Typhoon Relief Mission To Iloilo and Panay Island Philippines: Update Mike Taylor December 13, 2013 Southern California's Ferdinand M. Tesoro reports on a quite humbling and emotional relief mission experience. How the donations you have generously contributed were used and they impacted people’s safety, health and well-being, and livelihood. (Newswire.net -- December 13, 2013) Camarillo, CA -- and his Typhoon Relief Mission have returned home. Ferdinand has filed this exclusive report:
Back home in CA and work after quite a humbling and emotional relief mission experience. First, wanted to share Ferdinand Distributes Funds with you how the donations you have generously contributed were used and they impacted people’s safety, health and wellbeing, and livelihood. As of right now, our relief mission has generated $10,350, which is equivalent to about P436,000 pesos.
$5,120 (or P220k pesos) was given to religious leaders (archbishop’s office for distribution to Carles, Ajuy, and Estancia towns, parish priests of Sara and Concepcion towns, and mother superior of Hijas De Jesus School in Estancia) specifically to repair collapsed roofs, rebuild flattened buildings, and repair structural damages.
We heard stories from each of these leaders on their experience during the storm and how they dealt with it immediately after it passed. Will share specific stories later on – one of them described the various sounds of the storm vividly, from howling to growling like a monster for about 4 hours.
One of the nuns saw their school gym roof’s trusses melt like cheese on the ground as the wind blew around in cycles . . . $3,120 (or P134k pesos) was given to the archbishops’ office and Ben Belasoto, community organizer/leader for Manipulon Island off the coast of Panay Island) to purchase/invest in 8 pumpboats used to provide fishing livelihood to Manipulon Island which has 91 households.
They lost everything during the storm as well use as transportation by religious leaders to deliver services to Manipulon, Isla Higantes, and Pulo.
So this is a start – as households pay their rentals, the profits will be used to purchase more pumpboats for the other households. Each pumpboat with engine costs only about $405 – our money really went a long way although more are still needed . .. $720 (or P31k pesos) was used to purchase multi-vitamins for the Estancia rural health clinic as well as pay for the shipping cost of the medical supplies donated by the Filipino Nurses Association of LA and delivered to the Estancia Rural Health Clinic during our mission.
$580 (or P25k pesos) was personally delivered to 5 families (about $116 each) – Ismael Servando, Rufino Asumbra, Tomasita Gregorio, Ronel Gumban of Ajuy and Robert Belasoto of Estancia - to pay for purchase of galvanized iron for the roofs of their houses.
Some of the folks we talked to live/sleep in mausoleums, cardboard boxes and tents with tarpaulin (plastic) covers to seek refuge from the rains. Others who are luckier live in tents built by Canadian and Japanese relief volunteers. Pictures of those tent cities are attached as well – more to come regarding stories we have heard from children we talked to during the trip.
$900 (or P39k pesos) was used to pay for operational costs (PayPal fees, transportation/food/water for local volunteers, gas, banners, and tracking/documentation.
The Filipino people, specifically those who directly benefited from your generosity are eternally grateful. Have a picture that I attached here that aptly captures their sentiments when we left – We Will Rise Again!! Indeed, you and your donation have given them hope for the future.
Additional donations continue to pour in (thanks to you who share these requests to your network of relatives, friends, etc.) and as we get them, we will add those to the Rent to Own pumpboat livelihood project so all the 91 households in Manipulon will get one pumpboat each and help one island get back on its feet! Here is the PayPal link again that you can share with others who may want to contribute.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=V83VWR6S6M75Q
Please let me know if you have questions - thanks to everyone again who contributed your time and treasure to this humanitarian effort! More stories and pictures coming!
In The News PR In The News PR Camarillo, CA 93010 8052074457 taylor.mike10@gmail.com http://inthenewspr.com