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.

The night before I headed back to Manila, I spoke to my parents who had caught a snippet on the news about a stampede at an event in Metro Manila that resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. Shortly after my arrival, I learned of what is being termed the “Ultra stampede”. Apparently, a local game show – Wowowee – was holding an anniversary event in the city. More people arrived to attend than were expected and a number of fake tickets were sold and at some point pushing and shoving degraded into a human stampede. Within hours of the tragedy, an investigation had begun into how it could have occurred. By Tuesday, preliminary inquries were being closed. While the production company (TV station?) has accepted some responsibility for the tragedy, the TV reps have also stated that both the city government and local police should shoulder some of the blame as the station had applied for a permit, filed emergency plans for possible overcrowding, had arranged for private security and invited local police officers to help with crowd control. Witness reports have been made public stating that when the stampede begain, local police sat back and did not attempt to control the crowd or assist those caught up in the stampede. There is so much passing of blame on the local news – some going as far as placing blame and complete responsibility on those who attended the event and eventually became the victims of the stampede. News programs have featured guests who have suggested that the denegration of common courtesy within the past 10 years had contributed to the tragedy. People are less concerned with others and are more interested in instant gratification and personal gain rather than assisting others. Sounds strangely familar..