State of Emergency (sort of...)

(From main page)

Despite a tendency to end up in zip cuffs, as Patrick so kindly pointed out, I have in fact stayed well clear of the current ruckus in Manila (if you missed the word, you can check out the BBC's take here). Ya'll will be quite relieved to know that Peace Corps expressly forbids us from getting involved in, or express opinions about local politics. Thankfully I can be as vocal as I desire about my own country's politics... It also has had very little affect on life here. There is a huge divide between life in Manila and life "in the Provinces." I'm sure everyone in town has heard the news, but it hasn't come up at all in any of my own daily interactions. When GMA (the president) was threatened with impeachment earlier this year for alleged election fraud everyone was very blasé about the whole ordeal. One corrupt government replaced by another didn't appear to rank high in peoples concerns about life. I find a lot of apathy about the government and the feeling that it is corrupt and unfixable. So, they continue to have their shenanigans in Manila and we continue our quiet life here in Ifugao. Hopefully it will continue in that vein. In the meantime Peace Corps has banned all non-necessary travel to Manila and I'll wait and see what happens from here like everyone else... sans the zip cuffs. On another note, the coup plotters weren't the only ones planning events around the 20 year anniversary of Marcos' fall from power. The BBC World Service did a great documentary on People Power in the Philippines that you can find and listen to here. I caught part II and it does a fairly good job of providing background and looking at the state of the politics in the Philippines. Life in an emerging democracy is never boring on the political front.

NPA Update

At PST II, way back in September we finally got a briefly on the history of the New People's Army (NPA) by our Safety & Security Coordinator (SSC). It appears that the group, while still nominally active, has splinter into many factions that mostly use its name as a front for minor banditry. We still occasionally here rumors of cell towers going down via the NPA for bribes not paid, but nothing confirmed in these parts. There have been a few recent, isolated robberies claimed by the NPA in the past two months but nothing in Northern Luzon.

I hear around town that the NPA was once active here but driven out by the locals long ago. Now their biggest concern is municipal vehicles with the municipal budget in them being hijacked (its happened a few times now in Ifugao) and more locally, during the last big storm and subsequent brown out, someone stole a large length of the power cable along the road apparently to sell for scrap or use themselves. This left us without power for almost a week and the Power Co-op has threatened to not replace it next time as this has been the 2nd incident.

Still, when all is said and done, I live in a very peaceful, quiet corner of our world. At least nobody is writing inflammatory cartoons over here...

Mud. Lots & Lots of Mud.

As most of you have probably heard from the international news Southern Leyte was hit by a massive mud slide that buried a town in around 10m of mud. Most of the inhabitants are thought to be dead. Luckily the Peace Corps volunteer working in the area was un-harmed and we all were warned of the conditions in the area by our Saftey and Security Coordinator before the incident. For more on the tradgety you can read about it on the BBC here.

Specific to my site, while it has officially been designated, though that doesn't exactly carry much weight as it is was determined by a few general factors. Here's a quote from the S&S notice we got.

"With the recent disastrous landslide in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has reported to the media that there are eleven (11) areas/provinces susceptible to landslides that may be triggered by continuous rains. The provinces DENR mentioned are Benguet, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya, Kalinga, Apayao, Southern Leyte, Abra, Marinduque, Cebu, Catanduanes and Ifugao... Ms. Malyn Tumonong, a senior science research specialist of DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), said these provinces have met three or four criteria to be considered prone to landslides. "They have 18-degree slopes and above, have several fault lines, tributaries like rivers and are densely populated," she said in a briefing."

While the road is periodically cut off for short times due to slides the rocky terrian does not lend itself to the massive slides as experienced in Leyte. Fortunately, as well, I live on top of the hill, so I would just get a quick sudden trip down. :o)

Avian Flu Part II

We have also recently recieved the official work from the Peace Corps Director on their plans surrounding Avian Flu. The most important bits are:

If we begin to see human-to-human casual transmission, evidenced by a cluster of cases, in one country or a region of one country, we will restrict Volunteer travel to that country. If it is a Peace Corps country, the Volunteers will take prophylactic Tamiflu, and we will begin an immediate consolidation and evacuation from that country. If commercial evacuation is impossible, other possibilities are sheltering-in-place for Volunteers and charter or military airlift coordinated with the Department of State. Neighboring Peace Corps countries will also put all Volunteers on alert, and the Volunteers will begin Tamiflu prophylaxis.

