GK USA: Urgent Appeal for typhoon Juan victims

How can you help?

Financial contributions can be directly deposited to GK USA's bank account or checks mailed to the office payable to GK USA, as follows:

Damaged power lines, Iligan, Isabela AP photo

Deposit to:
Bank of America account # 24677-71882
GK1world dba Gawad Kalinga USA
memo: Typhoon Juan
Bank of America routing # 122000661
SWIFT Code (ISO 9362): BOFAUS3N
or Mail to :
GK USA 12702 Via Cortina Ste. 202,
Del Mar, CA 92014
memo: Typhoon Juan

or Online at:
GK USA Give page

You can also contact your local area GK USA team leaders as follows:

Sifting through debris, Ilagan, Isabela AP photo.

Jun Rafinan,  jrafinan@aol.com, South East area including FL.

Linda Punsalan, epuns4321@aol.com, South Central areas including TX and OK.

Tony Pascua, tpascua@gk1world.com, South West A areas including Bakersfield to South LA, CA and Las Vegas, NV.

Joe Millares, jmillares@gk1world.com, Pacific areas including HI.

Gerry Balbin, gbalbin@gk1world.com, North Central areas including IL and MO.

Sonny Ramirez, sramirez@gk1world.com, North East areas including NJ, NY, NH, CT and MA.

Ben Dichoso, bdichoso@gk1world.com, South East A areas including DC, MD, DE, NC, VA and WV.

Tony Olaes, tolaes@gk1world.com, including national and San Diego areas.
 
Rick Munda, rmunda@gk1world.com, South West B areas including Orange county to San Diego, CA and AZ.

Fredy Guevara, fguevara@gk1world.com, North West areas including Fresno, CA to Reno, NV, OR and WA.

Catholic Relief Services Poised to Respond as Super Typhoon Slams Philippines

From: Rivera, John
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 8:53 AM
To: CRS-US
Subject: Catholic Relief Services Poised to Respond as Super Typhoon Slams Philippines

MEDIA ADVISORY

CONTACT:  Liz O’Neill                                      Laura Sheahen

                        Catholic Relief Services                 Catholic Relief Services

                        Baltimore                                        Manila

                        (443) 955-7125                               63 (0) 915 772 9319

                        loneill@crs.org                               lsheahen@asia.crs.org

                       

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES POISED TO RESPOND

AS SUPER TYPHOON SLAMS PHILIPPINES

Manila, October 18, 2010--Catholic Relief Services is readying emergency humanitarian aid for families affected by Typhoon Megi, the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines in years. The typhoon struck northeast Luzon on Monday and has already damaged houses, infrastructure, and crops.

"Heavy rains are blanketing northern Luzon following the extreme winds experienced today," says Joe Curry, country representative for CRS in the Philippines. "We are watching for potential flooding and getting access to affected areas."

CRS is working with local dioceses and with Caritas Philippines to respond to the crisis. Arnaldo Arcadia, Emergency Program Manager for CRS, was at a parish outside the city of Baguio during a bad point in Monday's storm. "We took refuge in the parish when the winds were strong and the rain was battering down," he says. He and CRS partners were eventually able to return to the city.

Crop damage is a concern for northern Luzon's impoverished farmers. "The wind has become very strong now," said Father Val Dimoc on Monday from the mountainous Cordillera region. "Upland rice farmers who planted in early July were about to harvest, but their crops have been blown down by the wind."

In the immediate wake of 2009's devastating Typhoon Ketsana, CRS reached over 10,000 people with emergency items like cookware, soap, and buckets.  In the following months, CRS employed survivors to remove flood debris and clear drainage areas. It also rebuilt houses.

CRS has worked in the Philippines since 1945, assisting those in need without regard to race or creed.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. For more information, please visit www.crs.org.

Immediate Responses & Temporary Solutions to Long-Term Problem

When I was in the Philippines a month ago, most of the Metro and the areas that I have went to look back to normal. The billboards are all up again on EdSA, everyone is back to work/school and there are not a lot of volunteer locations anymore since people have to go back to regular programming.

Ondoy was not in the news anymore or as much. Elections are coming up and so campaigning has begun and people are talking about political moves/hopes/worries. But from what I have seen, most things are back to normal again and I am actually hearing more news abroad about people helping than from people back at home.

