Archive for the ‘Tragedy/Calamity’ Category
The Least that We Can Do for #YolandaPH Victims
You and I know about the recent super-typhoon Haiyan locally known as Yolanda that struck Philippines last November 8th, right? The world knows about it that in just a matter of days, countries from around the world are rallying their help and assistance in forms of financial, goods, and humanitarian resources to the Filipino people. The devastation is beyond imaginable and the lives that perished is just so heartbreaking. I have cried countless times just seeing and reading the news and what’s even more sad is that I have relatives in Leyte and friends in Samar and Northern Cebu who were victims.
What can we do as witnesses to such enormous catastrophe? For being thousands of miles away from our home country, we couldn’t offer our physical selves for volunteering missions but we could be beacon of light to the victims by being channels of help through monetary assistance. For one, we are a lot more privilege than our brothers and sisters who lost their homes so we have this time right now to give back. I rally for immediate aids to reach the victims as soon as possible because having a family of my own who were victims of Typhoon Sendong last December of 2011, I know how it is to suffer from hunger and homelessness.
I am thankful that I have a personal contact in Northern Cebu who is a trustworthy person. Miss A I call her, and although we haven’t met in person yet (I only knew her through blogger friend Pinx last month), I know she can be trusted to do the relief effort for me. Miss A is also a victim herself of the super-typhoon and below, she is standing on the roof of her house that got walloped by Yolanda.
She roamed around her town after the typhoon to see the aftermath and as we see the devastation on TV or the internet, Miss A‘s place in Northern Cebu is no difference. Accordingly, 95% of the residents have been severely affected.
And so I pledged to myself to send some help in the form of money to help out. I have friends and relatives in Samar and Leyte so I also tried to help them out with whatever we have here. And then, I have thought of asking my fellow blogger friends if any of them is interested. The convenience of sending money through Paypal is really helpful as my friends in different places were able to send in their share. I chose to send the donations sent to my Paypal to Miss A and she was able to use it in buying the goods that she and her team distributed to her town of Borbon in Cebu province. No government agencies have reached their place yet the last time I have heard so goods given by private groups were the savior!
Borbon town in Cebu in the map
One of the scenes of Miss A’s team of volunteers that prepared the goods to be distributed
Far from the videos and images that we see on TV, the devastation in Northern Cebu is that of a rural scenarios. The place is in the countryside, and it is a good learning for me because all the while, what I know about the province of Cebu is just the Metro Cebu area, an urban setting. But there is no difference in the degree of devastation as all victims lost their homes and their livelihood. I am happy to be a channel of your donations and mine as even if we are very far away from them, we were able to reach out and made them feel that some people somewhere are thinking for them.
One of the distributions done by Miss A’s team
Another distribution of goods by Miss A’s team
Don’t their smiles speak of their gratitude? 🙂
There are a lot of photos that I have uploaded in Facebook from this relief drive that we have channeled through Miss A’s relief efforts. If you want to see them, just let me know.
Meanwhile, here’s my message to all the donors that joined me in this effort:
The help we have extended to our brothers and sisters in Northen Cebu, Samar, and Leyte may not be much, but I am sure God has blessed it as it reached the recipients. To all of you that helped out, thanks once again and I hope you will never get tired of helping! 😉
Some of the recipients of our love posed with their “Thank You” tarp to show their gratitude. They did not need to, but it’s nice to see their smiles, isn’t it?
To the residents of Northern Cebu, Samar, and Leyte: YOU ARE WELCOME! God bless Visayas and God bless the Philippines!
318/365 BPC
Sendong Donations and Help: SENT!
Exactly 33 days ago, two cities in Region 10 in Southern Philippines have been devastated by the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Sendong. It was December 16, 2011. The most unfortunate part of it was, my family’s home in Villa Angela Subdivision in Barangay Balulang and my older sister’s house in MABASA Lower Balulang have been affected. None of the things inside the houses were saved, but thank God my family’s lives were spared. However, we knew a lot of relatives, friends, and church family throughout the many barangays in CDO and in Iligan who have been affected as well.
Being far away from CDO, my desire to extend my helping hand can not be realized if I continue to grieve and be sad over what happened. I wanted so very much to help my family and friends and sending financial help is the best way to do so.
On December 19th, I made a post in this blog “Help CDO and Iligan Victims of Typhoon Sendong: Donate Now!” and I shouted a lot of pleas at my Facebook wall asking for financial donations from kind-hearted people in the blogosphere and I am thankful that I was able to get positive feedback from many of my friends. In total, my Paypal account was able to receive $365 from just blogging comrades, checks from personal, family, and church friends here in the US totaling to $450, a very special amount from The Malak Family– our family friend in Illinois who sent out a check to especially help my older sister whose house was washed out, a peso cash from my friends around the world totaling to P18,500 which friends from Australia, Qatar, Japan, and Canada directly deposited to my BDO Account in Philippines which is currently in the hands of my sister who braved the flood, and in-kinds and goods from Cebu and from dear and helpful friends in Davao City, Philippines– my 4th year high school classmates and teachers, and Emzkie‘s mom, too. Because of the overflowing blessings, my desire to help out surely was put into reality.
My sister’s family who traveled from Davao to CDO after Christmas last year was able to bring all the goods from Davao and distributed the things to the flooded location in Balulang. We distributed a total of P30,000 of cash to 20 families that we know who badly need them, donated P5,000 cash to Carmen SDA Church who never stopped giving out help to anyone who go and asked help from the church, sent P10,000 cash to two families in Iligan City who I knew badly needed help, too, and then, the two loads of goods were handed out to 200 families in Lower Balulang.
These are the least that I can show to document the HUGE help that you guys have extended:
In all honesty, until I saw the photos that my family sent me after the flood when they were giving out the help and when I personally heard from all of my sisters in CDO that they’re fine and trying to recover, that’s when I felt relieved and comforted. I am so happy and thankful for my family in CDO for doing this for me.
And to all of you who have sent out your financial donations, too– I have not mentioned your names here, but the angels in heaven surely rejoiced when they listed your names in the Book of Remembrance for having been able to extend your helping hands in times when it was badly needed. Thank you very much!
Recovery is still not over for my family and friends and all Kagay-anons who were victims of the flooding, but knowing that there are kind souls far away that think of them, it shall help the journey a little easier. God bless everyone who helped out! Every amount was big enough, because I placed everything in The Master’s Hands!
