October 1, 2009
To the good people reading this,
May this letter find you in good health and safe conditions.
I am writing to you from Manila where in the aftermath of Ketsana, local name “Ondoy,” bodies continue to be plucked from the mud as the waters recede, half a million have been displaced, with victims huddled together in different “gyms” where there are roofs, but no four walls. Doctors are reporting widespread sickness, disease and malnutrition. Infants have no milk. Mothers cannot nurse. Children sleep next to dogs. People are hungry.
The seventeenth storm of the year poured its opening salvo on our city Thursday morning, flooding once again many parts of Manila and the surrounding provinces. The coming storm has yet to make landfall. It will unleash its worst on Friday and Saturday, as strong as Katrina, as wet as Ketsana, which fell at about 18 inches in 24 hours, a month’s worth of rainfall in one day. We are not ready. Many are sitting ducks waiting to drown.
The reality is this: The relief effort is almost entirely dependent on volunteers and private donations.
Citizens have been working round the clock since Monday. The military is spread thin, and cooperate with the civilian movement. Victims are relying on the goodness and resources of their fellow countrymen, on the civilian manpower that could be harnessed to deliver goods that are only but temporary relief from this natural and human calamity.
On Tuesday, I went to one of the hardest hit areas to help distribute relief goods. Hundreds upon hundreds emerged from the inky blackness of the night, from the mud-strewn skeleton of what was once their community, wading through thick knee-deep mud as powerful as quicksand on the legs, and as putrid as a septic tank. They were desperate for goods, goods that will last them a few days at most.
There is much to clean up, many mouths to feed, wounds – physical and spiritual – to heal. The country needs to rebuild, and with the storm approaching, our country’s resources cannot sustain much more. There have been generous donations from our allies abroad, but we need more help from the international community.
And you have the power to help. Together, we can all do our part in Bayanihan, the spirit of neighborly help, and all become a bayani, a hero, in our own way.
Please spread the word.
Thank you.
Yours truly,
Felicity Tan
The Philippine National Red Cross is temporarily allowing foreign donations through its website. http://www.redcross.org.ph/
UNICEF USA is accepting online donations directly for victims of the Manila Floods, and an anonymous donor will match your donation! https://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5960&5960.donation=form1
Oxfam International is receiving online donations in major currencies. Your donation will go directly to the Philippines relief effort. https://www.oxfam.org.uk/donate/philippines-floods/index.php
Catholic Relief Services will use your donation to continue aiding Caritas Manila, which has been on the ground supporting the typhoon victims.
https://secure.crs.org/site/Donation2?df_id=2760&2760.donation=form1
Compassion International is funding relief packages for victims. A donation of $30 will provide emergency food and relief for two weeks. https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/disasterrelief.htm
TextPower is based in the Philippines and continually updates their pages as to where your money is going. Click on the “Paypal” link on their page, you can’t miss it. http://www.txtpower.org/2009/09/philippines-help-typhoon-victims-in-luzon-philippines/
MyAyala is the charitable arm of a trusted and leading developer in the Philippines. Donations are made in Peso ($1= approx. Php47, where $1 can typically buy a full, hot meal), but credit cards around the world may be used. https://www.myayala.com/ondoy/Default.asp
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