An Instagram post from a Filipino is making rounds through the social media Facebook as she posted how local airport officials required German volunteers to pay taxes for their truckloads of donated supplies. The post had already acquired more than 10,000 shares as Filipinos themselves were angered about the behaviour of these local officials.

According to the post, she was at the Lufthansa and noticed that there were many Germans and trucks loaded with items. The Germans were seemingly confused on what to do. She initially thought that the truckloads of items were for Lufthansa. She later found out that these Germans were volunteers and the truckloads of items were donations and emergency supplies intended to be transported to Tacloban. The German volunteers flew to personally distribute their donations to the Haiyan victims. However, the volunteers were left stuck at LTP hangar because the Philippine Bureau of Customs was requiring them to pay taxes.

Bureau of Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon immediately denied the accusations.

"There is information going around social media that Customs allegedly taxed German donations via Lufthansa. This is not true, the shipment of German donations which arrived at Lufthansa hangar (at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila) on November 11, 2013 at 4:34 a.m. from the Republic of Germany carrying 23,071 kilos of relief goods were released within the day, exempted from duties and tax," Biazon told the Presidential Communications and Strategic Planning Office through a text message.

Germany had already donated 1 million euro to the Philippines and had delivered 25 tonnes supplies to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, transporting aid to the Philippines remains a logistic nightmare for foreign relief operations. Roads are still hampered by debris of trees and dead bodies.

Alfred Romualdez, Tacloban mayor, said during an interview with ABC that there were no land vehicles capable of traversing through the debris nor enough man power to clear the roads.

A woman who was able to travel back to Tacloban in the hopes of finding her family and relatives was shocked to see the dismal situation.

"The moment I stepped out of that plane our airport was totally destroyed. It was like a no-man's land.Trees uprooted from the ground, dead people in the street, flattened houses. Just people aimlessly walking around searching for food and water. And the stench of decaying bodies, it probably would haunt me forever."

Colonel Wayne Maxwell, Australian territorial commander for the Philippines, said that they were also facing difficulties clearing the roads to make them passable for vehicles transporting aid.

"The magnitude of the damage is just something that while they were expecting a large typhoon, the effects of it were not anything like they envisaged. Those who would normally respond as first responders they've been affected themselves. It's a catastrophe that has occurred and they are just trying to come to terms with how to best deal with basic things, that is clearing away debris, gaining access through roads, maintaining law and order, which is a massive challenge."