The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week.

Hieronder een overzicht van de betekenis van Pasen in de Christelijke traditie en wat het betekent in de Filipijnen (in het Engels).

Holy Week (Latin: Hebdomas Sancta or Hebdomas Maior, "Greater Week"; Greek: Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, Megale Hebdomas) in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday (or in the Eastern, Lazarus Saturday) until, but not including, Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of The Great Fifty Days. It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels.

Holy Week in the Christian year is the week immediately before Easter. The earliest catholic allusion to the custom of marking this week as a whole with special observances is to be found in the Apostolical Constitutions (v. 18, 19), dating from the latter half of the 3rd century and 4th century. In this text, abstinence from flesh is commanded for all the days, while for the Friday and Sunday an absolute fast is commanded. Dionysius Alexandrinus in his canonical epistle (AD 260), refers to the 91 fasting days implying that the observance of them had already become an established usage in his time.

There is some doubt about the genuineness of an ordinance attributed to Constantine, in which abstinence from public business was enforced for the seven days immediately preceding Easter Sunday, and also for the seven which followed it; the Codex Theodosianus, however, is explicit in ordering that all actions at law should cease, and the doors of all courts of law be closed during those 15 days (1. ii. tit. viii.). Of the particular days of the "great week" the earliest to emerge into special prominence was naturally Good Friday. Next came the Sabbatum Magnum ("Great Sabbath", i.e., Holy Saturday or Easter Eve) with its vigil, which in the early church was associated with an expectation that the second advent would occur on an Easter Sunday.

There are other Scriptures that refer to the traditions of the Early Church, most notably The Pilgrimage of Etheria (also known as The Pilgrimage of Egeria) which details the complete observance of Holy Week in the early church.

Holy Week begins with Sunday of the Passion of the Our Lord. Before 1955 this Sunday was known in the Roman Rite simply as Palm Sunday and the preceding Sunday as Passion Sunday. From 1955 to 1971 it was called Second Sunday in Passiontide or Palm Sunday.

To commemorate the entrance of the messiah into Jerusalem, to accomplish his paschal mystery, it is customary to have before Mass a blessing of palm leaves (or other branches, for example olive branches). The blessing ceremony, preferably held outside the church includes the reading of a Gospel account of how Jesus rode into Jerusalem humbly on a donkey, reminiscent of a Davidic victory procession, and how people placed palms on the ground in front of him. Immediately following this great time of celebration in the entering of Jesus into Jerusalem, he begins his journey to the cross. This is followed by a procession or solemn entrance into the church, with the participants holding the blessed branches in their hands.

The Mass itself includes a reading of the Passion, the narrative of Jesus' capture, sufferings and death, as recounted in one of the Synoptic Gospels.

Before the reform of the rite by Pope Pius XII, the blessing of the palms occurred inside the church within a service that followed the general outline of a Mass, with Collect, Epistle and Gospel, as far as the Sanctus. The palms were then blessed with five prayers, and a procession went out of the church and on its return included a ceremony for the reopening of the doors, which had meantime been shut. After this the normal Mass was celebrated.^[2]

The days between Palm Sunday and Holy Thursday are known as Holy Monday (or Fig Monday), Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday (sometimes called Spy Wednesday). The Gospels of these days recount events not all of which occurred on the corresponding days between Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and his Last Supper. For instance, the Monday Gospel tells of the Anointing at Bethany (John 12:1-9), which occurred before the Palm Sunday event described in John 12:12-19.

The Chrism Mass, whose texts the Roman Missal now gives under Holy Thursday, may be brought forward to one of these days, to facilitate participation by as many as possible of the clergy of the diocese together with the bishop. This Mass was not included in editions of the Roman Missal before the time of Pope Pius XII. In this Mass the bishop blesses separate oils for the sick (used in Anointing of the Sick), for catechumens (used in Baptism) and chrism (used in Baptism, but especially in Confirmation and Holy Orders, as well as in rites such as the blessing of an altar and a church).

