worth a thousand words, and these pretty much say it all, with Renzie Baluyut.

For a list of rescue hotlines, links and resources, please click this link.

Help out the victims of Typhoon Ondoy /Kestsana.  Click on this link to find out how you can help today.

Here’s a collection of pics I found all over Facebook- special thanks to Jeremiah Reyes and Jr Lo for initiating the effort to compile all the pics they could and share it for all the world to see.  If you want get an idea of how things were going down in Metro Manila after these events were happening, check out my other post monitoring online chatter through my friends’ and colleagues’ activities on Facebook.

Please take note that I do not own these photos.  I merely share this to give you all an idea of how bad things were when Typhoon Ondoy /Ketsana hit Metro Manila on the day of 26 September 2009.  As mentioned, these pics were already compiled by Jeremiah Reyes and JR Lo.  If you own the pictures, please let me know, so I can give you proper credit, as well as a link on this post.

Satellite image of the storm: Typhoon Ondoy/Ketsana was directly above Metro Manila, ready to drop all that rain down on an unsuspecting city.
A photo shared by Jam Mercado. When the rains hit, ankle-deep floodwaters are a nuisance, but fairly manageable. What people didnt know was that there was a lot more rain coming through, and the results would be disastrous.
A photo shared by Jam Mercado. When the rains hit, ankle-deep floodwaters are a nuisance, but fairly manageable. What people didn't know was that there was a lot more rain coming through, and the results would be disastrous.
Floodwaters starting to build up in Merville, a residential subidivision in Parañaque City. Taken just before noon of the 26th.
Floodwaters starting to build up in Merville, a residential subidivision in Parañaque City. Taken just before noon of the 26th.
An underpass along Makati Avenue is all flooded up. Around noontime on Sept 26, in Makati City.
It doesnt usually flood up in the Central Business District of Makati. So when you see something like an underpass flood up completely, you know somethings gone terribly wrong.
It doesn't usually flood up in the Central Business District of Makati. So when you see something like an underpass flood up completely, you know something's gone terribly wrong.
The corner of Buendia Avenue and the South Expressway usually floods up, yes, but not like this at all. The water was quickly rising up to chest-level, and vehicles unfortunate enough to get stuck there just had to be abandoned.
The corner of Buendia Avenue and the South Expressway usually floods up, yes, but not like this at all. The water was quickly rising up to chest-level, and vehicles unfortunate enough to get stuck there just had to be abandoned.

Continue reading “Pictures From Typhoon Ondoy”

Does Renzie Make Money Blogging?

Share This Post: advice on blogging and internet marketing, with Renzie Baluyut. A friend of mine asked me if I actually made money out of my blogging efforts. The answer is: yes, I do, but not as much as I would want to. At least not yet. It is not uncommon for new bloggers to […]