The outpouring of help for Eastern Samar

When Typhoon Yolanda made landfall in the Philippines two weeks ago, the whole world sat up and watched in terror as images of the devastation emerged in various media outlets around the world. I was in the US at that time and I could only agonize while my family and kababayan in Samar bore the brunt of the typhoon’s destructive power. Making matters worse was the loss of communications with my family and relatives, and the resulting anxiety of not knowing what was going on.

In the days that followed practically all of the information we were getting from the area almost exclusively came from what was being shown on television. We saw Samar and Leyte through the eyes of Atom Araullo and Anderson Cooper, and we wept. We heard the anguish in the cracked voice of Ted Faillon as he described the devastation left by Yolanda, and we wept.

Now, in the aftermath of the typhoon, there is still a lot of weeping to do — but it has to wait. We do not have the luxury — especially those of us who were not there — to stop and grieve. The people in Samar and Leyte, those who have been badly damaged, are partly relying on us, on our strength, to help them pull through.

And while the situation in the ground remains dire, there is hope that things are starting to look better. The global response to this natural calamity has been nothing short of overwhelming, with everyone — from Hollywood A-Listers and popular Philippine celebrities to preschool children contributing whatever they can in the relief effort.

For the Make Your Nanay Proud Foundation (MYNP), we have also been active in putting together our own relief operations. Since I got back last Friday, a week after Yolanda passed through, MYNP has reached out to our friends and supporters — all of whom have responded admirably.

As of this writing, we have received donations from Susan Co of Puregold; The Aesthetics Institute of the Philippines; Generika Drugstore; Bobby del Rosario; Jerome Ong of CDO; Marion Mangio; Elma Plana; Riza Moises; Genesis Transport Service, Inc.; Saripaz Villar; Hazel Mangio Paras; Tony Tuviera; Dr. Crisostomo of Makati Medical Center; United Fire Brigade; Reavo Fire Brigade; Bernadette Herrera Dy; Raymond Gorospe; Carol Yao of Nikon; NS Mangio Construction; Argentina; Mike Sicat; Shirley Kwan; Burlington employees; Evangeline Tan; Apples dela Vega of Bottomline; Sagip Kapamilya; Proctor and Gamble; Mike and Julie Defensor; Carmela Brosas; Jonathan Valdez; Boy So; Jeffrey and Vay Ng of Astoria; and Backroom. I am sure the list will grow in the coming days, and so will our debt of gratitude to all of them.

As the donations pour in, MYNP has been busy packing and organizing the delivery of all the relief packs on to Samar. And while the work can be tiring, there are some light moments for the volunteers, like the time when Angel Locsin and friends came by to drop off bundles and bundles of mats and blankets. Not content with just giving, Angel also took on the task of helping repack sacks and sacks of rice for distribution.
True to the adage that “charity begins at home,” I am also grateful for the bayanihan spirit shown by our neighbors in Capitol Homes, my neighbors and friends at Tivoli Greens through the Tivoli Greens neighborhood association. The homeowners’ association graciously allowed us to intrude upon the tranquility of their quiet subdivision while we used their covered court as staging point for our relief efforts.

Every day, the volunteers poured in from the LGBT community, MYNP staff and personnel, the service crew of Sir Boy’s Food Republic, Bobby Carabuena and his boys, Backroom employees, and many more.

(The other day, together with Kris Aquino, Angel and friends from ABS-CBN, we went to Borongan and Hernani to distribute relief goods. I saw the devastation wrought by Yolanda on poor but brave Eastern Samar. The houses, the churches I saw all my life as landmarks of the towns I would pass through on my way to Tacloban were all gone and flattened to the ground. The sight was both terrifying and heart-wrenching. My beloved province of Eastern Samar is literally on its knees.)

For those who still want to donate, please visit out website at www.makeyournanayproud.com or our Facebook page for the details.