Government releases more funds for Sendong victims

Thursday, December 29, 2011
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has ordered the release of an additional P336.8 million to support the ongoing relief operations for victims of Tropical Storm Sendong in Northern Mindanao.
The money augments the P521.2 million earlier released to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which is sourced from the calamity fund. The total fund release has reached P858 million.
“The release is in line with the President’s directive to advance immediate relief efforts to Sendong victims. Through the fund, the DSWD can deliver early recovery services to affected communities and help Sendong-stricken families rise to their feet, especially those living in Northern Mindanao and Central Visayas,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said in a statement.
The fund will be used for the social and community rehabilitation activities for some 73,529 affected families in Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, and Negros Oriental.
The money will also be used for addressing the victims’ basic needs.
“We will have to move very fast in transferring the families currently evacuated in school buildings, so that they can move into proper transitional shelters before school resumes in January 3,” he said.
Of the total fund, the DSWD’s Shelter Assistance program will receive P668.3 million for financial and material aid to families with damaged houses.
As of December 25, the number of damaged houses stands at 35,022 with 13,500 families currently sheltered in 53 evacuation centers across the three regions.
The Sustainable Livelihood Assistance program will also use its P136.2 million allotment for the creation of livelihood strategies to help residents develop feasible income sources.
In addition, P12.75 million has been set aside for the Financial Assistance program, which will grant financial assistance to families with missing or injured members.
Meanwhile, Abad also announced that the DSWD’s Cash-for-Work program will be receiving P40.69 million, which will be used to provide cash grants in exchange for resident participation in community rehabilitation projects, including the repair of community facilities, clearing of roads, waterway dredging, coastal cleanups, communal gardening, and food production.
He said the DSWD will also offer psychosocial intervention services to families and individuals suffering from emotional distress and trauma.
The DSWD has begun releasing the necessary funds for shelter assistance and Cash-for-Work to local government units and other implementing partners on the ground.
On top of the funds coming from the Department of Budget, the government also obtained a $3-million grant from the Asian Development Bank’s Asia-Pacific Disaster Response Fund that is also for Northern Mindanao’s rehabilitation efforts.
The grant was signed by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and ADB Country Director Neeraj Jain.
Korea donates $500,000, food
In a separate report, the Korean government has donated cash, food, and materials such as tents and towels to the victims of Sendong in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities.
Coursed through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), the $500,000 donation was turned over by Korean Ambassador to Manila Lee Hye Min to the DSWD.
Besides cash, the donation includes 500 sets of tents, 15,000 pieces of towels, 3,000 boxes or 63,000 pieces of chicken and beef rice sets and 6,800 pieces of water purification tablets.
The materials arrived on December 24 and were transported by DSWD personnel to Cagayan de Oro City on December 27 through Philippine Navy. They are due to arrive in Cagayan de Oro on Thursday.
Ensure goods, relief go to victims
Senator Loren Legarda asked the government to make sure resources and relief goods to provinces hit by Sendong go to victims to avoid a repeat of stalled rehabilitation after Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.
“Strict monitoring and transparent accounting of aid should be undertaken to avoid misallocation and misuse of resources. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council should efficiently coordinate relief efforts of various donors and manage resources that have been pouring in,” she said.
Legarda added that a year after Ondoy caused flooding in Metro Manila, more than a thousand families had yet to move out of evacuee centers.
“Funding came, but results a year after or maybe even two years after were lacking. We should not let this happen in the case of the Sendong disaster. It is crucial to ask: What are we doing with the money so far?” the senator said.
Legarda said relief has included 42,000 tons of blankets, jerry cans, and kitchen sets from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Aid organization Oxfam International is giving P24 million to families in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and the US has already pleadged P4.1 million, she said.
South Korea has also given $610,000 in aid relief, Denmark has donated P2.3 million, and Indonesia has given around $310,000 in cash and relief items. New Zealand has given around P17 million, she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has directed Philippine embassies and consulates to seek help from their host countries for 471,000 people in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan who will need support for the next three months.
The flash appeal, echoed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, asks for around $28.6 million in aid.
According to the DFA, the Philippines has asked for “non-food items and shelter, such as kitchen utensils, blankets, sleeping mats, jerry cans, clothing including underwear; temporary shelters; water, hygiene and sanitation items, including soap, hygiene kits and latrines, and food, preferably ready-to-eat and with appropriate nutritional content, not requiring water for cooking.”
“Aside from making sure that all forms of assistance are efficiently delivered to target beneficiaries, we have to continuously tap external assistance for long-term rehabilitation efforts in communities devastated by Sendong, particularly in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City,” she said. (Jill Beltran/Jonathan de Santos/CVB/Sunnex
Source : http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/12/28/government-releases-more-funds-sendong-victims-197856