When the principal services of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil were celebrated in the morning, the office of Matins and Lauds of each day was celebrated on the evening of the preceding day in the service known as Tenebrae.

Mass of the Lord's Supper

On this day the private celebration of Mass is forbidden.Thus, apart from the Chrism Mass for the blessing of the Holy Oils that the diocesan bishop may celebrate on the morning of Holy Thursday, but also on some other day close to Easter, the only Mass on this day is the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, which inaugurates the period of three days, known as the Easter Triduum, that includes Good Friday (seen as beginning with the service of the preceding evening), Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday up to evening prayer on that day.

The Mass of the Lord's Supper commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his Twelve Apostles, "the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood, and the commandment of brotherly love that Jesus gave after washing the feet of his disciples."

All the bells of the church, including altar bells, may be rung during the Gloria in Excelsis Deo of the Mass. The bells and the organ then fall silent until the Gloria at the Easter Vigil.^{[citation needed]} In some countries, children are sometimes told: "The bells have flown to Rome."

The Roman Missal recommends that, if considered pastorally appropriate, the priest should, immediately after the homily, celebrate the rite of washing the feet of an unspecified number of men, customarily twelve, recalling the number of the Apostles.

A sufficient number of hosts are consecrated for use also in the Good Friday service, and at the conclusion the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession to a place of reposition away from the main body of the church, which, if it involves an altar, is often called an "altar of repose". However, the Mass does not officially end and technically extends over the next two days, not "ending" until the end of the Easter Vigil Mass.

The altars of the church (except the one used for altar of repose) are later stripped quite bare and, to the extent possible, crosses are removed from the church or veiled. (In the pre-Vatican II rite, crucifixes and statues are covered with violet covers during Passion time, but the crucifix covers can be white instead of violet on Holy Thursday.)

Good Friday

Roman Catholic Christians treat Good Friday as a fast day, which is defined as only having one full meal with, if needed, two small snacks that together do not make a full meal.

The Catholic Good Friday in the Roman Rite afternoon service involves a series of readings and meditations, as well as the (sung) reading of the Passion account from the Gospel of John which is often read dramatically, with the priest, one or more readers, and the congregation all taking part. In the traditional Latin liturgy, the Passion is read by the priest facing the altar, with three deacons chanting in the sanctuary facing the people. Unlike Roman Catholic services on other days, the Good Friday service is not a Mass, and in fact, celebration of Catholic Mass on Good Friday is forbidden. Eucharist consecrated the night before (Holy Thursday) may be distributed. The cross is presented, with the people given an opportunity to venerate it. The services also include a long series of formal intercessions. The solemnity and somberness of the occasion has led to a phenomenon whereby in the course of history the liturgical provisions have a tendency to persist without substantial modification, even over the centuries. Some churches hold a three-hour mediation from midday, the Three Hours' Agony. In some countries, such as Malta, Philippines, Italy and Spain, processions with statues representing the Passion of Christ are held.

• The Church mourns for Christ's death, reveres the Cross, and marvels at his life for his obedience until death.
• The only sacraments celebrated are Penance and Anointing of the Sick. While there is no celebration of the Eucharist, Holy Communion is distributed to the faithful only in the Service of the Passion of the Lord, but can be taken at any hour to the sick who are unable to attend this service.
• The altar remains completely bare, without texts, candlesticks, or altar cloths.
• It is customary to empty the holy water fonts in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil.
• The Stations of the Cross are often prayed either in the church or outside.
• The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord takes place in the afternoon, ideally at three o'clock, but for pastoral reasons a later hour may be chosen.
• Since 1970, the colour of the vestments is red. Previously it was black. If a bishop celebrates, he wears a plain mitre.
• 'The liturgy consists of three parts in the Roma Rite: the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion.

Liturgy of the Word

Prostration of the celebrant before the altar.

