TABANG MANILA A KBNZ Fundraising Drive for the victims of the Flood Calamity in Manila August 2012
Issue 1
APPEAL FOR HELP Katilingbang Bisaya sa New Zealand (KBNZ) launched on August 11, 2012, “TABANG TABANG MANILA MANILA”, a fundraising drive for the victims of the flood calamity in Manila and suburbs. Photo: J. Gutierrez/IRIN
Rosendo Menchavez, immediate past president and current chairman of the Committee on Fundraising and Grants, made an appeal to KBNZ members and to other Filipino organisations to donate to the KBNZ Emergency Fund within the a period of two weeks. He said that “those willing to donate any amount can deposit to the KBNZ Emergency Fund Westpac Acct # 03-01550684611-125.” The Board of Trustees agreed that the proceeds will then be turned-over to the Philippine National Red Cross which is pursuing relief operations in affected areas. According to reports more than 800,000 people suffered from the floods. Property and infrastructure damages could amount to millions of pesos. As a support to the drive, some of the finest Filipino music artists in Auckland led by OBG will hold GigAlive-Tabang Tabang Manila Manila on August 26, 2012, 2pm at the Henderson Intermediate School, 70Lincoln Road, Henderson, Auckland. Elmer Cerna, KBNZ chairman on Community Services, has sought the assistance of the Rotary Club of Henderson to co-sponsor the humanitarian activity. One of the important programs of KBNZ is to respond to emergency situations especially in times of calamity. In the past the organization sent cash donations to the families of victims in the Christchurch Earthquake and to those affected by typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro City and Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.
LETTER OF APPEAL To All Concerned: The Philippines once again figured in the New Zealand Herald, and the news items were dire, as flood water submerged 80% of Manila, and affected other areas in Luzon. Those with Facebook accounts may have seen hilarious photos of Filipinos at the height of the flooding that illustrate our legendary resilience and infectious humour. Though those affected may had time to smile, we all know that they had gone through dangers and remain vulnerable due to lack of shelter, food and clean water, among others. For us who are tucked safely in New Zealand, we know that we need to do our share in helping out our kababayans in this time of need, as we had done in the past. By lending a hand to the victims, we not only are able to provide them with their basic needs, but we give them the confidence that they can rise back to normalcy knowing we are behind them. It will also show to our children that we have a social responsibility in times of trouble. KBNZ is committed to help, thus it is pursuing TABANG TABANG MANILA MANILA, a fundraising drive to assist in the relief operations of the Philippine National Red Cross. The program is limited to two weeks effective August 11, the reason being that KBNZ wants to send the donations as soon as possible. The organization offers itself as a conduit for others wanting to send help to the victims. In this manner, our collective effort will have greater impact on affected communities. We are grateful also to the artists who have committed to perform ‘gratis et amore’ in GigAlive on August 26, 2pm in Henderson Intermediate School, 70 Lincoln Road, Henderson, Auckland. It is the hope of the performers that those attending will contribute to the fundraising campaign. KBNZ appeals to all to support this endeavour to bring smiles on the faces of our vulnerable brothers and sisters in the Philippines. Love Peace and Harmony,
Mel B Libre President, KBNZ
NEWS UPDATE Disease alert on as flood deaths hit 89 By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) Updated August 13, 2012 12:00 AM MANILA, Philippines - Emergency relief officials and doctors were deployed to flood-devastated communities yesterday to prevent outbreaks of disease as the death toll jumped to 89. While floods have gone down significantly around the Metro Manila, many areas in nearby provinces remained inundated as overflowing dams continued to release water, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.
Residents line up for water delivered by a tanker in flood-hit Barangay Catmon, Malabon. Photo: Edd Gumban
“As the waters receded, they left behind clogged pipelines and trash everywhere. Sanitation has emerged as a key problem,” Philippine Red Cross (PRC) secretaryGeneral Gwendolyn Pang added.
“We have deployed health officers in evacuation centers and in flood-hit communities with the likelihood of diseases erupting,” she said. The Red Cross put up large rubber bladder tanks for clean water, while local officials sent portable latrines to packed evacuation centers. Food packs were also rushed to 769,999 people displaced by the floods that submerged about 80 percent of Metro Manila last week. NDRRMC chief Benito Ramos said more than half were living in dire conditions in 948 evacuation centers, which are mostly schools and churches converted into temporary shelter areas.
Katilingbang Bisaya sa New Zealand (KBNZ)
Tabang Tabang Manila Manila A KBNZ Fundraising Drive to help the Victims of the August 2012 Calamity in Manila Please deposit your donation to Account No. 03 0155068461125 WESTPAC