If we begin to see human-to-human casual transmission in clusters of cases in multiple regions of one country or multiple countries, we will begin the immediate consolidation and evacuation of Volunteers in the affected countries and all Volunteers will begin Tamiflu prophylaxis. Again, if commercial evacuation is impossible, other possibilities include sheltering-in-place for Volunteers and charter or military airlift coordinated with the Department of State.
___________

I'm at the same time comforted and disturbed by the level of response. I'm glad for their ultimate concern for my well-being, one of the reasons I chose the Peace Corps in the first place, but I would also hate to get pulled out of country for a few cases of people catching the flu from birds and then spreading it. I know I'm young and healthy and so can afford to be so sanguine about my health, but I've also invested a lot of time in this gig and am just getting to the point where I feel a degree of comfort and will actually be starting projects. I would hate for all that time and energy to be shot down by a simple bug.

Avian Flu

For those of you who are worried about the Avian Flu issues going on over here in SE Asia, here’s what the PC has done for us so far as well as the Warden Notice issued by the Embassy.


To date, there are no reported cases of infected birds or humans in the
Philippines. However Avian Flu is present in the region and over recent
weeks, it has continued to spread with the most recent reports coming from
Eastern Europe. The Peace Corps Philippines has taken the following
preventative steps.

* All Volunteers have received the flu vaccination
* All Volunteers have Tamiflu (oseltamivir)
* Peace Corps is in close contact with the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health
* Peace Corps Philippines is working with other US Agencies in
the Philippines to coordinate preparations
* Volunteers working in areas such as bird sanctuaries, have
been instructed to avoid contact/handling birds.

WARDEN NOTICE
October 27, 2005

THE EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES IS TRANSMITTING THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
THROUGH THE EMBASSY WARDEN SYSTEM AS A PUBLIC SERVICE TO AMERICAN CITIZENS
IN THE PHILIPPINES. PLEASE DISSEMINATE THIS MESSAGE TO ALL U.S. CITIZENS IN
YOUR ORGANIZATION OR NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU.

Avian Flu Fact Sheet

This Fact Sheet alerts Americans to the most recent occurrences of Influenza
A H5N1 (avian influenza strain). A number of countries are reporting cases
of avian influenza, commonly referred to as "bird flu" in their domestic and
wild bird populations. The H5N1 strain of influenza causes severe disease
in domesticated fowl. In addition, there are confirmed cases of
bird-to-human transmissions of avian influenza in the South East Asia
region, many of which have resulted in death.

Please visit the WHO website,
<http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/en/> for the most up
to date information on the countries affected and the number of deaths.

The vast majority of the known human cases have resulted from direct contact
with poultry, and there is only limited evidence to suggest possible
human-to-human transmission. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Department are concerned
about the potential for human-to-human transmission of this highly dangerous
flu strain, and are working closely with other partners in an effort to
monitor the outbreak.

Concerns about the possibility of an avian influenza pandemic have prompted
international and national efforts to institute pandemic preparedness
measures. In keeping with the CDC and the WHO guidance, the Department of
State is working with its embassies and consulates worldwide to prepare in
the event of a pandemic. American citizens traveling to or living in
countries where avian influenza is prevalent should consider the potential
risks and keep informed of the latest medical guidance and information in
order to make appropriate plans.

The Department, the CDC and the WHO have not issued any travel alerts or
warnings for avian flu-infected areas. However, the CDC advises travelers
to countries in Asia with documented H5N1 outbreaks to avoid poultry farms,
contact with animals in live food markets, and any surfaces that appear to
be contaminated with feces or fluids from poultry or other animals. In
addition, the Department has asked its embassies and consulates to consider
preparedness measures that take into consideration the fact that travel into
or out of a country may not be possible, safe or medically advisable.

Specific CDC travel information relating to avian influenza, including
preventive measures is available at
<http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/index.htm>. WHO guidance related to avian
influenza is available at
<http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/>.