The readings from Isaiah 53 (about the Suffering Servant) and the Epistle to the Hebrews are read.

The Passion narrative of the Gospel of John is sung or read, often divided between more than one singer or reader.

General Intercessions: The congregation pray for the Church, the Pope, the Jews, non-Christians, unbelievers and others.

Veneration of the Cross: A crucifix is solemnly unveiled before the congregation. The people venerate it on their knees. During this part, the "Reproaches" are often sung.

Communion service: Hosts consecrated at the Mass of the previous day are distributed to the people.

• Even if music is used in the Liturgy, it is not used to open and close the Liturgy, nor is there a formal recessional (closing procession).
• It was once customary in some countries, especially England, to place a veiled monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament or a cross in a Holy Sepulchre".
• If crucifixes were covered starting with the next to last Sunday in Lent, they are unveiled without ceremony after the Good Friday service.

Because the Mass did not officially end on Holy Thursday, no Mass is celebrated until sundown.

In some Anglican churches, including the Episcopal Church in the United States, there is provision for a simple liturgy of the word with readings commemorating the burial of Christ.

The tabernacle is left empty and open. The lamp or candle usually situated next to the tabernacle denoting the Presence of Christ is put out, and the remaining Eucharistic Hosts consecrated on Holy Thursday are kept elsewhere, usually the sacristy, with a lamp or candle burning before it, so that, in cases of the danger of death, they may be given as viaticum.

The celebration of Easter begins after sundown on what is therefore liturgically Easter Sunday, though still Saturday in the civil calendar. Easter Vigil is the longest and most solemn of the Catholic Church's Masses, lasting up to three or four hours.

Easter Vigil

In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Easter Vigil consists of four parts:

1. The Service of Light
2. The Liturgy of the Word
3. The Liturgy of Baptism: The sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation for new members of the Church and the Renewal of Baptismal Promises by the entire congregation.
4. Holy Eucharist

The Liturgy begins after sundown on Holy Saturday as the crowd gathers inside the unlit church. In the darkness (often in a side chapel of the church building or, preferably, outside the church), a new fire is kindled and blessed by the priest. This new fire symbolizes the light of salvation and hope that God brought into the world through Christ's Resurrection, dispelling the darkness of sin and death. From this fire is lit the Paschal candle, symbolizing the Light of Christ. This Paschal candle will be used throughout the season of Easter, remaining in the sanctuary of the Church or near the lectern, and throughout the coming year at baptisms and funerals, reminding all that that Christ is "light and life."

Candles lit for the Easter Vigil at Heiligenkreuz Abbey in Austria.

All baptized Catholics present (i.e. those who have received the "Light of Christ") receive candles which are lit from the Paschal candle. As this symbolic "Light of Christ" spreads throughout those gathered, the darkness is decreased. A deacon, or the priest if there is no deacon, carries the Paschal Candle at the head of the entrance procession and, at three points, stops and chants the proclamation "Light of Christ" or "Christ our Light," to which the people respond "Thanks be to God." Once the procession concludes, the deacon or a cantor chants the Exultet (also called the "Easter Proclamation"), and, the church remaining lit only by the people's candles and the Paschal candle, the people take their seats for the Liturgy of the Word.

The Liturgy of the Word consists of between two and seven readings from the Old Testament. The account of the Exodus is given particular attention in the readings since it is considered to be the Old Testament antetype of Christian salvation. Each reading is followed by a psalm and a prayer relating what has been read in the Old Testament to the Mystery of Christ. After these readings conclude, a fanfare may sound on the organ and additional musical instruments and the Gloria in Excelsis Deo is sung. During this outburst of musical jubilation the congregation's candles are extinguished, the church lights are turned on, and bells rung while the church's decorative funnings — altar frontals, the reredos, lectern hangings, processional banners, statues and paintings — which had been stripped or covered during Holy Week, are ceremonially replaced and unveiled and flowers are placed on altars and elsewhere. (In the pre-Vatican II rite, the statues, which have been covered during Passion Time, are unveiled at this time.) Members of the congregation may have been encouraged to bring flowers which are also brought forward and placed about the sanctuary and side altars. A reading from the Epistle to the Romans is proclaimed. The Alleluia is sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent (or, in the pre-Vatican II rite, since Septuagesima). The Gospel of the Resurrection then follows, along with a homily.