So what now, Filipinos? Are we just going to provide temporary solutions to long-term problems? What can we do in order to be better prepared in the future?

Colored Pencils Fundraiser for Survivors of Asian Diasaters

OCTOBER 30, 2009    

6-8PM 

at PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY - SMSU BUILDING

come and join poets, artists, dancers, singers from the Asian region share the names, lives and stories of the affected and help raise funds that will support the long-term recovery of our peoples

Past Event Updates

The Filipino-American Association of Portland hosted a dinner-dance event last Sunday, October 11, 2009 to raise awareness and funds towards the Ondoy victims in the Philippines. Attendees of the event raised $3,200 that night and chose ABS-CBN Foundation as the receipient of the funds.

****************


LBC is proud to inform all our kababayans that LBC is now accepting USED CLOTHES relief items. This is after our office found a memo that allows donations of clothing to calamity affected areas. The deadline of sending in-kinds relief goods is on October 31, 2009. Please make sure to use LBC box 24x18x18 and place the following consignee in the relief boxes to ship the box for free:


Mr. Jose Garcia
LBC HARI NG PADALA FOUNDATION
LBC Hanger, General Aviation Center,
Domestic Airport Compound, Pasay City, Philippines

Donate Now!

Greater Salem Filipino American Association Charity Bingo Night

NAME OF EVENT: GSFAA Charity Bingo Night

DATE/TIME: November 14, 2009 / 6:00pm

SPONSORED BY: Greater Salem Filipino American Association

LOCATION: Houck Middle School / Commons Area

COST: $20 Pre sold ticket / $25 at the event

CONTACT: Marissa Musni - Chairperson  marissa_musni2001@yahoo.ccom

OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION:  Proceeds will be donated to the Typhoon Victims in the Philippines.

Fundraising Event: 10.22.09

You are cordially invited to attend a political workshop and fundraising event for Typhoon Ondoy relief hosted by PSU Kaibigan and Portland CHRP.

Typhoon Ondoy: What the Philippine Government Is NOT Doing?
Thursday, October 22
5:30-6:30p.m.
Portland State University, SMSU 228
1825 SW Broadway
Light refreshments.

Free and open to all.
They are collecting material items through October 30. We encourage cash donations to BAYAN USA for BALSA.

Please visit www.bayanusa.org

We look forward to seeing you at the event.

In solidarity,
Portland CHRP and PSU Kaibigan

ONDOY OFFERING: Pacific Northwest Relief Project

The Filipino communities of Oregon and SW Washington are joining together to help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy in Manila, Philippines. Everyone is  encouraged to step up and help in organizing and donating the very much needed help for those whose lives have been gravely affected by Ondoy.

In this document we have described for you in detail the ways you can help, what you need to do with what you feel compelled to share.  This document serves as a guide to donors and is to be disseminated to all who may be interested in donating or organizing efforts.

Organizing Oregon After Ondoy

Wells Fargo Eliminates Transfer Fees to the Philippines

(Article lifted from this page)

Wells Fargo Eliminates Remittance Transfer Fees To Philippines For Families And Friends Affected By Typhoon Ketsana
Wells Fargo Donates $100,000 to American Red Cross

SAN FRANCISCO — September 29, 2009

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) —with its remittance network member Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) – is temporarily eliminating all remittance transfer fees (normally $5 or $7) for customers sending money using the ExpressSend® service to friends and family in the Philippines impacted by Typhoon Ketsana (also known as Typhoon Ondoy). The fee waiver is effective September 29 through October 12, 2009.

Wells Fargo also is donating $100,000 to the American Red Cross for relief efforts.

ExpressSend customers can send up to $3,000 a day for $5 if originated from an eligible Wells Fargo account (or $7 if originated from cash). The fee will be waived September 29 through October 12, 2009. Recipients can claim their funds at more than 800 branches and 1,500 plus ATMs throughout the Philippines.


“Bank of the Philippine Islands sympathizes with and shares in the plight of the victims of Typhoon Ondoy (international name is Typhoon Ketsana),” said Teresita Tan, SVP and Group Head, Overseas Banking and Channel Services for Bank of the Philippine Islands. “With the temporary fee waiver, we encourage our Filipino kababayans overseas who wish to donate to the flood victims to remit through BPI and Wells Fargo.”

