CNN journos on Tacloban ops: Disorganized, no one in charge

[ian_1983]

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MANILA, Philippines - American journalists Anderson Cooper and Paula Hancocks of CNN, reporting from typhoon-hit Tacloban City, expressed frustration at local authorities conducting relief and recovery operations.

In their televised reports broadcast around the world, Cooper and Hancocks called the government's relief efforts disorganized and survivors are mostly left on their own to survive.

"It is certainly not organized. It's just a drop in the ocean compared to what's needed," Hancocks, a CNN international correspondent, said.

"We're five days on, and people that are coming and talking to me saying, 'I need food, I need water, why are the dead bodies still by their side. It's incredible, they've been there for five days. People are trying to live in the rubble of their homes," she added

The powerful typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan) cut through Tacloban and neighboring areas last November 8, bringing with it a massive storm surge that rose to as high as 15 feet. Dead bodies are scattered in the streets and beneath destroyed homes, commercial centers and churches. Even evacuation centers were affected by the surge of water.

Cooper, a television personality whose name has been trending on Twitter Philippines on Wednesday, observed how Philippine agencies and military are taking a long time from launching a full-scale effort on the ground.

It's a miserable, miserable situation here. It is not getting better day by day. We're now entering the fifth day since the storm hit here in Tacloban ... You would expect maybe a feeding center that has been set up five days after the storm. We haven't seen that, certainly not in this area," Cooper said, speaking with CNN anchor Jake Tapper on The Lead newscast on Tuesday.

"It is a very desperate situation, among the most desperate I've seen in covering disasters in the last couple of years," he added.

"There is no real evidence of organized recovery or relief" @andrewcnn on frustration in #Tacloban . #AC360

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) November 13, 2013

"It is demolition, not a construction job here" @npwcnn on #Tacloban relief. #AC360

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) November 13, 2013

"The people in Tacloban have great dignity and deserve better than what they have gotten" @Andersoncooper on #Typhoon . #AC360

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) November 13, 2013

Cooper, who has covered the world's major catastrophes, also contrasted the Philippine relief efforts with a similar disaster in Japan, swept with the destructuve Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

"Whereas in Japan, right after the tsunami there years ago, and within a day or two, you have Japanese forces going out, carving out cities into grids and going out on food, looking for people, going through the wreckage, we have not seen that here in a large scale operation," he said.

He added that it is not clear for survivors and even volunteer organizations where the center of relief operations is.

"It could be happenning in some other place, but this is the airport in Tacloban, this would be the main staging ground," Cooper said.

"As to who's in charge of the Philippine side of the whole operation, that is not really clear. I'm just surprised that on this day 5, maybe I've gotten here late, that things would be well in hand. It does not seem like that," he observed.

CNN journos on Tacloban ops: Disorganized, no one in charge | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com


Saw his interview with Christiane Amanpour. His response are all nonsense and blaming the LGU for failure to response. What an idiot.....

[tingkagol]

Good thing international news agencies are covering this. Ang local news puro ra "hanggang ngayon wala pa ring nakarating na relief goods sa area na ito...". Itoy kaayo mu-criticize sa gobyerno, murag mahadlok macontrahan ni PNoy - tungod siguro naa si Korina sa ABS CBN. Selective reporting kaayo.

Let's face it - hinay gyud kaayo ang response sa administration ---- something local news agencies are reluctant to comment about.

[masakiton]

sala sa LGU
na mana ra ang problema

[Saint_hard]

hinay btaw keu...it seems murag wala man sila kabalo unsay buhaton nila...maau lang ma maba

[marcial19xx]

ang pilipinas kay cge naa bagyo... pero ang government kay mura ra ug karon pah naka experience ug bagyo... kanus-a pman tawn ni mausab ang ato pang gobyerno oi. wala jud progress... kung wala mahitabo wala sad buhaton... kung kanus-a nah maabot ang kalamidad diha pah mo ingun nga we should do this and do that. nya haska pa jud ka hinay mo lihok... hoy mga gi atay nga gobyerno maau lang mo mo kawat sa kwarta sa mga tawo... murag paminaw nako mas dako pman ug na tabang ang laing nasud kay sa ato kaugalingun nga gobyerno... asa naman toh ang 10b...

[brian joshua]

i think im getting what those b a s t a r d s in the gov't have in mind:

"bahala mo diha, kung di mu-agi sa among mga kamot ang donations,
di mi mang lihok dahil gusto namin happy tayong lahat!"

[lestat1116]

wala man gud ang pdaf

[Dorothea]

I saw the latest video ni Anderson where he said that the mood and the situation in Tacloban is finally seeing a shift and improvement with the arrival of several hundred more US Marines. The US marines, with Gen. Kennedy at the helm, managed to get Tacloban airport up and running, so planes and goods are finally pouring in. A couple more US helicopters arrived, along with planes from other countries, so the situation is improving.

While I'm so so so grateful to the Americans for everything, where's our government in all this? While we are not rich, we are a nation of 98 million people. What we do have is manpower. So many Filipinos are willing and eager to volunteer. At the behest of the president, I'm sure millions would not even think twice to help out in the relief and cleanup efforts in Tacloban and other hard-hit areas, wala lang sila own resources to do so. Asa naman ang millions of aid from other countries, mao unta ni gamitan sa kuarta oi, Pnoy! MR President, gipasagdan naman lang intawon nimo ang mga Amerkano maoy nangunay ug lihok didto sa Tacloban. Paka uwaw man lang ka Pnoy oi!

Anyway, my takeaway from Anderson's latest video was, and here's my thought on this --- mas maayo pa si Gen Kennedy nalang presidente sa Pilipinas.

[blacksky]

Saw his interview with Christiane Amanpour. His response are all nonsense and blaming the LGU for failure to response. What an idiot.....

We all know CNN journalists are professionals. They're stating the actual situation and what they see. What's wrong with that?

What do you want to hear? Stuff like, "Oh, I am very touched at the sight of the victims receiving the relief goods which were distributed efficiently. There was absolutely no looting involved or any acts of lawlessness. I am feeling the Filipino spirit! Mabuhay! Bangon Pilipinas! # hashtaghashtag"

[Saint_hard]

busy man gud sila ihap ug bahin bahin sa mga donation from other countries...mau nang no show or hinay ang lihok...tsk tsk tsk