After the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word, the water of the baptismal font is consecrated and any catechumens or candidates for full communion are initiated into the church, by baptism and/or confirmation, respectively. After the celebration of these sacraments of initiation, the congregation renews their baptismal vows and receive the sprinkling of baptismal water. The general intercessions follow.

After the Liturgy of Baptism, the Liturgy of the Eucharist continues as usual. This is the first Mass of Easter Day. During the Eucharist, the newly baptised receive Holy Communion for the first time. According to the rubrics of the Missal, the Eucharist should finish before dawn.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday is the great feast day and culmination of not only Holy Week but the whole year. On this day, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated. It is considered the most important day in the Church year, as it is the day on which Jesus rose from the dead. Easter Sunday is the main reason why Christians keep Sunday as the primary day of religious observance.

Philippines

In the predominantly Catholic Philippines, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are national holidays; work is suspended in government offices and private businesses. Most stores are closed and most people in the cities head to the provinces for the long Easter weekend.

Holy Week is commemorated with street processions, the Way of the Cross, and a Passion play called the Sinakulo. The Church keeps the day solemn by not tolling the church bells, and no mass will be celebrated. In some communities (most famously in San Fernando, Pampanga), the processions include devotees who self-flagellate and sometimes even have themselves nailed to crosses as expressions of penance. After three o'clock in the afternoon of Good Friday (the time at which Jesus is traditionally believed to have died), noise is discouraged, some radio stations and television stations sign off (while others remain signed-on, broadcasting Religious Programming), businesses automatically close, and the faithful are urged to keep a solemn and prayerful disposition through to Easter Sunday.

At Mass on Palm Sunday, Catholics carry "palaspas" or palm leaves to be blessed by the priest. Many Filipinos bring home the palm leaves after the Mass and place these above their front doors or their windows, believing that doing so can ward off evil spirits. Holy Monday marks the beginning of the Pabasa (literally, reading) or Pasyon, the marathon chanting of the story of Jesus' life, passion, and death, which continues day and night, for as long as two straight days. A popular Holy Thursday tradition is the Bisita Iglesia (Church Visit), which involves visiting several Churches at which the faithful would pray the Stations of the Cross. The last Mass before Easter is also celebrated on Holy Thursday, usually including a reenactment of the Washing of the Feet of the Apostles; this Mass is followed by the procession of the Blessed Sacrament before it is taken to the Altar of Repose. Good Friday in the Philippines is commemorated with street processions, the Way of the Cross, the commemoration of Jesus' Seven last words (Siete Palabras) and a Passion play called the Sinakulo.

Easter morning is marked with joyous celebration, the first being the dawn Salubong, wherein large statues of Jesus and Mary are brought in procession together to meet, imagining the first reunion of Jesus and his mother Mary after Jesus' Resurrection. This is followed by the joyous Easter Mass.

Sinds enige tijd, wel sinds de nieuwe regering aantrad in de Filipijnen op 01 juli 2010, is er heel wat te doen over een zogenaamde wet of eerder bedoeling om een bepaalde geboorteberperking te lanceren en om de ongebreidelde vermenigvuldiging af te zwakken.
"The Reproductive Health Bill, popularly known as the RH Bill, is a Philippine bill aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth control and maternal care. The bill has become the center of a contentious national debate. There are presently two bills with the same goals: House Bill No. 96 or the Reproductive Health Act and Population and Development Act of 2010 introduced by Albay 1st district representative Edcel Lagman, and Senate Bill No. 2378 or the Reproductive Health Act introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.

