Online petitions for Yolanda victims launched

MANILA, Philippines - Various online petitions worldwide have been launched for the benefit of the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda, with thousands of netizens supporting requests for aid or calls for changes in disaster response.

In the United Kingdom, the Big Lottery Fund (BLF) pledged as much as 5 million pounds (roughly P350 million) to help typhoon victims after more than 150,000 people signed a petition urging the national lottery firm to donate to the Philippines the EuroMillion prize amounting to 12 million pounds.

In its statement, the organization said it would make the funds “available to UK based charities, working with communities in the Philippines, to help the long-term process of rebuilding lives and livelihoods.”

The statement was issued after Rachel Riddall, in a petition posted in change.org, urged the national lottery firm to donate the 12-million pound prize that nobody won in the draw last Nov. 12.

“It would be so fantastic if this money was donated to the disaster relief fund to alleviate the pain and suffering taking place right now,” said Riddall in her original petition.

“It could do so much good and no one would miss it, because no one has won it,” she added.

Someone won the prize in the Nov. 15 draw, but the appeal already got the attention of the authorities. “This is fantastic news for the people of the Philippines,” said Riddall after the
BLF released its statement. “I am so pleased that the Big Lottery Fund has responded to this massive need with compassion and tangible action for those that desperately need our help.”

The petition, one of dozens launched following the onslaught of the typhoon, is now closed, with the word “Victory”” written on top of the page.

In an interview with The STAR, Inday Varona, campaigns director for change.org in the Philippines, said online petitions give the public an opportunity to air their requests or give suggestions to those in charge.

A Canada-based relative of typhoon survivors started a petition that urged major Canadian telecommunications companies to waive fees for overseas calls to the Philippines to enable Filipinos to get in touch with their relatives in the storm-ravaged areas.

“To help our community, I’m asking major Canadian phone companies Rogers, Bell and Telus to please be compassionate and waive long-distance fees to the Philippines temporarily, so that once the phone lines are back up, we can locate our friends and family without worrying about massive phone bills,” said KD Faustino in a petition, which has more than 17,000 supporters as of yesterday.

She said that Telus has already started free long-distance calls from landlines in Alberta and British Columbia to the Philippines.

The petitioners requested the company to waive fees for mobile subscribers for the entire country.

The three telecommunications companies have already donated financial support for the typhoon survivors, and allow subscribers to donate to the Red Cross.