Global Voices Online

Pedestrian Observer praises Efren “Kuya Ef!” Penaflorida Jr. from the Philippines for being the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.

Filipino netizens are discussing the open letter written by Lila Ramos Shahani to her uncle, former Philippine President Fidel Ramos. The letter mentions, among other things, the current state of Philippine politics.

Ella's Blog from the Philippines posts photos of donated goods intended for typhoon victims rotting in government warehouses. The expose has sparked fears that the goods might be misused to support administration candidates in next year's elections. The original site shows a “404 Not Found error” when it is accessed but the contents have been reposted by concerned citizens in blogs and social networks.

CP-Union has put up a disaster interactive map to monitor the extent of damage caused by the recent flooding in the northern part of the Philippines

Twitter user Noel Colina underscores the potential and limitation of new media sites like twitter and facebook during the onslaught of typhoons Ketsana and Parma in the Philippines.

Soup kitchens were set-up in different parts of Metro Manila to serve thousands of flood victims.

The 2009 Philippine Blog Awards announces the finalists for the Top 10 blog posts of the year

A blog was set-up to highlight and report the activities and findings of the International Labor Organization High-Level Mission to the Philippines. The ILO mission aims to investigate the alleged human rights violations experienced by Filipino workers under the incumbent government.

A scavenger was killed by a fellow scavenger when they fought over a stuffed toy they both found in a dumpsite. Ka-Blog! points to this story as reflection of the grinding poverty in the Philippines.