While there is general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is great debate on its key proposal that the Filipino taxpayer and the private sector will fund and undertake widespread distribution of family planning devices such as birth control pills (BCPs) and IUDs, as the government continues to disseminate information on their use through all health care centers. Private companies and the public and private elementary and secondary school system will be required to participate in this information and product dissemination as a way of controlling the population of the Philippines.^[1]

The bill is highly controversial, with experts, academics, religious institutions, and major political figures both supporting and opposing it, often criticizing the government and each other in the process. The issue is so divisive that at one point, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines threatened to excommunicate the President, Benigno Aquino III if he supported the bill."

De bevolking in de Filipijnen werd in 2010 geschat op 94 miljoen. Volgens een min of meer wetenschappelijke schatting zal de bevolking in 2020  111 miljoen bedragen. De cijfers over de armoede onder Filipijnen lopen nogal uiteen, maar zou wel een 50 % van de bevolking kunnen weerspiegelen, nu al. Hogere populatie betekent dat er meer jobs moeten gekreerd worden en er meer voedsel moet geproduceerd worden. De brandstofprijzen blijven voorlopig de hoogte ingaan en hogere brandstofpijzen leiden tot hoger voedselprijzen, alleen al omdat het voedsel moet getransporteerd worden naar de verdelers die hogere onkosten doorrekenen naar hun konsumenten.

De familie van mijn vriendin telt vele kinderen en kleinkinderen. Zowat een jaar geleden vertelde de echtgenoot van een zuster van mijn vriendin mij dat zijn oudste dochter naar de universiteit gaat en dat kan bekostigd worden omdat zij een deeltijdse job heeft in een fastfood-restaurant waardoor zij transport en andere onkosten zelf kan dragen; Zijn op 1 na oudste dochter gaat ook naar de universiteit maar zij heeft geen job en dus is het twijfelachtig of hij haar studies (vooral haar tranport en andere onkosten) kan blijven betalen. Wat doen hij en zijn echtgenote ondertussen ? Zij maken een nieuwe baby... De vijfde al in het huisgezin. De geboorte is voorzien in juni 2011. Dat zal ook niet helpen om onkosten voor de op 1 na oudste dochter aan de universiteit te lenigen...

Op de lokale televisie was er onlangs wat berichtgeving over het probleem van overpopulatie. Wie liet men aan het woord ? Rooms-Katholieke priesters en gezagsdragers die uiteraard weigerachtig zijn tegenover elke geboortbeperking, enkele mannelijke (waarschijnlijk universiteits-) studenten die weigerachtig staan om een condoompje over hun penissen te schuiven als zij van bil gaan en enkele "ouderen van dagen" die weigerachtig doen omdat hen nooit iets anders voorgehouden werd dan voortplanten... Voor een publiek met overwegend "beperkte" edukatie zoals hier, is het pleit dan wel vlug beslist. In 2020 zal het er bijgevolg niet fraaier uitzien dan nu.

That they are a scourge of society was the phrase used by the Chinese embassy in Manila to announce the finality of the verdict.

Ambassador Liu Jintao also said that other than the deferment of the original dates of February 21 and 22 to still-unscheduled times, Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, 32, Ramon Credo, 42, and Elizabeth Batain, 38, can no longer opt for reprieve, clemency or commutation.

”I would like to confirm that the three criminals who have been sentenced to death are at the moment still alive. But the verdict is the final verdict. So the penalty will be carried out sooner or later and everything will be done in accordance with the law in China,” Liu told the press.

"The verdict of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) is final and executory," he told a press briefing on Thursday.

He posed a plea to Filipino families whose relatives engage in drug trafficking in China to understand that drug traffickers destroy Filipinos as well as the Chinese people. He asked for respect of Chinese laws against heroin smuggling, wherein at least 50 grams could lead to 15 years to life in prison or death.

”These drug traffickers are not only victimizing the Chinese people, they are also victimizing the Filipino people," he stressed.

