Helping quietly

The terrible natural disasters recently hitting our country are indeed unprecedented. Cebu and Bohol are still reeling from the Oct. 15, deadly 7.2 magnitude earthquake, when a tornado ripped through its two cities as well as three towns in Iloilo on Nov. 5, that caused further havoc and destruction. In that deadly earthquake 250 people were reported dead and missing while about 1,000 injured with 70,000 buildings, infrastructure and centuries old churches damaged of which 14,500 were totally destroyed.

Then on Nov. 8, Haiyan or Yolanda, the last of the three disasters but one of the worst storms ever recorded, crossed through the central Philippine provinces of Samar, Leyte, northern Cebu, Panay Island and northern Palawan. Yolanda affected more than 5 million people in 270 towns and cities, with death toll officially at over 5,500 but expected to rise because thousands are still missing.

But more unprecedented and so heartwarming are the worldwide disaster relief and assistance poured into our country and to the victims of the disasters. This is the first time in memory indeed when I have seen such spontaneous and earnest outpouring of love and concern shown by men and women all over the world to their fellow human being stricken by deadly and devastating natural catastrophes.

Somehow, the tri-media’s coverage of these relief and recovery efforts as well as the rebuilding operations, also created some sort of a “bandwagon” effect that  attracted more volunteers offering their services and their help in cash or in kind.  Various events and campaigns soliciting or raising funds and relief goods for the victims were also undertaken or are still going on. Media coverage has indeed given rise to more volunteerism.

But there are also some organizations which are extending their humanitarian services and assistance away from the limelight. They immediately work behind the scenes and come to the aid of the victims even without any media people around. I am referring to the worldwide service organization founded more than 100 years ago that continues to have a vision undistracted by politics and carries out its mission with positive outlook and buoyant spirit. This is the Rotary International whose members, more commonly known as “Rotarians,” perform their tasks by immediately taking concrete actions in the fulfillment of their ideal of “service above self.”

So Rotarians especially in the disaster areas immediately organized themselves to carry out relief operations. Their center of operation and distribution of international relief goods is Cebu because of its adequate airport facilities. Rotarians in this zone which is under District 3860 acted right away to ensure that donations in cash or kind reach the victims faster and more efficiently. 

Fully supporting the Rotarians in these disaster hit provinces is a worldwide association of Rotarians which has been primarily organized to advance “international understanding, goodwill and peace through world fellowship.” This is the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians (IYFR), the oldest and the largest Rotary Fellowship first formed in England in 1947 and now composed of about more than 90 fleets with 3,200 members in 32 countries.

While its name sounds elitist and connotes an expensive hobby of owning a yacht, IYFR is actually more about having a common vision and passion for humanitarian and community service with emphasis on the sea, other waterways and its environs. So when its present International Commodore, (IC) Sergio Santi of Italy first heard of this devastation, it immediately contacted International Vice Commodore (IVC), and Area 3 Commodore Jun Avecilla of the Philippines committing an initial amount of P1.3 million ($29,992). Transfers from individual fleet members of other countries were still being received by IC Santi from other fleets in Poland, Ukraine Belarus, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay and Argentina

Upon receipt of the initial amount, IVC Jun Avecilla, the past president of the Rotary Club of Cubao West in the Quezon City District 3780, who organized the first Philippine Fleet of IYFR on March 18, 2009, informed District 3780 Governor and Honorary Commodore Francis Rivera of such donation so that it could be turned over to his fellow District Governor in Cebu, Ed Chionbian.

The symbolic turn-over of the amount was thus held in Casino Cebu City this  month. Governor Ed Chiongbian on behalf of the entire District 3860 acknowledged and thanked the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians (IYFR) represented by IC and Area Commodore June Avecilla and the conduits of the funds, Governor Francis Rivera of Rotary District 3780, for their donation of P1,300.000 ($29,992) and for the separate check in the amount of P100,000 raised by the First Class Presidents headed by FC Josie Garcia Cubao West Fleet and FC Neil Valenton of The First Class Fleet of Broadway. Also present were Wilton Uykungtian, chairman of the relief operations, past president Joel Guillermo and Max Tan of RC of Cubao West, Sven Olof Tengelin who formed the first IYFR fleet in Mactan Cebu together with Udo Pelowski, and Philip Tan of RC Cebu.  A memorandum of agreement was forged and signed covering the donation.

Rotary District 3860 was able to dispatch the first loads of relief goods airlifted as early in the morning of November 10 to the badly hit Tacloban City and trucked to the neediest stricken towns in northern Cebu. Particularly Bantayan Island As more and more emergency relief supplies, medicines and shelter boxes from international sources land in Cebu, the Rotarians there continue to distribute them daily to thousands of hungry and homeless people in the Central Philippine Provinces badly hit by the three disasters. Eventually, the District’s thrust will shift to rebuilding and reconstruction of the affected communities. Carpentry tools and materials such as hammers, saws, planes, chisels and nails, roofing materials, lumber and cement are to be distributed to help rebuild homes, schools, hospitals and public halls.

Bruce Hall of the Cebu Fleet who is from Panay also reported that relief aid has reached the poor folks and fishermen in the coastal areas of the province that were devastated. They are helping the people there to rebuild their fishing boats, nets gears and motors so that they can start their livelihood again.

On November 28 to December 3, 2013, the IYFR in Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Rim and Asia or Area 3 headed by Jun Avecilla will hold its General Meeting (AGM) in Boracay where the next fleet of the fellowship is expected to be established. Attending this AGM are delegates for the Philippines, Japan, Australia, China, French Polynesia and New Zealand.

IYFR has thus gained a great mileage, a lot of goodwill and friendship reaching far and wide to the Rotary Community.

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Emai: [email protected].

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