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It was 22 years ago when I arrived in Canada and chose Calgary, Alberta to be my home. Leaving my family and friends behind, it was a new adventure for me to be in a new country without knowing anyone. That was the time I looked for a Filipino community paper and never found any, [...]
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Fund raising for Typhoon Haiyan’s Victims: Success

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By Prodie Padios

The Officers and board of directors of the PCARDD lead the Red Deer Filipino community‘s fundraising for Typhoon Haiyan’s victims in the Philippines. From left: Sid Selirio (director), Norman Suanico (director), Tess Leslie (secretary), Jane Compton (president), and Janice Kong (vice president).

THE Christmas and New Year of the victims of the ever strongest Typhoon Haiyan or Typhoon Yolanda that struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013, will possibly assuage if not in high spirits—at any rate—for receiving more donations from good Samaritans in Central Alberta, Canada.

Just after the aftermath by Typhoon Haiyan that killed thousands of Filipino people and destroyed billions of pesos of infra-structures, aquatic and agricultural products and other real properties, the Filipino Communities, concerned citizens and organizations in Central Alberta immediately initiated fundraisings to help the victims of the disaster.

In Red Deer, the Philippine Canadian Association of Red Deer and District (PCARDD), remitted to Red Cross a grand total of $16,648.11 as of Nov. 29, 2013.

Jess Ramos, the Treasurer of the PCCARD, informed the officers and members of the association that the said amount was exclusively for Typhoon Haiyan Relief to the Philippines.

“The collections were done by the volunteers of PCARDD for Canadian Red Cross in Red Deer,” Ramos said.

Mr. Sid Selirio, currently PCARDD’s board of director, informed also that the said association contributed the amount of $5,000.00 to the typhoon’s victims.

Selirio reported that the final amount the association collected after he submitted to the association’s treasurer the $722.84 collected by Willie Lapointe, AFSC Lacombe, was $17.370.75, as of December 10, 2013.

Selirio said that the Government of Canada matched the donation until December 23.

“I also learned that the Government of the Province of Alberta will match donation until December 23,” he said. “Hence, our collection would actually up to $52,112.25 for the Red Cross as of December 10.”

“All donations were turned over to the Canadian Red Cross,” Ramos said. “Thank you very much to the Samaritans who gave their full supports, prayers and donations.”

On the other hand, Guru Sonny Padilla, the founder and director of Kali Academy of Martial Arts, Inc. (KAMAI) also conducted martial arts trainings for Women’s Self defence, in association with Red Cross, every Saturday in their school gym in Red Deer Downtown exclusively for the victims of the typhoon surge.

“All the proceeds from the trainings will be sent to the Kababayans who are victims of the catastrophe,” Guru Padilla said.

“Kababayans” is a Tagalog or Filipino word for “fellow Filipinos.”

Likewise, K.C. Bugayong, the CEO of Community Foundation in Red Deer, organized a cook-off held at the “The Hub” in Red Deer downtown on November 23, and all the proceeds were for Typhoon Yolanda’s victim.

“We raised a total amount of $5,794.85,” Miss Bugayong said contentedly. “We sent this to Migrante International through the Sagip Migrante initiative.”

Miss Bugayong started to call all the Kababayans through the social media, particularly, the Facebook, and asked all her friends, concerned citizens and relatives to help with her cook-off plan.

“I am so gratified for the positive responds and successful outcome,” Bugayong said. “Thank you very much to our fellow Filipinos, friends and relatives who helped me and to the good people who participated and supported this endeavour…”

In Calgary, Ms. Connie Kriaski, the founder and publisher of Pinoy Times, also collected non-perishable foods, clothing and money for the said typhoon’s victims.

“We sent at least 40 balikbayan boxes of non-perishable goods and clothing,” she said.

According to her, she was doing this to help the people, though she has no relatives affected by the disaster.

She is also very appreciative to all the Samaritans who helped her with this good mission, especially all her friends, relatives, and the Kababayans who are always ready to help out if there are calamities like this.

“We need to share our blessings,” she said.

TYPHOON HAIYAN

Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, was an exceptionally powerful tropical cyclone that devastated portions of Southeast Asia particularly the Philippines, in early November 2013.

It is the deadliest Philippine typhoon or record, killing at least 5,670 people in the country alone.

Haiyan is also the strongest storm recorded, and unofficially the fourth strongest typhoon ever recorded in terms of wind speed.

The thirtieth named storm of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season, Haiyan originated from an area of low pressure several hundred kilometers east-southeast of Pohnpei in the Federal States of Micronesia on November 2, 2013.

The cyclone caused catastrophic destruction in the Visayas, particularly on Samar and Leyte.

According to UN officials, about 11 million people have been affected and many have been left homeless.–0

Fund raising for Typhoon Haiyan’s Victims: Success

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