Dear Friends,

Cordillera communities in the Philippines are now faced with hunger
resulting from severe landslides, crops damages, and isolation brought
about by Typhoon Pepeng. Please find below an update on the relief
missions of the Serve the People Brigade from October 10 to present and
the pressing needs of communities.

Donations have poured in but much more is needed. At this time, food and
medicines are most needed by the typhoon victims. We welcome any form of
support but as much as possible, we encourage cash donations as priority
due to the urgency of the communities' needs. The roads going to most
of the areas needing relief remain impassable due to huge landslides.
Some of these are totally isolated. We were only able to service some
communities in Baguio City and Benguet province and we are anticipating
requests for relief and medical missions anytime from the other
provinces of the region which were also devastated by the typhoon. Thus,
more needs to be done. We acknowledge donations received and report back
what communities these served.

The Serve the People Brigade sincerely thank all those who have sent
support and donations for the victims of the typhoon. The Brigade is one
of the very few networks that has sustained relief operations in Baguio
and Benguet. Several groups and institutions have coordinated with the
Brigade on relief efforts to reach the most depressed areas. The Brigade
is also coordinating the relief efforts of the different sectoral
organizations within the networks of the CPA and Center for Development
Programs in the Cordillera (CDPC).

Our URGENET APPEAL is posted at www.cpaphils.org and www.bayan.ph.
Selected photos are available
athttp://www.flickr.com/photos/40468493@N02/sets/72157622560770448/,
whila a short video may be viewed at http://www.vimeo.com/7019966.

Thank you in advance.

Sincerely,
Sarah Dekdeken

CORDILLERA PEOPLES' ALLIANCE
No. 55 Ferguson Road
PO Box 975
2600 Baguio City, Philippines
Tel. No. +63-74-3044239
Fax No. +63-74-4437159
Website: www.cpaphils.org

SERVE THE PEOPLE BRIGADE
CORDILLERA DISASTER RESPONSE NETWORK
No. 55 Ferguson Road, Baguio City Hotlines:Tel No. 063-074-304-4239,
Mobile Numbers 09209286370, 09189199007.

October 14, 2009

HUNGER BESETS CORDI COMMUNITIES DUE TO PEPENG’S DISASTERS;
GREATER SUPPORT REQUESTED FROM PUBLIC

This is the fourth alert issued by the Serve the People Brigade
Cordillera Disaster Response Network since October 9. While
many areas have been serviced, a greater number still needs our help as
some towns and communities are now confronted
with hunger. Thus, we continue to appeal for urgent support for the
communities and provinces below, as we also share the
efforts the Brigade undertook in the past five days.

BAGUIO CITY –The devastation typhoon Pepeng caused Northern Luzon
is distressing. But the overflowing generosity and
volunteerism of our kakailian is inspiring. Truly, the Filipino bayanihan
spirit is alive. This growing and widening support
enabled the Serve the People Brigade Cordillera Disaster Response Network
to provide relief ,and medical missions in affected communities of
Baguio City (Pinsao, Fairview, City Camp, Bakakeng Central, Cresencia
Village) and some parts of Benguet, such as Itogon, La Trinidad and
Tublay. CPA Mountain Province meanwhile helped in the retrieval
operations in Kayan East, Tadian municipality, which ended today.

An estimated P 949,744,50 worth of food supplies, clothing and medicines
was raised and a total of P165, 876. 75 cash donations were collected
since October 10. Volunteers consisted mostly of high school and college
students swarmed the relief operation center at #55 Ferguson Rd, Baguio
City.

Baguio City
The Serve the People Brigade distributed bags of food supplies, drinking
water and clothing to over 500 affected families in Baguio City, Tublay
and Itogon municipalities in Benguet. In Baguio, the Brigade’s
monitoring and documentation teams reported around 104 families or 881
individuals evacuated from the communities of Cresencia Village,
Bakakeng Central, City Camp (Lower Quarry and Lower QM) and Irisan
(Purok 1). The community of Lower QM still needs medicine (anti-pyretic,
anti-diarrhea), Cresencia Village is in need of clothing, food supplies
and Purok 1 in Irisan needs food for work; In the above communities, 13
were reported dead (Bakakeng Central, Purok 1 and Balembeng in Irisan),
and 21 injured (Purok 1, Balembeng and Cypress all in Irisan; Bakakeng
and Cresencia Village).

