Reply #2: hmm. I'm flying to Manila tomorrow night [View All]

[Douglas Carpenter]

I'm told that the main arteries in and around Manila are now open, but operating at reduced capacity. Edsa,C-5 and the North Highway are apparently more or less adequately functioning. Aurora Avenue and Ferdinand Marcos Highway are apparently open - but operating with only one lane at numerous key spots. Thus a trip across Manila that might normally take one to two hours - might now take five hours.

Typhoons are a normal part of life in the Philippines. But Typhoon Ondoy, last week was considered the worse in 42 years and really shocked the country. A very nice river walk area that had been developed in the suburb of Marikina along the Pasig River has been apparently largely wiped out along with a major portion of the suburb of Marikina. Also the Intramuros area where many government offices including immigration and the Department of Foreign Affairs - and the U.S. Embassy have apparently suffered sever damage. At least a million people in Metro Manila are homeless now as a result of Typhoon Ondoy's devastation.

There is a domestic political controversy brewing right now. It is been confirmed by the government that they did, without any public notice or evacuation orders. indeed release water from the dams in an attempt to control the flooding. Many people are now complaining that this release caused a great deal of the flooding. However, Gloria's government claims that the any release of water from the dams was carefully monitored and controlled and prevented - rather than caused any additional flooding. The poor majority of the Philippines tends to be very skeptical. President Arroyo has never been very popular with the poor majority since she came to power in a coup which deposed Joseph Estrada - a man wildly popular with the majority of the country who are quite poor and appreciated his populist message and are quite forgiving of his corruption - "no worse than any of the rest" - is the common mantra from the vast majority of Filipinos who deeply resented his ouster without a chance to finish his term.