October 7, 2011
Typhoons Pedring and Quiel (international names Nesat and Nalgae) wrought tremendous damage and destruction to Northern and Central Luzon provinces, leaving these in a state of calamity. At a national scale, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reports that at least 2 million people are affected. In the Cordillera region, the province of Ifugao, famous for its Banaue Rice Terraces, suffered the most from the twin disasters of Pedring and Quiel. Tremendous agricultural loss has been reported in the other Cordillera provinces, apart from the road blocks due to continuing rains, which prevent the entry of supplies.
Five towns remains isolated until now in Ifugao, while at least 2,687 families or roughly 16, 122 persons were affected; four deaths and 22 injuries were also reported. 152 families have been displaced, and they are now in evacuation centers in the towns of Lamut, Hungduan and Banaue. 2,514 houses are totally damaged, while some 138 houses are partially damaged. The Burnay Bridge located in Tungngod, Lagawe, collapsed around 12:45 PM of September 27. The bridge connects Ifugao to adjacent provinces.
As of Serve the People Brigade’s monitoring today, power has been restored in parts of Lamut, Lagawe and Kiangan municipalities, but some municipalities remain isolated due to big landslides and wiped out bridges. These events pose serious threat to the lives of the survivors, who face hunger and immediately need relief assistance. Much more needs to be done to restore roads, structures especially farmlands. Relief services have reached some parts of the province, but many communities must still be reached.
The Serve the People Brigade-Cordillera Disaster Response Network once again humbly appeals to you for support in this time of emergency and disaster, to contribute what we can help the people of Ifugao. Your response, generosity, kindness and solidarity to the victims and survivors of super typhoons Pepeng and Ondoy in 2009 helped tremendously in rebuilding communities and homes. With continuing impacts of climate change and its particular impact to indigenous communities, and due to the terrain and amount of rainfall in the Cordillera, we expect more disasters if more heavy rains and strong typhoons come.
An average of 20 typhoons enter the Philippines in a year, and before 2011 ends, we are expecting more or less five typhoons. In addition, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) has announced that rainfall will be above normal in the remaining months of 2011 due to the La Niña phenomenon. Thus, as calamities and disasters continue as a result of climate change, development aggression, environmental destruction and marginalization, the Serve the People Brigade will continue its work, based on its capacity as a grassroots disaster response network, and continually appeal for support so long as such disasters adversely affect the lives and survival of the people of the Cordillera.
For the relief operations, we solicit the following:
- Food supplies (rice, canned goods preferably sardines or tuna, biscuits, munggo, sugar, salt, cooking oil, boiled eggs, dried fish)
- Drinking water
- Gas for generators, Fuel for vehicles
- Clothing
- Blankets
- Sleeping mats
- New underwear
- Toiletries (soap)
- Cooking pot
- Flashlights
- Batteries
- Tents
- Laundry soap
Food supplies are used for food-for-work in road clearing and in the repair and rehabilitation of communities and damaged livelihood.
For medicine: paracetamol, pain relievers, anti worm (mebendazole), antacid, antibiotics such as amoxicillin,
Cotrimoxazole and cloxaxillin; elastic bandages, gauze, hydrogen peroxide and betadine.
For Financial, Material Donations and to Volunteer:
Please visit us at No. 55 Ferguson Road, Brgy. A. Bonifacio, Baguio City and look for Mr. Santos Mero, Serve the People Brigade Coordinator and CPA Deputy Secretary General (09152054262) and/or Ms. Jane Yap-eo, Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera (CDCP) Executive Director (09175926379)
You may also call or text the Hotline at mobile number 09209286370 or Telephone Numbers 63- 074-304-4239, 63-074 442-6108 and 63-074-424-3764. Fax number is 63-074-443-7159. You can also reach us through email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Financial donations may also be channeled through:
You may also lend your vehicles for the relief missions, and we welcome the assistance and support of paramedics, doctors, and all volunteers who would like to be part of the relief drive and rehabilitation.
We thank you sincerely and look forward to your positive response to this urgent appeal.
Click here to read the original appeal with pictures of the destruction.
