WesWorld

1 October

The Dutch Marine transport Nicobar arrived in the clear port of northern Manila today, loaded to the brim with arrival of Nicobar with medical supplies, hospital staff, and a small Dutch Marine complement. Presidente de la Vega personally lauded this move as "a gracious and unexpected gift, and a step in the right direction in regards to the relationship between the Netherlands and las Filipinas.

4 October

The Ministry of Health offices, along with the majority of medical staff, have been transferred south to Makati Medical Center, farther from the "eye of the storm". It appears that this situation could change, however. With Intramuros off-limits and aflame, and the disease having spread as far as Pandacan district, there is some level of panic, and mild looting in Ermita and San Miguel. Still, the majority of citizens are staying calm and following Government directives for their safety.

5 October

The Filipino government has announced a provisional plan to forestall the spread of El Derretir outside of Luzon.

According to the plan, nearly all inter-island trade will be effectively cut off, save for government-mandated rice shipments and other essential traffic. Islands like Butuan and Cebu will turn back all merchant traffic from Luzon. Military installations, particularly naval yards, will be sealed off.

Certian economic specialists are condemining this move as heavy-handed, saying that it will effectively "shut down" the Filipino economy, but the events of the last few days have silenced most critics.


9 October

Most of the Armada de Filipinas ships under construction have been towed out of Manila in the last few days. Only the destroyer-minelayer Cormorán and the Brazilian battlecruiser Recife have had to be abandoned. Cormorán was seen to be swarming with looters, and the approaching tug was actually hit by small arms fire from the vessel!

The Brazilians have notified the Filipino government that they will be sending an expedition to reclaim their battlecruiser, possibly with the help of Filipino Marines..



12 October

The Formosan capital city of Taipei has reported several cases of what is believed to be El Derretir. This has sparked a mild panic in the "City of Azaleas", as reports of the Filipino experience are blown wildly out of proportion...

More news later tonight.. er.. earlier this morning.

Quoted

Cormorán was seen to be swarming with looters, and the approaching tug was actually hit by small arms fire from the vessel!

The capitan of the tug should be relieved immediately for not hosing down Cormorán's decks with 25mm fire...

Perhaps he was scared of causing An Explosion.

Avoiding an explosion... Very, very un-Filipino...
:-)

========================================

King Liao Kuan Yin informs Ambassador Yuan Shikai that the Chinese help is greatly appreciated, especially since the Chinese, too, have problems with El Derretir.

Quoted

Originally posted by Swamphen

The capitan of the tug should be relieved immediately for not hosing down Cormorán's decks with 25mm fire...

Perhaps he was scared of causing An Explosion.

Point taken.

15 October

The United States Navy battlecruiser Saratoga arrived in Davao port this morning, carrying the US contribution to the fight against El Derretir - world-renowed doctors and physicians, along with supplies and equipment. Dr. Robert Callis of the U.S. Public Health Service leads the expedition, and will be in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health's research team, headed by our own Dr. John Watson.

17 October

Cheering crowds greeted Chinese troops in Taipei today as they left their transports. The Chinese government was quick to respond to Formosa's crisis, sending two divisions specially equipped to fight the El Derretir epidemic.

The move has aroused some pan-Chinese nationalist feeling in Formosa - most Formosans are ethnic Chinese, and some even identify themselves as Chinese first, Formosans second.


19 October

Brazilian Fuzileiros (Marines), with the support of Filipino Marines, have stormed the partially-completed hull of the battlecruiser Recife. They now hold a small enclave in the South Port area, which has been cleared of looters and the diseased.

30 October

Princess Amrita's death has shocked and saddened the Filipino nation. The Government expresses its deepest sympathies to the Imperial family and extends its hand in these trying times.

The spread of El Derretir in India has been frighteningly rapid, possibly because of the heavy trade with the Philippines (facilitated by SATSUMA) and the multiple large urban centers, of which there are relatively few in las Filipinas.

3 November

The fires in Intramuros have burned themselves out.

12 November

The French 4th Cruiser squadron has arrived in Manila, docking at the cleared South Dock area. The cruisers have been loaded with medical supplies, which are being quickly offloaded into a makeshift hospital established in the Manila Hotel. Brazilian forces continue to work here, as well, offloading medical supplies and expanding the inner perimeter. Recife has been entirely secured and will soon be towed north so that work may continue outside the quarantine zone.

26 November

The inter-island quarantine is starting to take its toll on the now-isolated economies of Palawan and Davao. Davao, in particular, has almost no market for its rice and fish, being deprived of contact with Luzon.