The SPC of China had upheld lower courts' sentence for the three, who separately smuggled a total 15,323 grams or more than four kilograms each of heroin into Xiamen and Shenzhen in southern China in 2008.

In the case of the three, the amount they carried was "way beyond, way beyond," thus the severity of the verdict, said Liu.

Pointing out that the situation in Filipino drug-smuggling on the China route is "really, really bad," Liu emphasized on Thursday:"I don’t want to link this (execution) case with the general relations between China and the Philippines because I don’t want to see our wonderful relationship being kidnapped by these drug criminals."

He emphasized that trade and investment relations between the two countries have surged ahead, and any differences are outweighed by cooperation and dialogues.

Liu also said that “sooner or later” the executions would push through and nothing more would prevent them -- "the issue is not on China's agenda on the visit," Liu added.

He believes the highest officials of “the Philippine Government already "have a very, very good and clear understanding of Chinese laws,” as a February 18 Joint Statement between Vice President Jejomar C. Binay and top Chinese officials show."
Nog maar pas, enkele maanden geleden, werd de zoon van een Filipijnse gouverneur, Ronald Singson, 42, zoon van Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson gearresteerd in China wegens bezit van enkele (+- 25) grammen drugs.  Onmiddellijk ging de hele diplomatieke machine van de Filipijnen in werking en werd de aangehoudene weer uitgeleverd vanuit China naar de Filipijnen. Hij onderging daar zijn vonnis, dat bestond uit achttien maanden effektief in de cel. Het is mij niet zo direkt duidelijk of men in de Filipijnen vervroegd kan vrijkomen omwille van goed gedrag in de gevangenis, maar ook als dat niet zo is, komt de man weer vrij na anderhalf jaar. Omdat hij een zoon is van een diplomaat. Lijkt op meten met twee maten en gewichten, nietwaar ? Klinkt dit bekend in Belgische oren ?

Een bericht van Reuters verschenen op internet enkele uren geleden geschreven door Taiga Uranaka and Ki Joon Kwon:

"FUKUSHIMA, Japan  – Japan scrambled to avert a meltdown at a stricken nuclear reactor on Monday after a second hydrogen explosion rocked the facility, just days after a devastating earthquake and tsunami that killed at least 10,000 people.

Roads and rail, power and ports have been crippled across much of Japan's northeast and estimates of the cost of the multiple disasters have leapt to as much as $170 billion. Analysts said the economy could even tip back into recession.

Japanese stocks closed down more than 6 percent, the biggest fall since the height of the global financial crisis in 2008.

Rescue workers combed the tsunami-battered region north of Tokyo for survivors and struggled to care for millions of people without power and water in what Prime Minister Naoto Kan has dubbed his country's worst crisis since World War Two.

Officials say at least 10,000 people were likely killed in the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that followed it. Kyodo news agency reported that 2,000 bodies had been found on Monday in two coastal towns alone.

"It's a scene from hell, absolutely nightmarish," said Patrick Fuller of the International Red Cross Federation from the town of Otsuchi.

"The situation here is just beyond belief, almost everything has been flattened. The government is saying that 9,500 people, more than half of the population could have died and I do fear the worst."

Crucially, officials said the thick walls around the radioactive cores of the damaged reactors at the nuclear power plant appeared to be intact after the hydrogen blast, the second there since Saturday.

The big fear is of a major radiation leak from the complex in Fukushima, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, where engineers have been battling since the weekend to prevent a meltdown in three reactors.

The core container of the No. 3 reactor was intact after the explosion, the government said, but it warned those still in the 20-km (13-mile) evacuation zone to stay indoors. The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), said 11 people had been injured in the blast.

Kyodo said 80,000 people had been evacuated from the zone, joining more than 450,000 other evacuees from quake and tsunami-hit areas in the northeast.

"Everything I've seen says that the containment structure is operating as it's designed to operate. It's keeping the radiation in and it's holding everything in, which is the good news," said Murray Jennex, of San Diego State University.