Customers can send money by calling the Wells Fargo Phone Bank at 1-800-556-0605, going online at wellsfargo.com, or by visiting a Wells Fargo banking store. Wells Fargo has the capability to serve customers in English and Tagalog.

LBC Branches now offering FREE SHIPPING for in-kind donations

Article lifted from Ondoy Relief Multiply Site

Donations of relief items to victims of Typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) can now be shipped for free through LBC Mundial Corp. (LBC USA), Hugo Bonilla, the company's president and CEO announced today through a press release.

As an international company servicing the padala needs of Filipinos worldwide, LBC joins in the global efforts to provide assistance to families in the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Ondoy.

All donated items coursed through LBC USA will be sent to only one recipient in the Philippines, LBC Hari ng Padala Foundation (LHPF).  LHPF will in turn distribute the goods to various non-profits that are conducting relief efforts in the affected communities in Metro Manila and Luzon provinces.

"As of Oct. 1, all LBC branches in the U.S. are now drop-off points for in-kind donations to the victims of Typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines," Mr. Bonilla said. This development follows the partnership inked last Sept. 29 between LBC USA and ABS CBN Foundation's Sagip Kapamilya for cash donations.

In addition to waiving service fees for cash donations remitted directly to the Sagip Kapamilya program, LBC has decided to offer its sea cargo service for free after LHPF committed to sorting and distributing the donated items coming from donors in the U.S.

"Before deciding on offering this free service, we wanted to make sure there is one non-profit recipient in the Philippines who will take on the daunting task of sorting the big volume of donated items," explained Mr. Bonilla.

Rules and Box Sizes - All donated items must be boxed and sealed in standard-sized balikbayan boxes.  LBC will not accept open boxes or unpacked items.

Donors in California, Oregon, Washington State, Nevada and Hawaii can only use the 24x18x18 box size while donors in New Jersey, New York, Illinois and Virginia can only use the 28x18x17 box size.

In Saipan, only box size 18x20x22 is accepted while LBC in Canada's British Columbia will only accept the 18x18x30 box size.

All boxes must state the shipper's name and address.  Consignee information is as follows:
LBC HARI NG PADALA FOUNDATION c/o Jose Garcia
LBC HANGAR
General Aviation Center
Domestic Airport Compound
Pasay City

Donors are encouraged to send the following items: canned goods, rice, clothing, footwear, towels, blankets, cookware, utensils and other daily consumables.


For a list of the LBC branch nearest you, please visit: www.lbcexpress.com or call (800) 338-5424

LBC Mabuhay USA Corporation - Portland Location

8028 SE Powell Blvd
Portland, OR 97206-2316
(503) 775-6888

Medical Teams International Sending Aid to the Philippines

According to an article on their website, Medical teams International is "sending 1 ton of medical supplies, valued at $421,045, to care for 10,000 people over three months. We also have medical teams on standby to help." They are also responding to the urgent relief needed in Indonesia and Samoa this week.

To make an immediate and secure gift:

• Go to www.medicalteams.org/donate.
• Call (800) 959-HEAL (4325).
• Send your contribution to P.O. Box 10, Portland, OR 97207-0010. 

(AP Photo/Mike Alquinto)

Update on Typhoon Parma/Peping

Here is a satellite image of Typhoon Peping:

It is said to be Signal #4 already in Bicol. Rainfall in Manila shall commence in 3-4 hours. People are advised to get to high ground ASAP. All we can do right now is hope and pray that it will not devastate our nation state of calamity even more.

Today is another opportunity to help our country

It's not about being recognized and acknowledged for one's efforts, but knowing that our small acts of kindness contribute to a larger act of love for our country.

I am constantly updating the links tabs on the right hand side of this blog. I hope that they are both useful and simple enough for you to easily determine what you need to know. The list continues to grow and  I appreciate your patience and contributions. Keep them coming!

Today is a great day to save someone's life!

New Typhoon Alert

(photo taken from AccuWeather.com)

According to this online news article, another typhoon named Parma is said to be on its way to hit the Philippines again as early as Friday. It is a dangerous threat to the nation that is just recovering from Typhoon Katsana, more commonly known as Ondoy, as it is said to be an equivalent at least to a Category 3 hurricane.


To read more, kindly click on the link above.

If your relatives back at home have not been informed about this and are in contact with them, I suggest keeping them informed about this as well.