Charities Blog

Giving Something Back

Sea Tragedy Still on the Rocks

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It has been over a month now and to this day, nothing striking has been reported on the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy that occurred in Romblon, Philippines. With thousands of lives that perished no thanks to Typhoon Franks, relatives had to console themselves with P200,000.00 in exchange for the lives of their loved ones that sank with this vessel.

The thing you have to hate about this is that the vessel, the MV Princess of the Stars is still out there overturned with bodies floating all over perhaps decaying by now. Apparently there are further issues to resolve such as the celebrated chemicals that were on board the ship that can lead to an outbreak of diseases and contamination if the rescuers are not careful.

Already affected are the fish and sea creatures that are being sold in the area as the increasing fear of contaminated fish or sea shell food is a possibility. With that in mind, one can just imagine the impact that this tragedy has given to the local folks of Romblon and how the livelihood of nearby towns are being affected as well.

Rather than focusing on how to resolve the issue, the people behind the vessel, Sulpicio Lines continues to face the raps being hurled their way. Political parties in the Philippines are having a heyday frying the vessel owners and while they are doing that, family members of the victims on board continue to wait.

Even worse, it is the rainy season. While the vessel has not been completely taken out, there are more storms headed the way of the Philippines. More delays are sure to ensue and perhaps make the situation grow worse.

Originally posted on July 24, 2008 @ 6:35 am

Why are Plane Crashes Becoming Rampant?

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If you have noticed, a large part of the mishaps and tragedies we hear of these days are plain crashes or malfunctions. The bad part of it is that innocent lives, mostly out to have a vacation or free time have seen their pleasures turn into shambles. In fact, such experiences will forever be in their memory if they come out from it alive.

True enough, many have suffered and died. Recently we have heard of the Spanair debacle and now we see a couple more tragedies that are all caused by aircraft crashes. At this point, you may wonder, who is to blame?

The first people who would come to mind would be the aircraft management and authorities. Assuring that their crafts are safe and ready to travel the long stretches using air should always be given premium. But for some reason, there are foul ups like perhaps preliminary technical failures, to which they take for granted. While they can easily lay claim that these situations have been addressed, the real question is that are they good to go?

Having delays is better than encountering tragedy by air. It will be a discomfort but compared to loss of life, which would you choose? The obvious answer is the former and while airlines are concerned about being bugged, maybe a little bit more of care and understanding would be in order. You are dealing with life and life is irreplaceable. Avoid the risk of stealing others lives since you are getting paid for it. Perhaps most airline owners should give this much thought.

Originally posted on August 29, 2008 @ 7:06 pm

2008 Beijing Olympics: Some Consolation after the Strong Quakes

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Holding the Olympics in your country is an honor that will forever be cherished. Other than being among the elite group of countries given the said distinction, China for its part makes the current hosting of the 2008 Olympics pretty much memorable. This holds true especially for the earthquake victims that were devastated last May.

It seems like the price to pay for hosting the Olympics and getting popularity while you are at it seems to be harsh if you think of it. Just consider the fact that a lot of people perished and the survivors now are picking up their lives since that fateful May 12 of this year. But 3 months later, all eyes are on China once again, this time playing host to practically the world’s best athletes as well as billions of people all over the world watching them closely.

In Beijing, fireworks filled the sky and revelry filled the streets. But the party surrounding last night’s Olympic opening ceremony was hardly limited to the nation’s capital city. More than 900 miles away, in Sichuan province, an area that’s wallowed in grief and grown accustomed to loss found reason to rejoice – even if the kickoff to these Games did highlight disparity.

Since the May 12 earthquake, $10 billion has been devoted to relief and reconstruction efforts, a figure that pales in comparison to the money China has spent preparing for the Olympics over the course of the past decade. When the medals are handed out and the dust settles, the price tag on these Games will likely exceed $44 billion.

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If that is the price to pay then perhaps it would have been better to let another country host the Olympics. Life is more precious and no matter how prestigious hosting this event may be, the damage made is still too much. Well at least they get some sort of consolation from hosting this rare event.

Originally posted on August 9, 2008 @ 7:50 pm

Help is on the Way against Tropical Storm Gustav

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This year has seen a lot of storms and hurricanes and the aftermath of them all is what we must all brace for. If you are among the people hit by them, then accept our sympathy. For the others spared by them, perhaps it would not be too much to ask to extend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters who have unfortunately been hit by these freaks of nature.

Surely, expect the Red Cross to lead the way as they have done so in preparing for the apparent coming of a new hurricane names Gustav. Based on previous hurricanes such as Katrina, advanced measures to help avoid worsening disasters would be the foremost importance and hence to make sure that help is at hand, advanced appointments on where Red Cross personnel should be stationed has already been made.

Food and aid are among the foremost necessities needed in times like these and each helping hand would count. With the past storms as basis for what hurricanes have brought to various parts of the world, hopefully the Red Cross as well as the volunteers are ready and prepared for whatever lies in between and after the aftermath of Tropical Storm Gustav

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Originally posted on August 31, 2008 @ 3:27 pm