A specific vaccine for humans that is effective against avian influenza has
not yet been developed. Based upon limited data, the CDC has suggested that
the anti-viral medication Oseltamavir (brand name-Tamiflu) may be effective
in preventing or treating avian influenza. Using this input, the Department
of State has decided to pre-position the drug Tamiflu at its Embassies and
Consulates worldwide, for eligible U.S. Government employees and their
families serving abroad. Tamiflu may not be readily available overseas and
the State Department encourages American citizens traveling or living abroad
that are interested in obtaining this medication to consult with their
physician. There is no provision for the U.S. government to provide
American citizens traveling or living abroad with medications, including in
the event of a pandemic.

Americans who are planning travel to a country that has reported the virus
or who are concerned about the Avian flu are advised to monitor the CDC and
the WHO web sites for the latest information.

Mayon Volcano

It has been reported on the news that Mayon Volcano is acting up. Below is the news item from the www.abs-cbnNews.com:

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Tuesday warned of an imminent eruption of Mayon volcano in Albay after its lava dome grew in size, ABS-CBN Regional Network Group reported.
Resident volcanologist Ed Laguerta said the volcano's lava dome has increased in size according to monitoring reports. He said that the increase in the volcano's lava dome is a sign of possible eruption.
"Ang glow kung [titingnan] sa intenstity scale, kung medyo malinaw pa ang mata at malinaw pa ang panahon, kita ang glow sa gabi. Kitang-kita na ang banaag from an elevated place," [If you still have good eyesight and the sky is clear you can see the crater glow in the evening] Laguerta said.
Laguerta said that PHIVOLCS decided to maintain the Alert Level 2 over areas within the volcano's six-kilometer danger zone because tests have yet to ascertain if Mayon will erupt again. The volcano last erupted in July 2001.
He added that the increase in the lava dome's size might also be the remains of its last eruption.
Laguerta said that PHIVOLCS has put up a seismograph within the Mayon's three-kilometer danger zone to determine the scale of seismic activity.

Good times all around! At least we hear about it from the Peace Corps office. They do a good job of keeping us up to date of what's going on in our joyous little country.

GMA

For those of you who have been following the news at all of late there has been a bit of a ruckus going on in the capital for the past few weeks involving our current president, GMA, and allegations of election fraud from the last election. Its been mainly interesting as it provides a window into the huge vat of political apathy that exists in this corruption wracked country. Most people I talk to don't really care, and are of the opinion that things aren't going to change regardless of who holds down the top seat. They also feel that anywhere outside of Manila agrees. PC Headquarters intel would agree, as they mentioned in there last update email that the protests and unrest are confined to the capital. Still, besides threatening GMA's presidency with their street protests all those angry citizens are also unknowingly holding my books hostage in Manila as well. There has been an indefinite PC non-emergency travel ban to Manila for three weeks now. The joys of not being allowed to get involved in local politics, even if its only being seen in the same city as it. Such is life. Here are some links to the latest from the BBC. Enjoy.
~george

Local Newspaper reactions:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4664487.stm


Most Recent Article - 7.25:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4695409.stm

Every Present Economic Concerns:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4677721.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4692343.stm

Abu Sayyaf

Abu Sayyaf is the smallest and most radical Islamic separatist group operation in Southern Mindanao. They are considered a terrorist group by both the Philippines and the U.S. They are also the most well known because of a series of kidnappings of Americans and Filipinos for which they received large payouts. Splintered from the MNLF in ’91 under the leadership of Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani who was killed in a shootout in Dec. ’98. His younger brother, Khadafi Janjalani is now thought to be the groups leader. The government refuses to negotiate with this group and it is suspected of having links with al-Qaeda. They claimed responsibility for the Feb. ’03 ferry bombing which killed over 100 people.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4027721.stm Nov. ’04 airstrike also w. MILF
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3562464.stm Aug. ’04 AS men sentenced to death

Rebellion in Jolo, Southern Mindano started on 2.7.05 by supporters of Misuari a former leader of MNLF, who led a Muslim separatist revolt in the 70’s and is currently jailed facing charges of rebellion.
http://news.inq7.net/mobile/html_output/20050208-26840.xml.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4246029.stm

Abu Sayyaf has also claimed responsibility for the three separate, coordinated bombings on Valentines Day.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4264227.stm 2.14.05

Suspected Abu Sayyaf members currently in prison on kidnapping charges took over a maximum security prison which ended in 22 dead prisoners.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4349471.stm 3.15.05