by Erly C. Garcia
A Philippine Air Force aerial shot shows damaged houses in Marikina City, Metro Manila. Manila was blacked out and airline flights were suspended as a powerful tropical storm Ondoy battered the island of Luzon, Philippines.
The Offering of Filipinos and Friends for Emergency Relief (OFFER), a Filipino-American civic organization based in Houston, Texas, has initially donated $5,000 for typhoon Ondoy victims in Metro Manila through the "Oplan Balus-Bulig" of Philippine Tri-media Multi-purpose Cooperative (PTMC) and its media partners.
Rufino "Pinoy" Gonzales II, chairman of PTMC and OFFER volunteer, made the confirmation last week after he received the email communication from Norma Benzon, OFFER Executive Director, stating the initial donation.
Gonzales contacted Benzon and her group in a live broadcast over Z100-FM last week where the plan to give donation to the typhoon victims was made.
Gonzales contacted Benzon and her group in a live broadcast over Z100-FM last week where the plan to give donation to the typhoon victims was made.
Since its launching on September 29, 2009 "Oplan Balus-Bulig" already received P50,000 in cash and in kind.
"Oplan Balus-Bulig" seeks donations of used clothings, non-perishable foods, bottled waters and cash for the flood victims in Manila.
The donations may be coursed through Z100-FM located at No. 83 Delgado Street, Iloilo City; The News Today located at Lopez Jaena Street, Baluarte, Molo, Iloilo City; and News Express located at Lopez Arcade, E. Lopez St., Jaro, Iloilo City. Cable television talk shows Talking Point and Tatak Ilonggo also support the project.
Cash donations could be made at the bank account of the Philippine Tri-media Multi-purpose Cooperative at BPI Iloilo-Jaro Branch with Account No. 1330-0044-59.
Updates on the progress of the donations are being made public every morning over the radio program "Kalingawan, Balita kag Lapdusanay sang mga Impormasyon kag Isyu" at Z100-FM from 6:00-8:00. Tonette Toledo, president of PTMC, said the donations gathered by "Oplan Balus-Bulig" will be brought by cooperative officers this weekend to its target recipient which is the City of Marikina, and other areas hardest hit by the flood caused by typhoon Ondoy.
Toledo said the group chose Marikina City to be the recipient of the "Oplan Balus-Bulig" because of their help to the people of Iloilo City in the aftermath of typhoon Frank last year.
Toledo, whose house in Jaro was one of those swept by typhoon Frank, said that it is just proper to return the favor to Marikina City which "went out of its way just to help us Ilonggos during our time of need." /MP
1 comment:
It's good to learn that Filipinos all over the world and not just in the Philippines, come together at one time, I just hope though that next time we won't need such calamity to bind us together under one goal.
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