Over the holidays, travelers from Manila going to the north for a getaway destination choose Pampanga Angeles City and Clark Philippines as a popular holiday location. Aside from day-time sports and other activities, visitors look for a good wine shop to buy some good wine to celebrate a special occasion or just to make the holiday and vacation more enjoyable. Many wine lovers pick up some good bottles from Clark Wine Center to bring to dinner in some of the good restaurants in Angeles City, Clark Pampanga. Yats Restaurant is one of the most famous fine dining restaurants outside of Manila, located in Mimosa Leisure Estate inside Clark Airbase or Clark Freeport Zone as it is now called. This popular restaurant has become a tourist attraction, a place to visit for those who are in Pampanga, Subic, Angeles City and of course, Clark Philippines. The famous wine shop called Clark Wine Center supplies this famous restaurant in Clark Philippines as well as other good restaurants in Angeles City Pampanga with good wines of all price ranges.

Wine is becoming increasingly popular in Manila and other cities in the Philippines. Wine lovers in Manila travel to the north to visit Clark, Pampanga to shop for good and rate vintage wines at good duty-free prices. The most frequently visited liquor shop in Manila and wine shop in Pampanga is Clark Wine Center. This highly recommended wine shop located outside Manila near Angeles City, Pampanga in North Luzon is known for offering a great selection of fine vintage wine that is good quality and good value for money also.

This well-known wine shop is a famous shopping destination for wine enthusiasts in Manila and wine lovers from other cities in Asia including Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Osaka and Tokyo.

Famous Philippines wine supplier known for its line of fine vintage wines, Yats Wine Cellars was established in 2000 to address the requirement of a growing population of wine enthusiasts in the Philippines. This 5-star wine shop caters to the discerning client who requires these qualities in their wines: (1) excellent value, (2) large selection of labels and vintages to choose from and (3) wines properly aged for full enjoyment.

Public wine tastings are held from time to time in Clark and sometimes in Manila. Tickets range from p500 to p1500 for these themed events that are professionally run –no wine merchants sponsorship, pushy salesmen or tacky banners to ruin the evening. Each ticket contains a certain number of stubs that can be redeemed for a tasting pour of a wine among those on a line-up which often contains wines that are quite old and expensive.

Things to do in Clark Pampanga Philippines: do a little wine shopping at the famous wine shop outside of Manila called Clark Wine Center. One of the favorite places to visit in Pampanga Clark Freeport is the white building along M A Roxas highway of Clark which houses over 2000 selections of fine vintage wines. The Clark Wine Center is one of the places to visit, a tourist spot and a good shopping place for those staying in Angeles City, Subic or Clark Pampanga. This famous wine shop is well known among wine lovers all over Asia as the best place to find rare vintage wines.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

Besides good restaurants to wine and dine near Manila, Subic or in Angeles City Pampanga, Clark Philippines, those requiring assistance for hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines may log on to http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com for more information and reservations.

The lifestyle in Clark Pampanga is quite unique. For more information about shopping, sports, golf, leisure, hotel accommodation, where to see and visit, what to do, where to wine and dine and good places to hang out, relax, have a drink with friends, child-friendly establishments, log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

Wine lovers looking for a special bottle or something that is of great value and special discounts might log on to this web site to shop for fine vintage wines
http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

Those visitors who plan to relax and unwind in Angeles City, Subic, Pampanga, Clark Philippines might make an effort to book a room at the famous beach and lake resort Clearwater Resort & Country Club. This famous hotel in Clark Pampanga is frequently visited by families with children looking for a good place in Clark to see, a good holiday destination for the family to relax and unwind in the beautiful outdoor facilities. For more information, log on to www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com