My friend sent me photos he took of earthquake-affected structures in the Myanmar capital of Nya Pi Taw.
The photos included collapsed buildings, cracked roads and damaged homes of government officials.
These are at least eight well-appointed homes occupied by top officials of the country in the capital city, he told me.
The buildings showed damages caused by the March 28 earthquake which has claimed at least 3,500 lives across the northwest-central region of the country as of the latest count.
Occupants have visibly left the buildings for their safety. “They are now staying on the roadside and smaller buildings,” he said, apparently because the aftershocks continue to rattle the people’s lives.
Our conversation via Messenger was oft disrupted. “Bad signal here,” he said.
More than 300 aftershocks, or between 60 and 70 daily, have been recorded since March 28 in the central part of the country where damage to lives, infrastructure and property has been extensive and where a state of emergency has been declared.
These aftershocks are felt wide, as far as neighboring Thailand’s dozens of provinces.
Countless structures have been damaged or destroyed by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, including about 1,000 monasteries and pagodas.
My friend went around the capital city and documented the state of things, including collapsed structures in the almost-abandoned commercial district.
It’s just a terrible situation in this part of the country, he said, on that day when international aid, support, medical and rescue teams, including one from the Philippines, started to arrive in the affected region.
More questions I had in mind were stalled when he replied: “I feel the earth shaking again… I have to go.” And he was off from our conversation as apparently he had to move to a safer ground.
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The country, governed by a military junta that grabbed power from duly elected officials three years ago, is under international watch and scrutiny over how leaders will efficiently and effectively address rescue, relief and rehabilitation while it continues its military operations against rebel forces.
Let’s continue praying for our earthquake-stricken Southeast Asian neighbors as the communities languish to heal from their physical and political wounds.
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I take this opportunity to congratulate the Division of Negros Occidental for its strong performance in individual competitions in the just- concluded Regional Secondary Schools Press Conference.
I have been extending technical assistance to the Division (as I have done in a number of other divisions and other regions in the past) in its annual campus journalism press conference and programs for several years now.
Negros Occidental was the second best performing among the 21 divisions in the region in the Regional Schools Press Conference late last month.
Congratulations to journalism program supervisors Ma’am Riza Gea and Bonifacio Barroquillo for strengthening campus publications in the Schools Division of Negros Occidental.
The Negrenses’ performance was led by Isabela National High School which placed third best performing school. Himamaylan National High School, under a separate schools division in southern Negros, emerged as the No. 1 performing school.
Kudos, too, to INHS advisers Maribeth Tolentino and Jamezen Gomilla as well as Himamaylan mentors Ma. Lyza Guerra and Daniel Tiaga.
The two schools produced four qualifiers for the NSPC.
The four qualifiers are INHS’ Samantha Nicole Seva (Filipino News Writing) and Raymund Alexis Pillora (English Sports Writing) as well as HNHS’ Erica Grace Tuante (English Copyreading & Headlining) and Resil Jane Hiponia (Filipino Sci-Tech Writing).
Four other Negrenses advance to the NSPC competition – Melody Tan of Pahilanga NHS in Hinigaran (English Column Writing), Annie Quesia Calderon of Gil Montilla NHS in Silay City (English Newswriting);
Kezzia Rexinne Barrientos of Bacolod City NHS (Filipino Sports Writing) and Cherry Lynn Cabalyar of Buenavista NHS in Escalate City (Filipino Photojournalism).
Only the No. 1 placer in each individual contest in the RSPC is eligible to compete in the national level.
To the NSPC qualifiers and their advisers, best wishes and be safe in your NSPC journey to Vigan City next month. | NWI
