500 caskets to arrive in CDO on Christmas Eve

MANILA, Philippines - Instead of toys, clothes and the usual items people receive during the holidays, the residents of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro cities will receive coffins on Christmas Eve.

As early as 6 a.m. today, volunteers and Philippine Navy personnel started loading 500 white caskets donated by local government units in Pampanga province to the BRP Dagupan.

The 500 donated caskets, however, may still fall short as the death toll from tropical storm "Sendong" in the two cities continued to rise.

As of 6 a.m. today, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) a total of 957 people have been confirm killed in the two cities and seven more affected provinces in Mindanao and Visayas. Of the total death count, 579 were recorded in Cagayan de Oro City and 279 in Iligan City.

The Philippine Navy said that the BRP Dagupan was scheduled to leave Manila Bay at 4 p.m. today. The Navy said that the ship may arrive in Cagayan de Oro City before noon of December 24, depending on sea condition.

The Navy ship will also bring tons of bottled drinking water, purifying machines and more rescue, retrieval and health personnel, including the 19-man team from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

Food packs, used clothes and tons of donated items have also been pouring into the two cities and other areas devastated by Sendong, the 19th storm to hit the Philippines this year.

Mayors from Pampanga province pooled cash for the purchase of the caskets, which costs P4,000 each. Local executives in the province said they are returning a favor to the two cities, as well as to Dumaguete, whose officials helped Kapampangans after the explosion of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.

Meanwhile, the city governments of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan have changed original plans of burying unidentified bodies recovered from thick mud in storm-devastated villages.

Instead, only those who have been identified will be buried in public cemeteries in the two cities this afternoon.

Officials of the two city governments said they would want to give hundreds of families more time to identify the bodies and bury their own dead.

Forensic teams from the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police have been deployed to the two cities to identify the bodies.

Data from the NDRRMC showed that a total of 307 bodies in Cagayan de Oro and 279 in Iligan have yet to be identified. In Bukidnon, a total of 41 bodies have also yet to be identified.

President Benigno Aquino III, accompanied by ranking government officials, placed the two cities under a state of calamity and ordered the release of millions of funds for more aid to the storm's victims.

Tropical storm Sendong is this year’s most deadly storm in the Philippines. It also surpassed the official number of death toll from the infamous “Ondoy” (Ketsana), which stood at 464.

More coffins, aid

South Cotabato Gov. Arthur Pingoy Jr. said that the provincial government will initially send today 15 caskets to the areas affected by "Sendong" in the two cities.

Pingoy said that the provincial government will also send P1.5 million worth of relief goods for the displaced residents of the devastated cities of North Mindanao. He said more coffins will be sent to Cagayan de Oro and Iligan as they become available in the province.

Sarangani Gov. Miguel Rene Dominguez, meanwhile, said they will also send P500,000 worth of rice to the two cities' flood victims.

Dominguez has also sent word around the province for more blankets, used clothes, toothbrushes and others. The donations can be dropped to the provincial capitol gymnasium in Alabel town until Wednesday noon, he said. 

More financial aid will also be sent by the local governments of Benguet and General Santos City

In a related development, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has heeded the request of the Philippine government for immediate food, non-food items and logistics support in the ongoing relief efforts to Sendong’s victims.

In coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Philippine Air Force, THE WFP immediately dispatched three tons of high-energy biscuits to the affected areas to assist 7,800 of the most vulnerable people who cannot easily cook food, WFP said in a statement.

The WFP has already mobilized and delivered key items needed for the relief operation, including water tanks and a mobile storage tent.

The Australian government has also pledged aid for the flood-ravaged areas in Mindanao.

Its government has allocated some A$10.5 million for humanitarian assistance to victims of recent calamities that affected the Asia-Pacific region, including the devastating floods in several parts of Mindanao.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said they are set to release the financial grant to non-government organizations (NGOs) Care, Caritas, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision as part of its new Humanitarian Partnership Agreement.

He said the assistance was meant to “ensure a faster, more coordinated response to rapid onset emergencies” in the region.

Rudd noted that the participating NGOs have been pre-qualified and have a proven track record in providing humanitarian assistance internationally.