"This is nothing like a Chernobyl ... At Chernobyl (in Ukraine in 1986) you had no containment structure -- when it blew, it blew everything straight out into the atmosphere."

Officials said on Sunday that three nuclear reactors in Fukushima were at risk of overheating, raising fears of an uncontrolled radiation leak.

Engineers worked desperately to cool the fuel rods. If they fail, the containers that house the core could melt, or even explode, releasing radioactive material into the atmosphere.

Nuclear experts said it was probably the first time in the industry's 57-year history that sea water has been used in this way, a sign of how close Japan may be to a major accident.

"Injection of sea water into a core is an extreme measure," Mark Hibbs of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "This is not according to the book."

The nuclear accident, the worst since Chernobyl, sparked criticism that authorities were ill-prepared and the threat that could pose to the country's nuclear power industry.

A Japanese official said before the blast that 22 people were confirmed to have suffered radiation contamination and up to 190 may have been exposed. Workers in protective clothing used hand-held scanners to check people arriving at evacuation centers.

U.S. warships and planes helping with relief efforts moved away from the coast temporarily because of low-level radiation. The U.S. Seventh Fleet described the move as precautionary.

South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines said they would test Japanese food imports for radiation.

NO POWER, NO WATER

Almost 2 million households were without power in the north, the government said. There were about 1.4 million without running water. Tens of thousands of people are missing.

The town of Otsuchi in Iwate prefecture was obliterated.

"After my long career in the Red Cross where I have seen many disasters and catastrophes, this is the worst I have ever seen. Otsuchi reminds me of Osaka and Tokyo after the Second World War when everything was destroyed and flattened," Japan Red Cross President Tadateru Konoe told Reuters during a visit to the coastal town.

Whole villages and towns have been wiped off the map by Friday's wall of water, triggering an international humanitarian effort of epic proportions.

"When the tsunami struck, I was trying to evacuate people. I looked back, and then it was like the computer graphics scene I've seen from the movie Armageddon. I thought it was a dream . it was really like the end of the world," said Tsutomu Sato, 46, in Rikuzantakata, a town on the northeast coast.

ENORMOUS ECONOMIC COSTS

Estimates of the economic impact are only now starting to emerge.

Hiromichi Shirakawa, chief economist for Japan at Credit Suisse, said in a note to clients that the economic loss will likely be around 14-15 trillion yen ($171-183 billion) just to the region hit by the quake and tsunami.

Even that would put it above the commonly accepted cost of the 1995 Kobe quake which killed 6,000 people.

The earthquake has forced many firms to suspend production and shares in some of Japan's biggest companies tumbled on Monday, with Toyota Corp dropping almost 8 percent. Shares in Australian-listed uranium miners also dived.

"When we talk about natural disasters, we tend to see an initial sharp drop in production ... then you tend to have a V-shaped rebound. But initially everyone underestimates the damage," said Michala Marcussen, head of global economics at Societe Generale.

Risk modeling company AIR Worldwide said insured losses from the earthquake could reach nearly $35 billion.

Global companies from semiconductor makers to shipbuilders faced disruptions to operations after the quake and tsunami destroyed vital infrastructure, damaged ports and knocked out factories supplying everything from high-tech components to steel.

The Bank of Japan offered a combined 15 trillion yen ($183 billion) to the banking system earlier in the day to soothe market jitters.

Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said authorities were closely watching the yen after the currency initially rallied on expectations of repatriations by insurers and others. The currency later reversed course in volatile trading.

The earthquake was the fifth most powerful to hit the world in the past century. It surpassed the Great Kanto quake of September 1, 1923, which had a magnitude of 7.9 and killed more than 140,000 people in the Tokyo area.

