Hopes ran high as rescue workers frantically dug through tons and tons of mud on reports by some officials and residents who claimed to have received text messages from people trapped underneath.
Reports said buried children and teachers had been sending text messages calling for help.
The messages then stopped, sending rescuers on a frantic mission to race against time digging into the muck despite miserable weather conditions.
If you read the story, you will note they requested US helicopters. and indeed, the Marines are on the ground...
There was a bomb in Sulu, but when the Marines started helping, the local NPA promised to leave them alone:
Security is a concern for the Marines because communist guerrillas are active on Leyte island. The New People's Army rebels, who have been waging a Marxist rebellion since the late 1960s, are on U.S. and European lists of terrorist organizations.
The rebels said Sunday they won't attack the American troops, but warned them not to stray into rebel zones or commit provocative acts.
Mudslides have been occuring all over, even near here (although not as bad as the ones two years ago)...The problem is more rain than usual during the usually dry season, but it is also because of illegal logging...
Again, corruption allows illegal logging to occur, and the local poor people don't understand the danger: they see the logging as a way to feed their families...
We usually buy used wood for our projects, but you can still find illegal wood being sold under the table...and a lot of times, what happens is that the wood is shipped elsewhere: The ships show up, the lumber is loaded, and the ships leave...yes, it's illegal, but a little bribe money will do wonders in the Philippines...
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