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Tulong Kabayan Guam effort seeks to help those in Phillipines hurt by rash of storms
A massive effort is underway on Guam to help those who were devastated by a string of storms to strike the Philippines, more than 500 hundred people are dead and another 400 hundred are estimated still missing after the successive onslaughts by Storm Un-Ding, tropical depressions Violeta and Winnie, and Typhoon Yo-Yong.
With thousands of Filipinos displaced by the storm the community of Guam is responding to raise donations to assist the Philippine government in its relief operations in the disaster stricken areas. Tulong Kabayan Guam ("help your countrymen") met Tuesday to begin a disaster relief fund drive. Laguna Association of Guam president Bobby Zamora says Tulong Kabayan is sponsored by the Laguna Association of Guam and the Metro Manila Association of Guam to help the victims.
The organization is appealing to residents for monetary and canned food items. "Canned goods are highly recommended because right now the victims of these calamities is actually stranded in their province. And there about more than a hundred thousand homeless in that place right now. So if you donate canned goods that will help them a lot to survive. It's easy access for their families to eat. And the money will be used to buy materials to rebuild their homes," he said.
President of the Metro Manila Association of Guam Emilio Uy says there are several drop-off stations to include National Office Supply, Triple J Motors, GPE Enterprise, Rustans Foreign Exchange, Pinoy Express, the Philippine Consulate Office and the Governor's Office. Uy says donations will only be accepted at official drop sites. "Please be sure that if you drop especially if you are making a monetary donation, please demand, request for a receipt and only give it to the designated outlet. We don't have people going around collecting money. Please don't give it to anybody who came to your office or your place asking for a donation," he said.
Continental Micronesia sales and marketing manager Lou Sanchez says the airlines will be assisting the donations of canned goods over to the Philippines with the first cargo moving out on December 18. "So we're hoping that it'll get to the provinces by the Holiday so that it will help to relieve some of the hardships there. We will be donating up to 2,000 pounds of freight, cargo to go out," he said.
Tulong Kabayan Guam is working with the ABS-CBN foundation to distribute the goods to the proper people. In addition the Philippine government has set up safeguards to protect the donations. Philippine consul general Teresita Mendiola says the Philippine government has created the national disaster coordinating council to lead a multi-agency effort in pooling together all resources in order to deliver basic relief services to affected areas and individuals. She said, "I would like to assure the people in Guam that whatever donations received by the Philippine government for the disaster stricken Filipinos will be used solely for the rescue and immediate relief operations and for the rehabilitation of the areas like putting up new shelters and infrastructure which will be started as soon as possible."
If you'd like help contact the Laguna Association at 483-3310. Or, If you'd like to donate to Tulong Kabayan Guam you can drop-off your canned goods or monetary donations by December 20 at the following sites: for monetary and canned good items, all three locations for national office supply; the KTKB 101.9 studio in Harmon; the Philippine Consulate Office; the Governor's Office; Pinoy Express; Rustans Foreign Exchange; GPE; or Triple J Motors.
For canned good items only mayor's offices in Yigo, Dededo, Tamuning, Mangilao, Agat, Ben & Yans Restaurant or AAA's Video.
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