Emacs!
Emacs!

Provincial Updates
The Cordillera Peoples Alliance chapters and affiliates in Benguet, Abra
and Mountain Province have reported the
following:

Benguet
15 individuals dead, 2 missing and 9 families displaced in the mined out
area of Sto. Nino, and parts of Sayatan and Baayan,
Tublay, while 45 households or roughly 270 individuals affected in Sitio
Sapuan in the same municipality. Forty five families have been evacuated
into Pontino Elementary School, where it was noted that families therein
need food supplies and water, new underwear, cooking utensils,
toothbrushes. Road conditions leave Tublay still isolated at the moment,
and needs food supplies. Mankayan is in urgent need of food supplies
especially rice, as local residents are now suffering from
hunger. The mining town is totally isolated and only a limited number of
cavans of rice were brought in from Cervantes, Ilocos Sur. In the same
municipality, 27 bodies were retrieved in the boundary of Abatan,
Buguias and Guinaoang, Mankayan, 4 workers were reported dead at Nayak
and Taneg. 17 families from the sinking area of Poblacion were evacuated
into safer grounds. In Pukitan, cracks were observed from the airstrip
down to where several homes are built, posing further threat and danger.
Kilometers 18-19 is still impassable, and Kms. 26 to 36 can only be
reached by 3 hours’ hike.

In the southern mining town of Itogon, 57 families in Luneta were
evacuated into the Alejo Pacalso National Highschool
evacuation center while 5 were reported dead and 1 is missing, 14 houses
were totally damaged in Dalicno and another 20 are at the brink of
collapse; Dalupirip is isolated and faces food insecurity, 6 died in
Ucab while 1 is missing in Gumatdang. In
these areas today, the Brigade conducted relief operations and provided
food for work with University of the Philippines Baguio academe and the
Social Action Center of Baguio and Benguet.

An undetermined number of injured people was recorded in Pasdong, Atok
due to landslides. Fortunately, no one died. Two persons died in Dada
and Lameo in Bakun, and most of the vegetable gardens which is their
main source of livelihood, has been flooded. In Bokod, a huge landslide
has blocked the Benguet-Viscaya Road, disabling the entry of food
supplies. Two houses were totally damaged in Ambuklao, 6 houses and a
clinic totally washed out in Labey, while 5 houses were affected in
Minac.

Kabayan is also totally isolated and residents are confronted by hunger.

Meantime, relief and rescue missions continue to pour in La Trinidad.

Emacs!
Emacs!

Mountain Province
Today, the last body was retrieved in Kayan East, Tadian, totaling 35
since the first day of retrieval. Rituals and
burial will immediately follow. 18 families or 108 families have nothing
to return to as their homes were totally
covered by the landslide. They are now confronted with starting all over
again, starting from their basic needs.

Rice is very needed in Tadian. Lizardo Trans has meantime gone for test
run today in Bontoc, Sagada and
towards Ifugao to check road conditions.

Abra
CPA KASTAN reported last night that 3 are reported missing in the towns
of Lagangilang, Luba and Sallapadan.
In Lacub, some P1.4 million worth of crops were damaged with 100 families
affected; 7.1 million worth of crops
damaged in Malibcong with 423 families affected ; P7.5 million worth of
crops damaged in Baay Licuan with 583
families affected; P32.1 million worth of crops damaged in Sallapadan
with 265 families affected, and P1.5
million worth of crops were damaged in Tubo with 200 families affected.

Further Appeal for Support
In this regard, the Serve the People Brigade continuous to ask for your
continuing support. Please refer to our URGENT APPEAL posted at
www.cpaphils.org and www.bayan.ph. Financial donations may be channeled
through the following account:

Bank Name: RCBC Baguio
Peso Savings Account Name: Cordillera Peoples Alliance
Account Number: 1-326-72354-8
Swift Code: RCBC PHMM
Routing Code: 120280014

The floods are receding, the landslides are clearing out, and the roads
are opening but there is still much to be
done. We hope that other individuals and organizations can channel their
relief operations in some of the areas
mentioned above. Let us help each other rise above the ruins. # With
reports from CHESTCORE, KASTAN CPA Abra,
CPA Mountain Province, MAQUITACDG

SERVE THE PEOPLE BRIGADE-CORDILLERA DISASTER RESPONSE NETWORK
Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera
Cordillera Peoples Alliance

1 of 1 File(s)