Ground Report

Strong winds and heavy rains repeatedly hit the Philippine archipelago for two days as typhoon Frank unleashed its might, causing deaths and damages to agriculture and infrastructures in Western Visayas and the rest of Luzon. The reported deaths and missing in the Visayas are high. Damage to agriculture and infrastructures are estimated at billions of pesos, mostly major roads and bridges and building structures. The rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila suffered major and minor damages with few deaths reported.

Meanwhile, as typhoon Frank, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph and gustiness of 150 kph battering inlands, a passenger vessel named M/V Princess of the Stars sunk in Sibuyan Island off the coast of Romblon Province, South of the Philippines. The ship left Manila for Cebu onboard an estimated 800 passengers and crews.

The sunken ship sailed despite of bad weather which unfortunately caused the death of four passengers with 700 missing and a reported 28 survivors. This tragic incident is not new because the Philippine Coast Guard and the shipping companies were not following the astute law or authority that governs the shipping industry in the Philippines.

While the country is under calamity, the Chief Executive accompanied by her big entourage is having good times in the U.S. of A. The President tag along with her 59 congressmen, two senators, 10 cabinet secretaries, aides and a number of junketers to visit Uncle Sam a.k.a. President George W. Bush.

But not all will be meeting with Bush; they are there to watch the fight of their idol Pacquiao in Las Vegas, Nevada this coming Sunday. While there, they will be checking-in in expensive hotels along the strip joints of Vegas. What a fortune and extravagance can give for being in government. Back in the Philippines, the affected citizens of typhoon Frank are lost in the dark thinking of what might happen next. How sad indeed.