Liamson Times: Timeline The Ruling

== Timeline: The Ruling in the Philippines ==
Sheila Sta. Maria | 9:00 AM | February 14, 2014
On the 12th of February 2014, an unexplained phenomenon erupted across the globe when a multitude of natural disasters struck various parts of the world at the same time for six hours. Now commonly known as The Ruling or The Judgment, the catastrophic event led to a global economic recession and international losses totaling up to at most $20 trillion.
Comprising of earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and hurricanes, there are 308 recorded natural disasters linked to The Ruling. Affected areas and regions were severely damaged, including two world wonders that are now irreparable. It has brought down countries to extremes ranging from large-scale unemployment to widespread famine.
As of now, meteorologists and seismologists around the world have no logical explanation for the spontaneous eruption of disasters. Hypotheses have been formulated and are currently being studied, such as quantum physicists speculating it to be a result of a multiverse collision under the Everett interpretation.
In the Philippines, deemed as one of the "lucky" countries, two earthquakes and one hurricane struck the nation, especially the north and south. Despite the relatively lower quantity of natural disasters, its effects are strongly resonant up to this day. Urban regions and metro cities, however, were not affected. The National Statistics Board (NSB) reports up to 461,000 civilian casualties and damages of up to Php 940 billion.
Like most third-world countries, the Philippines is still declared under a state of emergency, with Pres. Fernando Cojuangco possessing special executive powers since the event.
February 9. A low pressure area (LPA) develops east of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
February 11. The LPA intensifies quickly. PAGASA classifies it as a tropical storm, then a hurricane on the same day, assigning the name "Halanda". Predicted to hit the northwest in several hours, civilians were promptly evacuated.
February 12 at 2:16 am. The first earthquake hit Strasbourg, France, commencing the series of catastrophes.
February 12 at 3:12 am. An 8.2-magnitude earthquake hit the north, whose epicenter is located at Brgy. Panpan, Makarito, lasting for 1 minute and 12 seconds, followed by 2 aftershocks.
February 12 at 3:29 am. Hurricane "Halanda" rapidly picks up sustained winds of up to 220 km/h, striking the northwest.
February 12 at 4:08 am. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the south, whose epicenter is located at Brgy. Buwanan, Santoro, lasting for 1 minute and 36 seconds, followed by 3 aftershocks.
February 12. Pres. Fernando Cojuangco declares the nation under a state of emergency. The Congress hastily provides the president special executive powers for "immediate crisis response."
February 13. Philippine National Police (PNP) deploys at most 7,000 units and armored vehicles, sets up checkpoints, and imposes curfew to help mitigate looting.
February 14. The Department of Social Development and Welfare (DSDW) estimates that more than 5.2 million families, or around 25.1 million individuals (about 1/4 of the population), are affected by The Ruling.
February 15. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reports that the initial death toll is 284,000, with the slight majority coming from Makarito, Panguina, and Carlosan.
February 16. Senate eyes P49B rehabilitation fund for victims. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Norbert Cupitero promised that the Senate will put safeguards into place to "ensure the funds will not go to corrupt public officials."
February 17. Cojuangco addresses the nation on current renovation efforts, boasting the grand stylish renovation of one footbridge in Makarito worth P15 million.
February 19. Health Sec. Frankie Santos IX reveals plan for the repainting of hospitals in urban cities, saying that "newly painted walls are important for the well-being of patients." When asked about renovation of destroyed provincial hospitals, Santos walked out of the conference.
February 23. After the landing of several international news reports criticizing the nation's crisis response, there came an influx of foreign aid from neighboring countries and nonprofit organizations. Presidential Spokesperson Roberto Quimpo commended world leaders for the financial aid, and lashed at reporters for their "invalid criticism."
February 25. Senate increases to P69B the allocated 2014 budget for rehabilitation, repair and construction work in affected areas. Cupitero reiterates anti-corruption methodology and assures smooth distribution of funds and relief.
March 2. Santos divulges his critically panned mango-banana hybrid research project. "Upon waking up from a dream, now I know how to save this country from this stupid crisis," Santos said in a statement.
March 8. The United Countries shares the frustration of local victims over the "painfully slow" delivery of aid to areas devastated by The Ruling.
March 17. Cojuangco briefly addresses the nation with five more footbridge renovation projects completed right on time.
March 18. Experts at the Philippine University (PU) predict 300,000 deaths by the start of April if the "consistently underwhelming" relief efforts continue, primarily caused by lack of access to healthcare, essential services, water, and food.
March 20. Presidential Spokesperson Roberto Quimpo challenges the resilience of Filipinos against the PU prediction. "Let's prove PU wrong! Fast a little bit longer. We are one in this and we will not reach 300,000 deaths by April 1," Quimpo said in a statement.
April 1. Amid worsening unemployment rates and food scarcity, NDRRMC reports that the death toll has reached 290,000. "That's it! We won! We beat the PU prediction. It's a very close figure, but we just statistically proved the undeniable competence of our government," Quimpo celebrated in an interview.
April 18. Pres. Cojuangco reveals that the much-awaited master crisis plan has finally entered the stage of pre-planning. "Finally, two months after the disasters, I'm honored to announce we're now planning how to plan the plan to ensure a very high success rate across all boards and sectors," Cojuangco stated in an interview.
May 4. NDRRMC reports that the death toll has reached 348,000.
May 23. Quimpo announces delays in pre-planning, claiming it may take 2-3 more weeks to complete before the crisis master plan board enters the planning stage.
May 27. Numbers of civilians abandoning evacuation areas spiked to an all-time high, prompted by the reported shortage of basic needs and services.
June 13. In light of Independence Day, Cojuangco announces renewal of his elevated executive powers and the transition of the crisis master plan to planning stage. "The board has taken every careful step and measure to attain preparedness upon execution," Cojuangco said in a statement.
July 19. NDRRMC reports that the death toll has reached 402,000.
August 10. In response to civilians abandoning evacuation areas, Cojuangco announces construction of Crisis Response Office Units (CROUs) on municipalities and cities of affected areas that shall provide centralized relief and assistance to evacuation units.
September 2. According to a national report, CROUs prove successful in making dissemination of relief more efficient. In addition, there were less abandonment attempts and better living conditions among victims and evacuees. However, experts and critics point out that access to extensive healthcare is still severely constrained.
September 6. Despite continued dismissal of mass permanent evacuation as a concrete step of action, Quimpo finally announces that the "Permanent Evacuation for Crisis Victims Bill" has been enacted into law.
September 8. After reconstruction of footbridges, traffic lights, and manholes, renovation and construction of housing units begin for mass permanent evacuation, then highways and streets shall follow by 2015. Quimpo boasts such improving progress and claims that they know their priorities well.
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