It was an interesting last few weeks in Manila. The political climate here has been tense (to say the least) what with the 20th anniversary of the EDSA People Power revolution taking place this week. The was a bombing outside of the EDSA shrine around the corner from work which had most of us jumping out of our skin. The loud bang was completely unexpected and had many sitting on the edges of their seats for the rest of the afternoon. I think most of us were unsettled for the rest of the day. The planned marches in EDSA didn’t materialize when the government refused to grant permission for mass gatherings, so the citizens marched in Makati instead. There was also a soldier sit-in/revolt at Fort Bonifacio that occurred later in the week. After a lengthy stand off the soldiers stood down and the collective breath held by the citizens seemed to be let out slowly.

I know the above is a very simplistic view of what happened, but it’s very hard to relate to the political climate here. Instead, I’ll be bringing some newspapers home for those who are interested.

Apparently there is some debate over what occurred first – the landslide or the earthquake. Scientists from the Geosciences and Mines Bureau have indicated that it’s not unusal for the area to have had a landslide without the earthquake triggering it. There was sufficient rain for the landslide to have occurred. The area around the town did have some clear cut logging byt the Geo and Mines scientists are now claiming that this was a contributing factor to the landslide.

I have made it a habit to turn on the ABS-CBN New channel in an attempt to learn a bit more about the Philippines and Filipino culture. Tonight, the news is filled with reports of the landslide which occurred at St. Bernard in Southern Leyte earlier this afternoon (Feb 16). From what little has been confirmed, there was a light earthquake (magnitude 2.6) shortly before the landslide shortly before 10 am this morning. The landslide is said to have been triggered by the earthquake that caused boulders from a nearby mountain to roll down the hill. The mudslide was made worse by days of incessent rain in the region. There has been a light rain and a number of the buildings have been covered by both mud and water. The local governement is estimating that 375 houses and an elementary school have been buried. While the Red Cross is estimating 200 dead, local authorities fear the number is closer to 2000. Over 200 young children were attending the elementary school which has apparently been entirely encased in mud and water.

Gloria Arroyo (locally known as GMA, the Filipino President) has called out members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard to help with the rescue efforts and miners are expected to arrive to assist soon. However, darkness falls early close to the equator and the Air Force searches had to be called off between 6-7pm local time. Manual efforts have also been called off, as a shortage of equipment and light has authorities fearing for the safety of rescurers in the area. Planes will be back in the air at dawn tomorrow and rescue operations aer scheduled to resume in 10 to 11 hours.

Anyone interested in donating to the aid fund should contact the Red Cross.

A shanty town in Pasig City (where we were working), located around the corner from local goverment and police offices, has been raided and a “one stop shabu shop” has been discovered. Shabu is a locally manufactured drug and over 300 people have been arrested in association with the raid. I asked a few locals what shabu is and the common response has been that it is the Filipino equivalent to crack. According to the newspaper, shabu is a form of methamphetamine (perhaps a close cousin to crystal meth which has become a scourge in Canada). Investigations into what the local police knew about the activities in the area are ongoing.

As always I am working my tail off and have had little opportunity to act as a tourist. Pau had asked her father to drive us to Tagaytay so I could see the area and visit Taal volcano, but he was not able to arrange his work schedule to accomodate the request. CooCoo and Leo have suggested that we can try and make the trip when I return in March.