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*Contributed by Steph Dote, AB Comm, De La Salle Lipa
Batangueños are known as one of the bravest and sometimes even described as irascible people in the country. Hence, the ‘barako’ image. Nonetheless, we, Batangueños, also have a tender heart.
Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as “Yolanda”, hit the Visayas region the hardest two weeks ago (November 8). As Jessica Zafra had put it, “We in the Philippines consider ourselves natural-disaster veterans.” It’s no longer a surprise if floods keep running in and out of the city. Our country is practically surrounded by water. What really shocked everyone is the devastation that this terrible typhoon left.
This is why Batangueños, hand-in-hand, made great efforts and showed exemplary compassion to help our brothers and sisters in need. TV Patrol Southern Tagalog paused in receiving donations and relief goods for the meantime due to lack of sufficient storage in the station. It has already been two weeks when Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the country but donations from all over Batangas continue to overflow. They even announced that they need volunteers to help with repacking the relief goods.
The CDO Foodsphere Inc. also initiated donation and fund-raising drives which already raised the amount worth 750,000PHP and 12,000USD. They had committed to donating canned goods for the Yolanda victims and are ready to send more. They are still accepting donations of clothes, medicines, etc. Those who still want to donate are free to drop by at Foodsphere Inc., Malvar, Batangas branch.
Even students are participating in reaching out to the victims. The Batangas Society of Industrial Engineering Students, First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities, La Consolacion College – Tanauan, Lipa City Colleges, Lyceum of the Philippines University – Batangas, and STI College are just a few of the many schools who initiated their own donation drives.
One of the active schools in raising funds is the De La Salle Lipa community. They have created fundraising campaigns to encourage students to give and lend a hand. They organized a “Concert for a Cause” and collaborated with SM Lipa to sell tickets of “Catching Fire”, the “Hunger Games” sequel. Lastly, the Lavoxa Publications, who handles the school newspaper, created the “#SelPHI” movement. Their goal is to take a photo of every student who will donate money and post it on their Facebook page.
“What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness,” Naderev Sano, Philippine representative, said in his speech in the U.N. Climate Change Conference.
We really can’t deny that this is really the result of global warming and climate change. A lingering problem that not only Filipinos should be acting for solutions, but the rest of us living in this world.
With this very tragic disaster, Filipinos unite to help one another. In such horrible darkness, the world become one to shine light of hope among our people.
Photos from: TV Patrol Southern Tagalog’s Angelique Atienza’s Twitter account, cdo.com.ph, Lavoxa Group of Publications and Student Government & Council of Student Organizations of DLSL Facebook pages
Editor’s note: This is not a paid article.
