When Typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) blew in last September 26, 2009, it flooded the streets of Manila with a month’s worth of rainfall in six hours. With broadcast and mobile phone services compromised, many Filipinos turned to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for real-time news. They reported personal accounts, posted photos and videos, and relayed calls for help. In one day, they went from being friends on social media to the country’s most efficient press corps.
That Saturday and the week that followed proved the value of digital and mobile technology in public service. Trapped homeowners and commuters uploaded videos from their mobile phones—a digital SOS, if you will—on YouTube. On Facebook, buddies with boats, jet skis, trucks and even surfboards mobilized rescue teams; chefs and housewives formed soup kitchens. Google maps marked roads that were under water, and more importantly, addresses of people awaiting rescue. Bloggers collected and posted hotlines and evacuation center addresses. Twitter functioned much like the old-fashioned Citizen Band radio, where people relayed requests from relief centers. Mobile money was donated painlessly by SMS to the Red Cross.
The misfortune that the Philippines suffered under Ondoy and the typhoon, Pepeng (international name: Parma) that followed one week later is one for the history books. Mortality is already in the hundreds and more than two million people are affected. Nevertheless if it weren’t for technology—and the unprecedented surge of volunteerism that it spurred—who knows how much worse it could have been?
To this day, Facebook and Twitter users are still using these networks for public service. What does this bode for social media in the Philippines? If it’s any indication, shortly after events of Typhoon Ondoy, politicians like presidential son and Congressman Mikey Arroyo have started following voters on Twitter. With any luck, government will respect the newfound power of the Fifth Estate.
