Big or Small, We All Can Help!

Have you watched Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho last Saturday? Their first story features people who are affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda. Yung mga tao nagsasabi kung ligtas sila o ilan sa kamag anak nila ang namatay. May isa na nagsabi na namatay yung 2 anak nya tapos ung isa yata nawawala pa. Their story made me cry. I wept with them. I feel their grief. I was silently wiping my tears away while watching that. More than the houses demolished, and fallen trees, and properties destroyed, what's really devastating about this sad catastrophe are the lives lost along the way. :(

After watching that, I felt helpless. Gusto ko tumulong pero pano? Hindi naman ako mayaman pra mgdonate ng malaki. I can't also volunteer since my son is too small to be left without my care. You know, I always tell myself, pag ako yumaman, tutulong ako sa nangangailangan. Pero kailan pa yun kung ngaun nila kailangan ng tulong? At paano kung hindi ako yumaman? Ibig sabihin hindi na rin ako tutulong sa kapwa ko? This made me think. And made me sadder. I know prayers can help too. So that's just what I did even now - PRAY for them. Then while watching 24 Oras last Monday, Mike Enriquez mentioned "Walang tulong na maliit!" Kahit ano, kahit 10 piso lng na donation basta taos sa puso ay pagtulong pa din. I also saw those kids selling lemonade to help Yolanda's victim. It made me realize na ang dami ko pwede gawin para tumulong. At nagsimula ako sa paglilinis ng aming cabinet...

We've already donated my son's clothes and milk bottles at Bethany last September

but I still managed to rummaged few of his clothes.

After cleaning up, we (janice, ina, at eddie-boy) came up with all these usable and good conditioned clothes.

Where to Donate?

We dropped it off at Basilica Minore o sa Malolos Cathedral this afternoon. They accept all sorts of donation - water, canned goods, whatever it is that you can contribute to help. Or you can also go to the nearest LBC. They'll ship it for free:

For monetary donations, you can send it thru Red Cross. Just text the following:

REDAMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart)

Or thru G-Cash
Text DONATEAMOUNT4-digit M-PINREDCROSS to 2882

You can donate the following denominations:
Globe: 5, 25, 100, 300, 500 or 1000
Smart: 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

Or you can deposits thru bank accounts. I think GMA Kapuso Foundation really steps up in their relief operations so here is the link on how to deposit money in their account.

It doesn't matter how small or how big your help is as long as you help from the bottom of your heart. I know our donation is not enough. So I'm still thinking of other ways to raise money. Helping them didn't make me feel better. What will make me feel better is that knowing one day, the victims of this super typhoon, will have peace and serenity in their hearts, to stand up again and to continue living. And I pray that the anguish and despair that they feel right now will make them even stronger. I know it won't be easy to rise up from this calamity. But one day, we will all get there.

Life goes on. 

The Best Time to Help

It's Christmas time once again. Everyone should be merry and relaxing this time of the year but how would you feel if a destructive typhoon destroyed, swept away and took away lives along with it? My heart goes to the victims of Bagyong Sendong that hit Mindanao provinces last Friday December 17, 2011.

It is truly devastating watching the news. But we don't have to just watched and talked about it. We can HELP them! We can help in simple ways. We can extend our love for them even in small ways. The question is: are you willing to do that for them?

photos from Yahoo News Philippines

SO MANY WAYS TO DONATE:

1. SMART

Smart Money: Donors to Typhoon Sendong may help through Smart Money acct. no. 5577-5130-6822-1104 at any BDO, Hapinoy or Cebuana Lhuillier outlets.

Text: Smart subscribers may donate to Sendong victims via text. Send RED < space >AMOUNT  to 4143. Valid donation amounts 10, 25, 50, 100

2. GLOBE

Gcash: For GCASH, donate through Red Cross by texting DONATE MPIN REDCROSS and send to 2882.

Text: Text RED < space > AMOUNT and send it to 2899. You may donate in these denominations: 5, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 and 1000.

3. LBC Express is now accepting donations for typhoon Sendong victims. You may drop off your donations in any LBC Express branch.

4. DSWD. Donations can be brought at all DSWD Field Offices.

5. PHILIPPINE RED CROSS
     I. In-Kind Donation. You can send in-kind local donations to Philippine Red Cross 

     II. Through Cebuana Lhuillier. They accept donations in any of the of their pawnshops nationwide.

6. BANK ACCOUNTS

Banco De Oro

Peso: 00-453-0018647
Dollar: 10-453-0039482

Bank of the Philippine Islands

Peso: 4991-0036-52
Dollar: 004994-0103-15

Metrobank

Peso: 151-3-041631228
Dollar: 151-2-15100218-2

Philippine National Bank

Peso: 3752 8350 0034
Dollar: 3752 8350 0042

FOR COMPLETE LIST OF BANK ACCOUNTS THAT ACCEPTS DONATIONS: Visit here.

In 3 days, it would be Christmas. And I always hear that Christmas is the season of giving. If you have money to buy clothes and food for the season, I know you can spare even just a little for our fellow Filipinos. Please spread the word!

Another Typhoon (on my birthday)

It's the first day of October and as of the moment Typhoon Quiel is felt here in Bulacan. According to PAGASA, Bulacan and some province in Central Luzon is Signal Number 2. It's just sad because we haven't recovered yet from the onslaught of Pedring and now here's another typhoon. :( I've been following the news ever since Pedring and I am devastated how it affected the Bulakenyos particularly in Calumpit, Hagonoy, and Paombong. The flood and water is 8 feet high! Some houses are immerse completely and only the roof is seen. And the water is getting higher and higher so government officials are ordering evacuations of residents of the affected area.

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

Let us continue to pray for the safety of everyone. And may the upcoming typhoon won't harm anyone. That's my only wish on my 30th birthday. God bless everyone!

Typhoon Pedring

September 27, 2011 I woke up with the sound of strong wind and our roof's banging sound. Oh no! Another typhoon to hit the Philippines! I was scared of the wrath of Typhoon Pedring and I was worried that our roof might give up. As I check my Facebook I am not the only one who feels that way. I wanted my mom, who still manage to go to work, to come home. I watched the news to get updated and the situation are worst in some part of Metro Manila. Then at around 12:00 pm, one of our neighbor shout "Patayin nyo ang fuse nyo, nasusunog ang Romers!" Romer's Trading is a fabrics store just across the street and at that moment it is burning. We were terrified! Good thing, fire trucks from different municipality started arriving and after four hours of putting off the fire, it was declared stabilized and so everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

So from then on, electricity is cut off, with no news to listen to. I want to be prepared next time so I will buy a mini radio that runs in battery in case power electricity is down again. I am also glad that I thought of charging our flashlight and my cellphone before electricity is cut off. We also have reserved mineral water so it is not a problem. Now that another typhoon is looming in the view, I hope that everyone would be more ready and equipped. Click here for some tips we should remember in times of typhoon.

And here's the official websites of PAG-ASA  and PAG-ASA twitter for more weather reports.

The best defense in this kind of calamity is be prepared and be aware. I hope we learn our lesson during the Ondoy times. Be safe everyone!