Are Filipinos ready to face a super typhoon like Haiyan (Yolanda) again?
It is well known that the Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, based on the World Disaster Report 2013 of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
On November 8, 2013, super typhoon Haiyan struck the provinces of central Philippines, causing large-scale destruction in Visayas and Southern Luzon regions. The death toll from the calamity was placed at more than 6,000 with more than 23 million affected people mostly with no place to call home.
Nobody is ready to face the wrath of such magnitude. But the international community is always ready to help. As Gulf News reports earlier, there were outpouring of donations, support and love from different countries, which offered food stuff, clothes, blankets and financial assistance to the typhoon victims. In the UAE, various Filipino community organisations held some charity campaigns for the benefit of typhoon victims.
According to Nelson Nico, Executive Chairman, FilCom (Filipino Community) Al Ain Organisation, “The “Sing for the Philippines” campaign drive for Typhoon Yolanda victims in Tacloban City was held on November 22-23, 2013, Al Ain Mall. FilCom organisation in cooperation with other group leaders coordinated these activities with other communities and nationalities to raise funds and form of donations for typhoon victims.
“FilCom Al Ain Organisation collected and sent 68 LBC Jumbo boxes and collected an amount of Dh4,725.26 during that time. All collected items are forwarded by LBC cargo providers for free to the Philippine Red Cross and ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya Network as FilCom’s legitimate agencies and recipients in the Philippines.
“FilCom Al Ain Organisation is officially and duly recognised as Bayanihan [a spirit of communal unity and cooperation] Council Member authorised by the Philippine Embassy to conduct activities in relation to humanitarian services.
The Philippine Embassy welcomes all the support from different organisations and communities. So when typhoon strikes again we should all be united and ready to lend a helping hand to the needy, and keep the Bayanihan spirit alive.