(Additional reporting by Nathan Layne, Risa Maeda and Leika Kihara in Tokyo, Chris Meyers and Kim Kyung-hoon in Sendai, Walter Brandimarte and Scott DiSavino in New York, Natsuko Waki in London and Fredrik Dahl in Vienna; Writing by Nick Macfie, Editing by Dean Yates)."

Het is duidelijk dat deze ramp onoverzichtelijke gevolgen heeft, zowel voor Japan zelf, als voor buurlanden die daar voedsel en andere produkten kopen, als voor de rest van de wereld. Niemand is voorbereid op iets zoals wat daar plaatsvond. In Belgie vinden de Groenen dit alweer een mooi excuus om het gebruik van kernenergie te veroordelen. Dat deden zij voordien ook al, maar boden nooit alternatieven behalve extra heffingen op het gebruik van allerlei schadelijke en wegwerpverpakkingen. Niemand heeft ooit beweerd dat kernenergie veilig is, voor zover ik weet. Een uitzonderlijke natuurramp aangrijpen om gelijk te halen is een typisch politiek opportunistische reflex. 'Zie je wel ? We hebben het altijd gezegd..."

Intussen gaat men door met het promoten van zonnepanelen om huizen te verwarmen (wat best realiseerbar is in California, USA, bijvoorbeeld) en met het promoten van windturbines. Als er hier in Belgie geen zon is, zullen die panelen weining energie opleveren; als er geen wind is zullen die turbines evenmin veel opleveren. Toch wel, hoor ik al zeggen: want als er geen wind is, dan werken die turbines met motoren... Hoe worden die motoren dan wel aangedreven ? Men hoort veel tegenwoordig over elektrisch aangedreven voertuigen... Propere energie, geen uitlaatgassen, de vehikels moeten alleen om de haverklap worden opgeladen. Hoe ? Door elektriciteit natuurlijk. Waar komt de elektriciteit vandaan ? Uit leidingen. Wie levert de energie in de leidingen ? Elektriciteitsmaatschappijen. Waar halen die de energie vandaan ? Uit kerncentrales en andere centrales die ook niet meteen proper zijn voor de natuur en de samenleving.

Als een aardbeving met de kracht die Japan trof ooit Belgie treft, zal er weinig van het land overblijven, met of zonder kerncentrales. In de Filipijnen werd ooit (vanaf 1976) een kerncentrale gebouwd in Bataan, op een kleine afstand van de vulkaan Pinatubo. Dat was een goed idee... Om allerlei redenen werd de bouw wel voleindigd, maar werd de kercentrale nooit in gebruik genomen. U kan daarover meer lezen in het artikel op wikipedia /en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataan_Nuclear_Power_Plant.

Hierna een kommentaar van iemand uit Belgie met wie ik regelmatig korrespondeer via het internet en mijn antwoord...
Berichty van korrespondent: "Bedankt voor je omstandige mails, die ik zeer op prijs stel.   Het is voor mij altijd interessant om te lezen/horen hoe iemand die al langere tijd op de Filipijnen verblijft het leven daar ervaart.  Ik was nu al voor de achtste keer bij ‘jullie’, maar de eerste dag in Manila was voor mij toch weer een cultuurschok : het was verstikkend warm ; het leek of er geen zuurstof in de lucht zat ; zeer druk ; hier een daar een vuilnisbelt langs de weg, krottenwijken langs de rivier, mensen die onder een brug woonden.   Ik weet wel Manila is de Filipijnen niet, en misschien als je er langer bent, zie je ook de mooie kanten van de stad.  (Ik heb nu alleen het deel gezien rond de luchthavens, en rond de Mall of Asia ; het zuidwesten van de stad dus.  . Ik ben er ook aan de praat geraakt met een Ier die al vijf maanden in Manila verbleef, en hij zei, it takes a month to hate it , a year to love it …. Eerst zag hij dus al het lelijke en negatieve, en geleidelijk aan ook de andere kant.   Heb jij ook zoiets meegemaakt ??

Hier is de zondvloed voorbij, en schijnt de zon …. Hoera …."