Several cases of El Derretir have been reported in Leyte, but quick and efficient action by the local authorities has prevented the spread of the disease. Minister of Health Quirino has received much praise.

1 December

The medical team under Dr Watson, which has been studying El Derretir since it first appeared, has reported some progress. "We believe we've isolated dead pathogens from the virus. With time, we should be able to synthesize and replicate these pathogens, and administer them as a vaccine."

10 December

The Ministry of Health has released this map, showing the spread of El Derretir in Manila (in black) and the proposed quarantine zone (in red).



16 December

After moving up army troops of the Second Division (to bolster the already-overwhelmed Police and Marine forces), the quarantine of Inner Manila has been officially enacted. Martial law and curfew have also been enabled to strengthen the internal blockade.

21 December

The AdF reported the loss of the submarine Tiburón today, saying they had lost contact with the submarine while on a routine patrol in the Sulu Sea three days ago.

When asked how a modern submarine could be lost in calm waters, in daylight, with no survivors, Garcia simply shrugged.

29 December

The Filipino government is said to be in negotiations with the Dutch over possibly buying some elderly naval hardware from that nation.

Meanwhile, China has been admitted to SATSUMA.

And that's it for Q4. Sorry for the lateness on this one, everybody; starting college has been keeping me busy.

Methinks Tiburon has a special mission.

Quoted

Originally posted by Fyrwulf
Methinks Tiburon has a special mission.

I know no-theeeng!

(I see you had some fun with that map... ^_^ )

I'd be a little concerned about the closeness of the quarantine zone and infected zone boundaries on the east.

And the FNF has been cut by the Q, nicht gut. (Any railway workers infected? Since they're Union Pacific employees that could be a source of American concern...)

Quoted

Originally posted by Swamphen
(I see you had some fun with that map... ^_^ )

I'd be a little concerned about the closeness of the quarantine zone and infected zone boundaries on the east.

And the FNF has been cut by the Q, nicht gut. (Any railway workers infected? Since they're Union Pacific employees that could be a source of American concern...)

Good catch on the map.

Re: the closeness in the east - I should have properly put the quarantine zone boundary on the other side of the Pasig. No cases have been reported there (yet).

The Ministry of Health hopes that the internal waterways of Manila will continue to impede the plague.

No railway workers infected yet... they're rather important in regards to bringing necessities and medical supplies into Manila (from the north), and could carry the plague far out of Manila, so they've been closely watched and limited when it comes to actually entering the city.

Quoted

Originally posted by Alikchi

21 December

The AdF reported the loss of the submarine Tiburón today, saying they had lost contact with the submarine while on a routine patrol in the Sulu Sea three days ago.

When asked how a modern submarine could be lost in calm waters, in daylight, with no survivors, Garcia simply shrugged.

29 December

The Filipino government is said to be in negotiations with the Dutch over possibly buying some elderly naval hardware from that nation.

The Shark has vanished...how convieniant....
"Elderly" ? We prefer the term "antiquated"

Hmm the 1 Oct arrival of Nicobar with supplies escaped the attention of the Filipino press, I suppose that's to be expected given the political clime

Oh, and could you stop exporting? Your El Derretir is having a negative effect on Dutch markets !

Quoted

Originally posted by Kaiser Kirk
The Shark has vanished...how convieniant....

Quoted

"Elderly" ? We prefer the term "antiquated"

Point taken. Filipino dockyards are going to pull her apart to see just how antiquated she actually is...

Quoted

Hmm the 1 Oct arrival of Nicobar with supplies escaped the attention of the Filipino press, I suppose that's to be expected given the political clime

Oopsy. I will edit that in!

Quoted

Oh, and could you stop exporting? Your El Derretir is having a negative effect on Dutch markets !

The right-wing government in las Filipinas has promised not to interfere with private business... and why should I, when El Derretir is so popular?

Also added news on October 15th (US contribution to fighting the plague). Almost done playing catch up!

There's my two freighters wandering the SCS on plauge relief detail, too, but I think the Phillipines is pretty well stocked on help as is.

Yep, I've been swamped in that regard.

The American and French contributions of medical staff will help a lot. Containment can be handled by the government, but science will have to come up with a vaccine, or at least figure out some way to limit the spread.

*prods Alikchi* I didn't notice if you mentioned the Brazilian medical contribution.

Quoted

Originally posted by Fyrwulf
*prods Alikchi* I didn't notice if you mentioned the Brazilian medical contribution.

Added a mention in November.